Supply Chain by the Numbers: Week of April 9 , 2009
 

-April 9, 2009
   
 

This Week's Supply Chain by the Numbers - Rail Shipping, Toyota, Goodyear, Unilever

   
 

The Supply Chain and Logistics Numbers Worth Knowing This Week: Congress Seeks Relief from "Captive" Rail Shipments, North American Toyota Moving Forward and Reporting to Japan, Rubber Hits the Road at Goodyear, Demand Sensing is Slim-Fast for Forecasting Error at Unilever

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20-30%

The percent of rail shipments that Ed Wolfe of Wolfe Research estimates fall into the “captive” shipper category, meaning they have at least one segment that is served by only one carrier. As a result, that carrier can effectively control the whole route. Congress is again looking at legislation that would set rates for these “bottleneck” moves.
 
 



 

3

The number of Toyota executives in North America that report directly to Japan, one each for sales, manufacturing and finance. Toyota this week denied it was going to name a single North American executive over all three operations.

 
 
14%

Reduction in inventories for 2009 expected by Goodyear, spurred no doubt by slowing demand, but also “made possible by significant improvements in our supply chain,” according to CEO Robert Eagan, citing changes in logistics and forecasting processes.
 
 
 
 
25%

Approximate amount Unilever expects to reduce its forecast error as a result of implementing new “demand sensing” technologies.