New report: End-to-end planning is “first major step” in tariff and trade management

SarahHarkins

The days of preparing for new trade policies are over. For decades, companies were given advance notice of coming tariff announcements, with time to adapt to the upcoming changes. But that has changed in today’s “tweet today, implement tomorrow” pace of business. That speed and volatility has opened the door for a new style of global trade management to emerge. A recent Aberdeen Group survey of 126 companies identified the organizations that excel at global trade management and the key factors that drive their success.

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Airport logistics and the concurrent planning truth behind baggage handling

IlyasKucukcay

Airport logistics and the truth behind baggage handling

Travelling is my ultimate passion. Even when it’s just a quick trip, setting up a routine in a different city or country helps me to think out-of-the-box as different cultures can have very different aspects of daily living.

Walking in the streets of a new city is a perfect workout for my brain as it helps me quickly become familiar with my surroundings and have the full experience.

I’ve been travelling as much as I can, wherever possible.

I have to say though, if you like travelling, you have to like being in airports and you must be willing to deal with the complex services structure it provides — which starts and ends with your baggage.

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The case for extensibility: why rigid SCM platforms can’t power winning supply chains

AlexaCheater

The case for extensibility: why rigid SCM platforms can’t power winning supply chains

In today’s fast-paced world, success means getting ahead of change, not just keeping up with it. It’s no different for your supply chain. Growing customer demands.

Shifting regulations. Big impact events like natural disasters. It’s no wonder companies are looking for hyper-agile, synchronized supply chains.

But are they looking in the right place?

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Digital transformation: Advice from the front lines

SarahHarkins

When your supply chain isn’t functioning, the signs are clear: missed opportunities, customer complaints, unexplained errors and overstretched planners. Diagnosis is easy, but change is hard.

We’ve all heard stories about the company that spent thousands of dollars and years of work on transformation only to make negligible gains. These stories have created fear and persuaded many companies to stick with outdated solutions long after they’ve outlived their utility. It’s time for companies to readjust their beliefs and revive transformation’s good name.

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Steering innovation: The importance of agile decision-making in the auto industry

MandaSchweitzer-Miller

The automotive industry is in the midst of unprecedented change driven by a trifecta of emerging technology, rapidly evolving consumption preferences and dramatically shifting business landscapes. All three drivers combine to further complicate the already complex and high-volume vehicle supply chain – and the supplier sub-chains that feed into it. The need for flexibility, agility and resilience in the supply chain has never been greater.

So how are automotive leaders overcoming these challenges? They are leveraging the right technology at the right time, focusing on three key areas: scalability, intelligence and concurrency.

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Artificial Intelligence – sifting through the hype and the promise for forecasting

PollyMitchell Guthrie

Today I sat through a full day of talks at the International Institute of Forecasters Foresight Practitioner Conference, which was focused on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence—The Hype and the Promise for Forecasting and Planning.” There was lots of skepticism (and humor) about the hype, along with some use cases of promising results.

Different speakers attempted to define artificial intelligence (AI), with most citing machine learning as a subset of AI. I see very little true AI yet implemented, so I prefer to use the term machine learning, but for the purpose of this post I’ll refer to it as AI/ML.

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Five signs its time for supply chain transformation

SarahHarkins

Watch "Real stories of supply chain transformation"

In spring, the flowers bloom. In fall, the leaves change. Some transformations follow a convention, but in supply chain that’s rarely the case. How do you know when it’s time for a shift? This was the question Kinaxis CEO John Sicard posed to three panelists at a Gartner conference earlier this year.

Leaders from Bose, Boston Scientific and ON Semiconductor shared key lessons from their supply chain transformations, including what led them to consider change. Check out the video and read their comments below. If these stories sound familiar, it might be time for your supply chain to change too…

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Event recap: Inaugural Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit a mile high hit

JayMuelhoefer

Kinaxis CMO Jay Muelhoefer on stage with Gerry Hanrahan of Extreme Networks at the inaugural Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit in Denver, CO.
In November 2019, the inaugural Gartner Supply Chain Planning Summit took place in the mile high city, Denver, CO.

This article is a summary of the event and how it fits into the Gartner supply chain event portfolio. I hope it will help you decide which events to attend in 2020 and beyond. [Disclosure – Kinaxis was a premier sponsor of the event.]

My overall recommendation is the event is good for mid-level supply chain planning professionals looking for a broad information overview. The top benefit is the networking across peers to build relationships beyond the event.

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