Supply Chain by the Numbers
   
 

- Oct. 14 , 2010 -

   
 

This Week’s Supply Chain by the Numbers for Oct. 14, 2010

   
 

Posco Brainstorms Supply Chain in China; One Carrier's Own Extreme Driver Shortage; WalMart Going Urban; Total Landed Cost Challenges

   
 
 
 

10

The number of actionable ideas to improve its supply chain capacity in China that Korean steel giant Posco said it generated this week from a brainstorming session with its SCM partners and sales representatives in the country. Posco said the ideas included ways to boost forecast accuracy, improve order processing, and create a more competitive pricing system.
 
 



 

800

The number of new truck drivers the CEO of one of the largest providers of refrigerated transportation services last week promised to hire by year's end last week in an email to customers, after a lack of drivers has caused the company to have big troubles meeting customer load tenders. We wish them luck, but suspect the number will turn out to be well short of 800. See Concern about Driver Shortages Continues, as Leading Refrigerated Trucking Firm Apologizes for Poor Service, Promises to Hire 800 New Drivers.

 
 
 
30-40

Number of small format stores (30,000-60,000 square feet, versus about 185,000 sq. feet for a supercenter) that WalMart this week said it plans to develop in largely urban areas over the the next few years, in preparation for a much larger rollout upon the learnings gained and success with the tests of the format.
 
 
 
 
45%

The number of respondents in the just released annual Third Party Logistics Study who said their companies make "extensive use" of total landed cost data. 41% said they "somewhat" use TLC data. Not surprisingly, challenges getting all the component data for TCL calculation was the biggest barrier to more extensive use. See Total Landed Cost Calculation, Key to Supply Chain Optimization, Still Immature Practice, 2010 3PL Study Finds.
 
 
 
 
 
 
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