Ok, I am just back from the National Retail Federation's Big Show at the Javitz Center in New York City.
Despite the turmoil in much of retail right now – or maybe more accurately because of it – this show continues to be red hot. NRF says 38,000 attendees signed up this year, a nice increase from 36,000 in 2018, impressive in this trade show environment. It's a game of survival now for many retailers, and technology is the critical part of the game plan for most.
Gilmore Says.... |
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Will Kroger competitors really want to use technology from their rival? Uniited against common enemy Amazon, Yes. |
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What do you say? |
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There was one overwhelming theme among vendors this year: articial intelligence. It seemed like literally every other booth was touting AI, leading me to say our expert insight columnist Michael Watson was spot on when he predicted at this time last year anything that provided analytics would branded as AI.
That noted, here were my favorite new solutions at the show:
Perhaps the most interesting thing at NRF 2019 was a new Bluetooth chip from an Israel-based semiconductor company Wiliot (note IoT at the end of that name).
At show, Wiliot said the chip is paper-thin and about the size of a postage stamp. It can sense weight and temperature and is able to send encrypted information including an EPC number via Bluetooth a distance of about 3 meters.
Most interestingly, this passive tag somehow pulls energy from ambient Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular signals passing by in the air. Wiliot calls this "re-cycling the radiation around us," in a clever line.
As a result of this approach, the chips can be made very cheaply, allowing far more items to be tagged than today, the company says.
How does this really work? Is such "radiation" reliably available? Just how cheaply can these chips be connected to antennas and sold? I don't have any of those answers yet, but I will soon. At the show, Wiliot also announced $30 million in new funding from Amazon and Samsung.
The folks at Datalogic almost always have something interesting to show among their line of mobile terminals and scanners. At this show, a staff member amazingly took one of the company's Android devices, looking like a smart phone and with an unobtrusive rubber boot around it, and BAM BAM BAM he smashed the thing against a shelf in the booth with a lot of force.
Then he threw it hard to the ground, and stamped on it for good measure.
I have never seen anything like it in this mobile terminal world, and the device seemed to be working just fine after all that.
Datalogic also unveiled a neat wireless charging station for its devices. You still need to bring the devices to a station, but they just sit in a little plastic cubby hole-type slot and charge without metal contacts needed on the device or station, which eliminates the most common area of charging issues historically.
The consultants at Infosys were showing an interesting simulation system for distribution and manufacturing.
Greatly simplifying, you create the simulation environment say for a distribution center. Then the simulation actually plays off transactions and processes against the real test version of WMS, which doesn't know this is all coming from a virtual DC.
The tool can be used for performance testing, trials of new processes or equipment, and scenario analysis. The Infosys consultant, for example, said the tool identified for one client that the new WMS "choked"
at a rate of bar code scans likely to be generated by the system – which was very surprising to all and an issue that otherwise probably wouldn't have been realized until after go-live, which would have been a disaster.
Very cool, but this is a tool for high end distribution applications.
For several years I have stopped by the Digimarc booth at NRF. The company developed a unique technology to encode a bar code of almost any type in an image or material invisibly, whether that is the label on a can of soup, a magazine ad, or more recently, an apparel fabric.
Early on Digimarc emphasized how fast POS scanning was with its technology, setting some Guinness world record for scans per minute a few years back, a result of the fact you do not have to worry about the orientation of the code passing by the scanner.
The private label line of northeast grocer Wegmans has been using Digimarcs (they don't like me using that term, preferring Digimarc bar codes, but I like my short hand better) for a few years.
At the show, Digimarc said that both Costco and Walmart were both rolling out the technology for their private label goods. The company also showed its flexibility, where for example a consumer scanning a product with an embedded Digimarc using a pone goes to an informational web site, similar to scanning a QR code (but without needing any space on the label/tag that a QR code requires). But that same hidden bar code acts like a UPS code when passing point of sale. That's neat.
I am sure this market is taking longer to develop than Digimarc and its investors hoped, but it does look as if it is gaining some traction with its interesting technology (first created to deal with counterfeit currencies).
Out-of-stocks continue to be a major issue for retailers, especially in big format stores, which often have the items in the back room but do not know there is a hole on the shelf. Most rely on worker observation and/or indirect POS data (we haven't sold this item in last two hours).
For a number of years, I have said that video analytics are going to solve this problem, and that is even more clear after this year's show.
There are three different approaches, however.
First, in-store cameras aimed at the shelves that identify when a spot goes empty. This is the approach of a company called Trax, Shelfie, the technology arm of Kroger stores, and several others.
The second approach is the use of mobile robots, which periodically roam the aisles, checking for out-of-stocks, planogram compliance, shelf label errors and more. This type of solution was on display from vendors such as Bossa Nova Robotics, Fellow, and others.
The third approach is use of camera-enabled drones that do much the same things as the robots but in a different form factor. Usually at the end of the day or other slow times, the drones traverse the aisles, and generate the same sort of information as the robots.
This approach is being taken by a company called Pensa Systems, who announced at the show that Anheuser-Busch was going to offer the system to its retail customers to improve shelf management, which in trials showed a strong sales uplift.
More on this topic soon from SCDigest.
Also interesting to me was the portfolio of solutions being offered by the new-ish technology division of Kroger. Marketed under the concept of "retail as a service," Kroger was showing a variety of solutions, including a smart (and cool) video shelf display, an inventory video scanning system such as described above, and more, all delivered from the Cloud.
Will Kroger competitors really want to use technology from their rival? That was an issue two years ago, a manager told me. Last year, a lot less resistance, and this year, almost none.
Why? Uniting against the common enemy: Amazon.
In terms of AI, in the Intel booth a company called Cineplex Media showed a video analytic system that captured a vast array of information about store visitors from cameras: gender, age range (both capabilities around for awhile) but now also hair color, glasses or not, attire attribute, add the day's weather, time of day, and more.
Why? So that at the appropriate time, highly personalized, real-time messages and offers created through AI can be delivered in store via signage/displays, mobile apps, etc.
It's brave new world for sure.
I saw a lot more but am out of space. More soon.
Any reactions to Gilmore's trip report? Were you at the show? Anything catch your eye? Let us know your thoughts at the Feedback button (email) or Feedback section below.
Your Comments/Feedback
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Srihari
Senior Consultant, Infosys |
Posted on: May, 22 2016 |
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Great article. I am a little suprised not to see BNSF in the mix while I understand their financial mode/operation is a little different.
That would only give a complete perspective with all the players in the pool.
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Mike O'Brien
Senior editor, Access Intelligence |
Posted on: May, 26 2016 |
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Surprised to see Home Depot fall off the list; thought they were winning with Sync? |
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Julie Leonard
Marketing Director, Inovity |
Posted on: Jun, 27 2016 |
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Using the right tool for the right job has always been a best practice and one of the reasons, we feel, that RFID has never taken off in the DC as exponentially as pundits have been forecasting since 2006. While these results may seem surprising to those solely focused on barcode scanning, the adoption of multi-modal technologies in the DC makes perfect sense for greater worker efficiency and productivity.
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Carsten Baumann
Strategic Alliance Manager, Schneider Electric |
Posted on: Aug, 19 2016 |
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The IoT Platform in this year's (2016) Hype Cycle is on the ascending side, entering the "Peak of Inflated Expectation" area. How does this compare to the IoT positions of the previous years, which have already peaked in 2015? Isn't this contradicting in itself?
Editor's Note:
You are right, Internet of Things (IoT) was at the top of the Garter new technology hype curve not long ago. As you noted, however, this time the placement was for “IoT Platforms,” a category of software tools from a good number of vendors to manage connectivity, data communications and more with IoT-enabled devices in the field.
So, this is different fro IoT generally, though a company deploying connected things obviously needs some kind of platform – hoe grown or acquired – to manage those functions.
Why IoT generically is not on the curve this year I wondered myself.
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Jo Ann Tudtud-Navalta
Materials Management Manager, Chong Hua Hospital, Cebu City, Philippines |
Posted on: Aug, 21 2016 |
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I agree totally with Mr. Schneider.
I have always lived by "put it in writing" all my work life. I am a firm believer of the many benefits of putting everything in writing and I try to teach it to as many people as I can.
This "putting in writing" can also be used for almost anything else. Here are some general benefits (only some) of "putting in writing":
1. Everything is better understood between parties involved. There are lots of people types who need something visual to improve their understanding.
2. Everyone can read to review and correct anything misunderstood. This will ensure that all parties concerned confirm the details of the agreements as correct. This is further enhanced by having all parties involved sign off on a hard copy or confirm via reply email.
3. Everything has a proof. Not to belittle the element of trust among parties involved, it is always safest to have tangible proof of what was agreed on.
4. There will be a document to refer to at any time by any one who needs clarification.
5. The documentation can be useful historical data for any future endeavor. It provides inputs for better decisions on related situations in the future.
6. This can also be compiled and used to teach future new team members. "Learn from the past" it is said.
There are many more benefits. Mr. Schneider is very correct about his call to "put it in writing".
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Sandy Montalbano
Consultant, Reshoring Initiative |
Posted on: Aug, 24 2016 |
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U.S. companies are reshoring and foreign companies are investing in U.S. locations to be in close proximity to the U.S. market for customer responsiveness, flexibility, quality control, and for the positive branding of "Made in USA".
Reshoring including FDI balanced offshoring in 2015 as it did in 2014. In comparison, in 2000-2007 the U.S. lost net about 200,000 manufacturing jobs per year to offshoring. That is huge progress to celebrate!
The Reshoring Initiative Can Help. In order to help companies decide objectively to reshore manufacturing back to the U.S. or offshore, the nonprofit Reshoring Initiative's free Total Cost of Ownership Estimator can help corporations calculate the real P&L impact of reshoring or offshoring. http://www.reshorenow.org/TCO_Estimator.cfm
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Robert
Transportation Manager, N/A |
Posted on: Aug, 30 2016 |
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Good article! I am sending this to my colleagues who work with me. We have to keep this in mind. Thanks! |
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Ian Jansen
Mr, NHLS |
Posted on: Sep, 14 2016 |
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SCM is all about getting the order delivered to the Customer on date/ time requested because happy Customers = Revenue. Using the right tools to do the right job is important and SCM is heavily dependent on sophisticated ERP systems to get right real data info ASP.
I've worked in a DC with more than 400,000 line items and measured the Productivity of Pickers by how many "picks" per day.
I've learned that one doesn't have to remind Germany about your EDI orders. |
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Don Benson
Partner, Warehouse Coach |
Posted on: Sep, 15 2016 |
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Challenge - to build and sustain effective relationships at the level of the organizations that are responsible for effectively coordinating and colaborating in an otherwise highly competitive environment
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Jade
Admin, Fulfillment Logistics UK Ltd |
Posted on: Oct, 02 2016 |
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Of course we all need to up our game. We need to move with the times, and always be one step ahead of what the future will bring. |
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Mike Dargis
President of asset-based carrier based in the Midwest, Zip Xpress Inc. (at ZipXpress.net) |
Posted on: Oct, 03 2016 |
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Thanks for the article, but I know there's a lot more to this issue than just the pay rates. Please check out my blogs on the subject at www.zipxpress.net.
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Blaine
Inventory Specialist, Syncron |
Posted on: Nov, 16 2016 |
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Lora, great article! I agree that companies choose the 'safe' solution more often than not. My solution is a bolt-on for legacy ERP's and we even face challeneges of customer adoption. Most like to play it safe and choose an ERP upgrade, which is more costly, time consuming, and has lower ROI across the board. Would love to learn more about your company, we are always looking for partnerships.
Blaine
blaine.schultz@syncron.com
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Bob McIntyre
National Account Executive, DBK Concepts LLC |
Posted on: Nov, 21 2016 |
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This is a game changer in GE's production and prototyping. It also has huge implications across the GE global supply chain with regard to the management of their support and spare parts network. |
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Kai Furmans
Professor, KIT |
Posted on: May, 22 2017 |
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I am referencing to the comment that leasing of warehousing equipment (beyond forklift trucks) is a vision for 2030.
Just recently in Europe, such a business model has started, see here: https://next-intralogistics.de/
I am following with a lot of interest, how the business develops.
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Stuart Rosenberg
Supply Chain Consultant, First Choice Supply Chain |
Posted on: Jun, 05 2017 |
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If we limit the standard on judging or determining the best supply chain to just three calculations it does not tell the entire picture. Financial performance metrics are valuable as they capture the economic consequences of business decisions. But supply chain managers make decsions and use organizational resources that impact a company's financial well being. Where is a firm's earnings over a period of time determined by sales less product costs and general/adminsitrative costs? Where is the metric for determining the sources and uses of cash from three perspectives - operational, investment and financial? Where are these supply chain metrics: on-time delivery, lead time, response time to customers, product returns, procurement costs, network distance, inventory carrying costs, forecasting accuracy, sourcing time, etc,. Without knowing the results of all these supply chain calculations the there must be a question as to the accuracy of the 25 top supply chains.
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Dustin Calitz
Project Commercialization Manager, Mondelez |
Posted on: Jun, 06 2017 |
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I feel this ranking misses the mark in SC. It does not seem to consider a key indicator in days inventory on hand, which is key to determining a SC company's ability to forecast, manage inventory costs and reduce aged stock. In additiion I realize it's difficult to understand what goes into the customer survey, but would I assume specific metrics are being asked. For examples customer's opinion on service level differentiation and the ability to deliver the right product on time, which should then be allocated a bigger weighting than 10%. It would also be interesting to take a view of the above list's SKU portfolio complexity, seasonality and launches/promotions. I would again assume some companies on the list above have a far more complex SC to manage and lead, ultimately requiring a lot more innovation within a SC to stay ahead of competitors, and ultimately satisfy their customers demands. I understand above metrics are difficult to measure, as mentioned in the article, but they somehow need to be considered to give a true reflection. |
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Michael Hurd
Lean Consultant, Unemployed |
Posted on: Jun, 10 2017 |
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A Very Good Article...
While some feel that lean is a scam that pushes for more out of the personnel and out of the companies through reduction of waste and adding value for the customer, there are several things to remember:
1) Lean methodologies are designed and implemented to reduce time wasting, so this may seem that you are working harder as an employee.
2) Lean methdoligies only work when everyone from the janitor to the owner of the company get involved and back the program.
3) Lean methods are there to make you work smarter not harder, although it may feel you are working harder.
4) YES... Sometimes lean methodologies fail! This is due to project overun or taking on too large a problem and trying to fix it all in one go and not taking the smaller problems that are associated with the large problem and fixing them first. Sometimes fixing the small problems leads to resolution of the larger problem. |
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Akhil
Director Supply Chain , skuchain |
Posted on: Jul, 31 2017 |
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The Supply Chain technology is not considered a problem because traditionally supply chains are thought to be cost centres unlike sales functions. The tendency, in general, to limit expenses and cost cutting on upgrades for technology and for talent have been hindering progress for the businesses. Supply chains lack real time visbility and above all trust across the value chain (not that the participants are dishonest) rather it's about the cascading effects referred to as the bull-whip effect which causes higher magnitudes of disruptions.
Supply chain real time information should top the list .
Another problem is that of multi homing as so much data is available across several feeds of IOT/Email/Internet /Mobility/ERP that organisations tend to have issues around finding a single platform to collate them for meaning analysis.
Blockchain (if deployed appropriately) can be a great solution for solving the issues around the supply chain.
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Mike Ledyard
Vested Program Faculty, Vested Way / University ofTennessee |
Posted on: Aug, 04 2017 |
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Excellent article. It very much points to the need for Shared Risk / Shared Reward as we teach at Vested. Suppliers will respond when they are made part of the team, and they have a lot to bring to the game. The service provider is the subject matter expert in the services provided, and in an excellent position to enhance the capabilities and services offered by the shipper. |
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Andrew Downard
Managing Director, AD Supply Chain Group Pty Ltd |
Posted on: Aug, 05 2017 |
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As the article points out it is not a lack of technology that is holding back performance but rather a failure to form the right sort of relationships. As well as the length of such relatiohships, practitioners should consider employing arrangements that incentivise both parties to innovate and deliver levels of performance and profit that neither thought possible. By far the best model I have come across to achieve this is the Vested Outsourcing model developed by researchers from the University of Tennessee. See www.vestedway.com for information on the model and case studies that show how others have benefited from creating a Vested deal. |
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Najma
logistics, threelineshipping |
Posted on: Aug, 23 2017 |
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Very informational article. The major focus of logistics is on e-commerce. There is a need to optimize every component of logistics by following the latest trends and technologies. Thanks for uploading this article. |
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Sameer Shukkla
Consulting Partner, Wipro Inc. |
Posted on: Sep, 17 2017 |
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I have recently co-authored a white paper with my colleague wherein we have looked at 2 fundamental guiding principles -
1. Always have enough to Sell / Produce
2. Do not have excess to Sell / Produce
These 2 Golden Rules can be the foundation of keeping optimal inventory levels and for organizations to achieve the same. We have looked at a framework which tries to reduce the phase mismatch between Demand & Supply, and tries to bring the shape of the supply curve closer to shape of the demand curve.
We have classified symptoms and underlying root causes for the above "Phase mismatch" and "Curve Mismatch" between Demand and Supply, and then talked about addresssing those individual root causes to strive towards Leaner Inventory levels while maintaining or improving service levels.
So to answer your question, we feel the Companies which have addresed these causes have been able to keep DIO horizontal or even going down, while others have not been able to control rising DIO because of not addressing the root causes.
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Simon Eagle
SCM Consultant, Camelot MC |
Posted on: Sep, 17 2017 |
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You ask why turns are flat or declining despite lots of attention and technology. The answer is, I think, 2 fold: the supply chain environments VUCA (Volatliity, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity) is on a continuous upward curve and this means that forecast accuracy inevitably declines in parallel - and much of that inaccuracy is hidden by the statistics. For instance a company with, seemingy good, 80% mix accuracy will find that figure is skewed so high by the few high volume / low variability items. 80% of the items will be achieving considerably less than 60% error.
So most item level forecasts used for driving replenishment through an MPS (be it ERP or APS) are simply leading to unbalanced stocks, service threats and continuous expediting / fire-fighting. These schedule interrutions are "variability" that is disrupting flow and, thereby, increasing lead-times, using unplanned capacity and generating excessive (and still unbalanced) inventories.
The replacement in ex-stock supply chains is "enterprise(s)-wide" pull which also uses "push" for extreme/exceptional events. Its other key characteristics are that the supply chain is decoupled and is demand-driven. And now it can be implemented using SAP since they announced they they have co-developed an enhancement for IBP that supports this transformational way of working - up to 50% inventory reduction, requiring less capacity and shorter lead-times all while achieving planned service levels. See https://www.camelot-itlab.com/en/camelot-demand-driven-lean-planning-suite-for-sap/ and https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/supply-chain-flow-what-why-how-simon-eagle/
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John Smith
Research & Development, Octopus Tech Solutions |
Posted on: Sep, 18 2017 |
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IoT is without a doubt starting to become a major factor in the profitability of various companies. In the manufacturing sector, we will see it come into the front by the end of 2020 completely. Various sectors have already adapted IoT solutions like the security industry or companies offering BPO Services India. Contact centers not just in India and China but across the world have adapted technology following the principles of IoT. The manufacturing sector is soon going to follow. |
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Girish Maniyar
Chief Manager Development Initiatives, Asian Paints |
Posted on: Sep, 28 2017 |
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I can speak with some context. While efficiency and tools can reduce inventory, we also see the number of SKUs and new products increasing, and also the number of sales/depot points. This means the inventory in such cases, can start with very high number and with more customization and choices available to the consumer, so there is no end to the long tail of products available within a category. It is unlikely that the slow/dead goods are written off so easily to be not included here.
A larger question, would it be purely an IO problem or also a Demand Planning (Forecast Error) problem? A higher cycle time of service but a better fill rate can improve inventory performance, by aggregation. But a bad forecast can do away all the good work you do in inventory planning.
Do you have numbers for decorative coatings in the list? I did not see something there only for decorative coatings.
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Reo B Hatfield
Chief Operating Executive , BestTransport |
Posted on: Oct, 20 2017 |
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My opinion is that peaks and valley are just nice graphics to explain. Smooth responses save the day. 3PLs just adjust to the climate and the areas of movement of Logistics. One purpose of the 3PL movement was to adjust to an always changing market. They will never be fixed and will flex as the logistics changes. 3PL companies have vast knowledge of their business. Their success is their ability to move up and down as the market flows. They bring a level playing field to the transportation world that in the past was rigid but looked good on spreadsheets. Industry graphic personnel like to be able to answer all the changes because they can only see documents. 3PLs see the needs, the issues, the positive changes and the knowledge to know why and when to adjust. They (3PLs) have smoothed the waves of the past and everybody likes to see the spikes so they know something is there to clearly report on. Smooth sailing is boring but sure gets you where you want to go.
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Catherine Dennis
Supply Chain Manager, Indak Mfg Corp |
Posted on: Oct, 26 2017 |
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So the horrific and severe worldwide allocation of electronic components is not an issue? Don't tell that to the automotive buyers. It's HORRIBLE. Lead times out to up to 76 weeks. Why not write about that? It's killing us, our customers and the big automakers. |
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Huub
Logistics Manager, Shell |
Posted on: Nov, 11 2017 |
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I suggest McKinsey to do a bit more research in Prof Gattorna’s dynamic alignment. This article only scratches the surface a tiny bit. Much more to be found reading about the alignment concept. |
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Joseph George
Farmer, Field Vista |
Posted on: Dec, 07 2017 |
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Primarily Vision is required followed by Assigned Focus on objectives. Or maybe just love for USA. The market will not find its way unless it's for organic vegetables and RRR. Two to three years later will take two to three years longer to the end of the decade, and this is viable today. God bless america from its present distraction. |
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Gary Buchs
Owner Operator , Self, Landstar Business Capacity Owner |
Posted on: Dec, 17 2017 |
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In My Opinion, the fact that capacity will tighten should be obvious to everyone engaged in the transportation.
Capacity to move freight isn’t how many trucks or trailers are in the system or what a computer
program says, it still is truck driver based and poorly-managed companies won’t be able to imporove
this fact. Investing in people is still most important!
Get ready to pay higher prices for goods and services. I think we could lose 10% of Capacity in many areas.
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Dan
Pres., Bioptechs |
Posted on: Dec, 20 2017 |
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After all the ground we have lost in the productive sector and the additional burden that loss of our productive momentum has placed on our society, somebody tell me why so many people are against the actions necessary to restore our vital productive infrastructure! It is like the left enjoys shooting itself in the foot! |
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Jayaram
Business Development, Raghava Logistics |
Posted on: Mar, 04 2018 |
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Great article and thank you for summerizing the predications.
What does it mean to country like India where the labour is still cheap? Where the logistics cost is still on the higher side compared to some of the developed nations?
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Herb Shields
President , HCS Consulting |
Posted on: Mar, 06 2018 |
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I agree that robots can replace some amount of manual labor in logistics centers. However as you mention, the labor pool is shrinking. We need more training programs such as the one provided by the Greater West Town organization in Chicago. Www.gwtp.org. (It is a program that your readers should find interesting.) |
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Billy
Associate, BJO |
Posted on: Mar, 13 2018 |
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Thanks for this very informative article.
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Doug Murless
Country Manager, krunchbox (www.krunchbox.com) |
Posted on: Mar, 18 2018 |
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Gone are the days when consumers will wait for a retailer to have the product back in stock, those days are done. We live in the "I want it now" society and with Amazon in their pocket consumers can easily "now" it to themself the next day right from their phone.
The importance of product availability is under the microscope at all retailers as an empty shelf equals lost customers, a poor customer experience and entirely abandoned purchases.
We are on a mission at krunchbox to help suppliers fix their product availability and sell thru and improve their buyer relationships, hopefully before their retail partner fines start rolling in and or we see more retailers close. |
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NikhilSingh
Executive, Carmatec INC |
Posted on: Mar, 21 2018 |
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You are correct There are government programs to encourage investment at small and mid-size manufacturers, but McKinsey says these programs generally have smaller budgets, less certainty of ongoing funding, and more constraints on their mandates than comparable programs in other countries. Policy makers should examine which existing initiatives are producing the most promising results, then scale up those efforts and commit to them for the long term.
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