2021 has been a difficult year for supply chains around the world. A continuing global pandemic, labor shortages, skyrocketing commodity costs, unprecedented raw material shortages and supply chain delays continue to plague companies that need to transport goods. Ports around the world are now struggling with congestion, and there is no relief in sight. Why …
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All posts by Deanna Wenstrup
A few years ago, I wrote about the pros and cons of data sharding and data partitioning based on real-world examples. But it recently occurred to me that many may still be unsure when to use database sharding techniques and the expected benefits. The below article addresses three key questions to ask before you begin …
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Retail demand planning is a key aspect of supply chain optimization. Understanding and predicting how much stock to have on-hand to appease consumer demand at any given time helps dictate the retailer’s manufacturing and shipping needs. Not surprisingly, consumer demand can change rapidly based on environmental, economic and geo-political influences. A couple years ago, I …
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In just a short time, the year 2020 has introduced the average person to phrases unheard only three months ago – social distancing, N95 masks, PPE, and Global Supply Chain. As the COVID-19 virus spread around the world, countries went under lockdown as they tried to “bend the curve” on the spread of the virus. …
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The other day I stopped at a Chinese restaurant I had not visited in a while, and the owner asked where I had been. Trying to provide her usable consumer feedback, I informed her that I stopped visiting her establishment when they discontinued the buffet, and I had been frequenting a competitor. The owner informed …
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I was in the grocery store the day after Easter – a shopping cart caught my eye. It was all the leftover goodies discounted to $1.00 from $5.99. These items had not suddenly gone bad – they were just cookies and candies shaped like rabbits and Easter Eggs. This cart of items started me thinking …
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Tardigrades, which are often called water bears, are nearly microscopic. Although they are usually water dwelling creatures, they can be found in Antarctic ice, ocean depths of 14,000 feet and in the Himalayas at a height of 20,000 ft. They can survive just about anywhere, including outer space. Fossils of tardigrades have been found in …
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Last weekend I met up with some DBA friends for lunch. Try as you might, the conversation always seems to return to talking shop and soon we were discussing the differences between data partitioning and sharding. There seems to always be a lot of conflicting opinions on this topic, so I felt it was worthy …
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Last summer we were having dinner with some friends. One of the people at the table worked for DineEquity, the parent company of Applebee’s. He proceeded to tell us about the current initiative to redo the cooking equipment in all Applebee restaurants with wood-fired grills. They were going to introduce wood fired steak, chicken, pork …
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At Profit Point, our consulting team has over a century of combined experience implementing Aspen Supply Chain Management (MIMI) solutions. Although the concepts for developing a model are similar from plant to plant, there is nothing quite like getting boots on the ground to truly understand the client needs. With that philosophy in mind, a …
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My hobby is backpacking. When you backpack you carry everything on your back, so you quickly become obsessed with how much everything weighs. One of the biggest challenges I typically face is meal planning – food is heavy, bulky and often perishable. As a result of this challenge, backpackers typically carry freeze dried food. …
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Several years ago I started collecting coins. I love the beauty of a nicely preserved coin; just looking at the year on the coin takes me back to that time and place in history. In addition to the usual proof sets most numismatists collect, I also like to collect coins that reflect unique times in …
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