Supply Chain by the Numbers
   
 

-May 7 , 2010
   
 

This Week’s Supply Chain by the Numbers for May 7, 2010

   
 

Sony Reduces Suppliers; Truckload Miles Still 36% Below Peak; Steel Mill Capacity Utilization Continues To Rise; Quality Is Job #1
   
 
 
 

1,300

Number of suppliers that Sony is now managing, down from 2500 in 2009, as the electronics giant is ahead of schedule in its plan to reduce suppliers to just 1200 by 2011, a move that it says will save it billions annually.
 
 



 

36%

The percent by which US dry van truckload miles are still below their peak, which perhaps surprising to many was not reached in 2008 but all the way back in 2002.
 
 
70-75%

Average capacity utilization at US steel mills of late, up about two-thirds from the lows of 40-45% reached in 2008, as the economic recovery seems to be in real swing.
 
 
 
 
1

The spot taken by “improving product quality” in a ranking among current supply chain initiatives for manufacturers, according to a new study by the analysts at IDC. The firm says that is likely a “reflection of the growing number of recalls in categories such as automotive, toys, and grocery, and increasing pressure on brands from retail private label.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
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