Kinaxis named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales and Operations Planning Systems of Differentiation

DanielleMcNeil Taylor

Kinaxis named a Leader in Gartner Magic Quadrant for Sales and Operations Planning Systems of DifferentiationWe’re pleased to share news of Gartner’s most recent research, the 2019 Magic Quadrant for Sales and Operations Planning Systems of Differentiation. On the strength of feedback from our customer community, Kinaxis has been named a Leader for the third consecutive time, which we believe validates our holistic approach to supply chain planning, which connects customer data, processes and people across the entire network.

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Toward a more effective supply chain

RichardCushing

The Path to Modern Supply Chain Planning – Why the Shift from Siloed to Collaborative Is Worth the JourneyIn its recent e-book, The Path to Modern Supply Chain Planning – Why the Shift from Siloed to Collaborative Is Worth the Journey, Kinaxis identifies the warning signs of ineffective planning as follows:

  1. Siloed thinking
  2. Disconnected execution
  3. Lack of executive focus
  4. Poor system performance

Of course, these symptoms or signs of ineffective planning are true for supply chains. But they are also true for almost everything else that goes on in the enterprise. Let’s look at them from the bottom up.

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Digital supply chain transformation: What was once disruption is now strategy

AlexaCheater

The debate over whether technology is required to run supply chains is over. It has been for a while now. In the next five years, we’ll see more innovation than the last century, and that’s staying a lot given in those 100 years we put a man on the moon, invented aerosol spray cans and saw the world revolutionized by personal computers, the internet and mobile phones.

Looking around on day two of the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference in Phoenix, AZ I see evidence of the world’s past innovation everywhere. From the phones and tablets in fellow attendees’ hands to the wireless earbuds and smart watches they’re wearing to the very screens presentations are being shown on. Innovation is everywhere. It’s inescapable. Even in the confines of your Excel-driven supply chain.

As Amber Salley and James Lisica, senior director analysts for Gartner, so poignantly put it during their keynote presentation on converging the physical and digital supply chains—if you’re still operating on the back of an Excel spreadsheet, it’s time for a reality check.

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From supply chain survival to leader: How you can follow Lenovo’s lead and find success during an acquisition

AlexaCheater

“Stand up if you know what it’s like to live through an acquisition, or if you’ve experienced a crisis at your company at some point in time.”

That was how Ben Massie, Vice President of E2E Supply Chain Execution at Lenovo, kicked off his presentation at the 2019 Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference in Phoenix, AZ. Nearly everyone in the room was standing—myself included.

Massie’s story centered on his journey from IBM to Lenovo during the acquisition of System X—a seven-year process from sale to hyper growth.

There were layoffs. A lot of them. A revolving door of mangers. Seven in sixteen months. And a shift in culture that put the emphasis solely on the bottom line.

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Supply chain gender gap the topic of focus at MIT event

LeahMcGuire

Leah McGuire, Kerry Currier and Francini Ortiz at the 2019 MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics Women in Supply Chain Summit, where the gender gap in supply chain was the topic of focus.

Joined by Kinaxis colleagues Kerry Currier and Francini Ortiz on a crisp, sunny morning at the end of March, we marveled at the cool light display of Converse shoes in the lobby of the Converse building in downtown Boston as we checked in as attendees and panelists to the inaugural MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics Women in Supply Chain Summit, where an examination of the gender gap in supply chain was a central topic.

The two-day event brought together 60+ women and men from 27 companies across North America to discuss topics in four areas related to women in supply chain: balance, filling the talent gap, mentorship, sponsorship & networking, and leading global teams. Katie Date and her team did a wonderful job of getting the right mix of time for panels, group discussion and networking to make the event extremely valuable and insightful.

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New advisory report highlights benefits of concurrent planning

TeresaChiykowski

Advisory report: Concurrent planning in a period of business uncertainty

In its January 2019 Research Advisory report, 2019 Predictions for Industry and Global Supply Chains, The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group advised supply chain management teams to prepare for continued higher levels of global supply chain risk, complexity and overall uncertainty. At the same time, organizations must be prepared to meet industry needs for increased digital transformation and highlights benefits of concurrent planning in this period of business uncertainty.

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Examining LogiPharma 2019 – Top 3 symptoms you caught the life sciences supply chain bug

BillDuBois

Examining LogiPharma 2019 – Top 3 symptoms you caught the life sciences supply chain bug

With LogiPharma 2019 in the books, a big congratulations goes out to all the organizers, speakers, vendors and attendees for a successful event. LogiPharma 2019 featured a strong lineup of speakers and life sciences supply chain industry experts who delivered valuable and relevant content, spurring attendees to participate with passion while host (and former Premiership Rugby match official) David Kurk injected a good dose of energy and humor to keep things moving.

Most impressive at this event was the content — and we’re not talking about skin deep, stick out your tongue and say “ah” level content. Speakers went deeper on their respective topics than a colonoscopy, which by the way, if you are around 50 years old and you haven’t done so, you really should get a colonoscopy, because symptoms can go unnoticed.

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Digital transformation in the life sciences supply chain – show me the data

BillDuBois

Digital transformation in the life sciences supply chain – Vas NarasimhanThe life sciences supply chain starts with a miracle

Is there a more challenging industry than life sciences? In a recent Forbes interview on why it’s so hard to bring tech into pharma, Vas Narasimhan, Chief Executive Officer of Novartis AG pointed out that only one in twenty drugs make it out of clinical trials.

One in twenty. A rate that hasn’t increased in over a decade. The only thing that has increased are the costs. Everything we talk about in supply chain starts with discovering that product you can market and sell. For those in consumer-packaged goods, it’s safe to say we’re fairly knowledgeable about our customers and target markets.

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