Supply Chain by the Numbers
   
 

- Nov. 15, 2013
   
  Supply Chain by the Numbers for Week of Nov. 15, 2013
   
 

Philips Trims the Fat in Procurement; Amazon.com Deliveries Now Open on Sunday; Rail Carriers Riding Profit Tracks Big Time; Our Supply Chain Video Timeline is Very Popular
   
 
 
 

2300

Number of procurement managers that electronics giant Philips had across the globe in 2012 when current Chief Procurement Officer Fredrick Spalcke took over. He also inherited a mind-blowing 256 separate job descriptions in the organization. That head count is now down by 400, Spalcke said at a recent conference in Europe, with another 300-400 more reductions coming. "Not because we're merciless, but because we don't need them. We'll find them something else to do," Spalcke said. The job description count is also now down to just 23.
 
 



 
 
 

7

Number of days per week this Christmas season - and beyond - that Amazon.com will be able to deliver in the New York City and Los Angeles markets, after a deal was announced this week between the ecommerce giant and the United States Post Office. So, an Amazon Prime service customer could place an order on a Friday and get free shipping for Sunday delivery. Amazon says it will expand the Sunday delivery service to other major metro markets in 2014, including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Phoenix. "The future of package delivery is a seven-day-a-week schedule," said USPS Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe.
 
 
 
 
 

112

Number of readers who have thus far requested a copy of our 50 Years of Supply Chain Progress video timeline, produced to help celebrate the 50 year anniversary of CSCMP's predecessor organization, the National Council of Physical Distribution Management. Haven't seen it? You can view it online here: 50 Years of Supply Chain Progress Timeline. Want a copy? Send us an email at feedback@scdigest.com. It's really good, we promise. Just five minutes long. Great for meetings of all types.
 
 
 
 
 

18.4%

Net income as a percent of revenue collectively for the four public class I rail carriers (Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Kansas City Southern) in Q3, according to this week's SCDigest analysis. That's up just a smidgen from Q3 2012, but up substantially from the 14.6% profitability level seen in Q2. Q3 has been the best financial quarter of the year for the rail carriers, as in general the profits keep flowing for them. To put that profitability level in perspective, net income as a percent of revenue in the group of seven public truckload carriers we follow was just 5.8% in Q3. An 18.4% net profit margin would be at the very upper end across all industries.
 
 
 
 
 
 
.