Supply Chain by the Numbers
 

-September 18, 2008

   
 

The Numbers Worth Knowing this Week in Supply Chain and Logistics

   
 

This Week: Chargebacks Gone Wild; Tracking Freight Movement Costs - Rail versus Truck; Drop in Oil Price - Reality Check; Moving to a Centralized Procurement Function

   
 
 
 

67

The average number of Compliance/Chargeback categories for their vendors per retailer, according to a recent analysis of 35 retailers by VCF, an industry association.

 
 



 

12%

The price discount to move freight via rail versus truck, according to the most recent quarterly Shippers' Survey from Wolfe Research (formerly performed by Bear Stearns). That delta has shrunk 2% from Q1, implying rail carriers are increasing rates faster than the increased costs for trucking fuel surcharges.

 
 
$83

The approximate price per barrel of oil at this time last year – meaning that despite the precipitous drop in crude oil prices in the past few weeks, prices in the  mid-$90 per barrel are still almost 15% higher than a year ago.

 
 
 
 
53%

 

 

The percentage of respondents who said a centralized procurement function will control day-to-day purchasing decisions in their enterprises in the next 3 years, versus 44% who say that is the model currently, according to a new KPMG report. The alternatives to a centralized function are business-unit level procurement functions (36% in 3 years) or line of business managers (10% in 3 years).

 
 
 
 
 
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