It wasn’t too long ago that outside of work, many of us were met with puzzlement when we mentioned the supply chain. For better or worse, we rarely have to explain ourselves anymore: The past few challenging years have provided almost everybody with some degree of understanding of the difference that good, flexible, reactive supply …
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Tag Archives: Global Supply Chain
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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In July 2018, after the initial tariffs were implemented on China by the US, I was in Shanghai, teaching a scheduling class at a multi-national specialty chemical company. As CNN International blared in the background at lunchtime, one of my students asked what the impact of tariffs on Global Supply Chains would be. At the …
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Remotely Supporting Supply Chain Solutions to a Global Clientele Situation The day started a little earlier than most. My peaceful slumber was interrupted by unexpected cargo carried over from the previous day that seemed to roll in like waves until the largest piece crashed to shore sometime around 4:30 am. Previous Day 7:30 am: Time …
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Identifying Which Customers Not to Serve!
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Recently, I was out with some friends to check out a Chinese restaurant I had never been to before. As usual, I looked forward to getting my fortune cookie. My fortune was totally nonsensical as happens sometimes but my friend’s fortune read as follows: “Getting the right answers is only possible when you have asked …
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There’s no doubt that the Sales and Marketing side of a business can often seem like the ‘sexy’ side of the operation. Just picture a new car showroom with all of those shiny, glitzy vehicles just waiting for a test drive. But the supply chain that put those gleaming new cars in the showroom initially …
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The combination of Project Management and Teaching is how I got my start in Supply Chain. I had project management experience from my engineering career where I was designing, building, starting up and optimizing specialty chemical plants around the USA. In 2001, I was the Technical Manager for a plant in Charlotte, NC and I …
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Do you need to use one of the big Supply Chain Management software packages to have a scalable solution that covers all your businesses and regions? Many of the larger software vendors insist that the answer is “Yes”. Their argument goes something like this: “Customized solutions may fit your business requirements and competitive advantage needs …
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Recently I was at an event where I knew the host and her family but not too many other people. As the guests introduced themselves to each other, the dreaded question came up. What do you do? I have come to dread this question. For the first part of my career, my answer was …
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There are many production scheduling tools available commercially. Some are more tailored to specific environments (such as a specific type of manufacturing) while others are applicable to a wide range of applications. When we talk about Advanced Production Scheduling Tools, there are certain characteristics that we have in mind including the following: 1) Both materials …
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Sometimes the answer to “How difficult can it be?” is more difficult than you were prepared for! Okay, I have the Network Optimization Software…Now what? They didn’t tell me how many different choices I’d have to make to put this thing together. Assembling your optimal supply chain starts with modeling your supply chain. It’s important …
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