7 Essential Attributes of Strategic Supplier Partnerships!

Though the phrase partnership is often used, what really constitutes a strategic supplier partnership?

In a previous article about supplier management, I suggested that the more a supplier tells you that they are strategic, the less they really are. Strategic is a term that is often overused. Whether the phrase refers to sourcing, procurement, relationships, or other matters, its use is prevalent.

The notion of partnerships is equally ubiquitous and similarly both mis- and over-used. This article will identify a taxonomy for a strategic partnership between two parties.

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Warehouse Fulfillment – Move Material to the People, Not Vice Versa!

“Here Come The Bots!”

Wow!  This was the headline caption on the presentation I was about to see.  I had just joined the company.  I had just spent the last few years in Retail.  I had done a lot of research on how to improve efficiencies and productivity in Online/E-Commerce Fulfillment Distribution Centres.  And I had lived through the agonizing process and resource challenges of fulfilling E-Commerce orders during the Holiday season, which is far and away the busiest time of the year in Retail.

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Competing against Amazon? You Need A Blue Ocean Strategy!

Amazon is far and away the leader in the E-C0mmerce space.  Their growth continues at an exceptional pace.  And they continue to expand their products, services, and capabilities.  In short they continue to press their advantage and make it difficult for anyone else to compete with them.  You need a Blue Ocean strategy!

But if you are in the E-Commerce space that is your reality.  Amazon is the biggest shark in the room.  So how do you compete in the face of such an overwhelming adversary?

One technique is to consider creating your own Blue Ocean Strategy to create competitive advantage!  If you can define dramatically different space in which to do business you may be able to keep this shark, and others, at bay (at least for a period of time).

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Tesla Supply Chain Issues and Lessons!

Tesla’s relentless research and development produce innovative solutions powered by cutting-edge technology. Tesla is a perfect role model for using advanced automotive technologies that further enhance modern vehicles’ efficiency and safety.

Automobile makers, including Tesla, utilize automation, machine learning, artificial intelligence, and other technologies when designing vehicles, including innovative accessory feature comparisons such as flow formed wheels vs forged

While Tesla’s milestones in automotive manufacturing are impressive, the company also faces a fair share of issues, including supply chain management.

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The Amazon Effect is the New Walmart Effect!

In 1994, Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos read a statistic that the Internet had been growing at 2300 percent annually. He fashioned that changing tide into a business plan that has been breaking barriers across supply chain and e-commerce that has left an indelible mark with the Amazon effect.

Beginning with booksellers, the e-commerce giant has expedited the closure of many retailers and threatens to redefine the standards of shopping in a digital world. Retailers are forced to lower prices, optimize their systems and processes, and reduce profit margins in favor of competition; meanwhile, Amazon continues its trek toward dominance.

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The Future of the Chief Procurement Officer … Is Already Here!

Kodiak Rating’s CTO was recently in attendance at a Chief Procurement Officer and Procurement Leaders event held in London, titled DITx — Data Intelligence and Tech Forum.

As written by Procurement Leaders, “DITx is Europe’s ONLY event specifically designed for procurement professionals wanting to capitalize on a whole new set of opportunities that disrupt yet provide new transformative, value adding capabilities” (Procurement Leaders 2017).

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Unleash Your Employees’ Ideas to Truly Change the Game!

Organizations that are either considered high performing or who aspire to become high performing understand that their employees are their greatest asset.  A company can only achieve its overall objectives if their employees are aligned, on board and driving toward those goals, and if their ideas are heard.

At its core your employees understand how well or how poorly the day-to-day processes in your company run better than anyone else.  They also have tremendous ideas on how to improve those processes, how to improve your metrics, and how to achieve your objectives.

So how do you tap in to that intellect, unleash those ideas, and empower your employees in an organized and efficient manner?  How do you get your finger on the pulse of what is on your employee’s minds?

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A Comprehensive Warehouse Safety Guide!

When it comes to the state of working in America, warehouses have seen a huge increase of workers with over 1,000,000 total since the start of 2018. With this trend looking to continue into the next couple of years, it’s time to examine the state of the industry, especially when it comes to safety with all of these new employees entering the field.

Warehouses, often full of moving machinery carrying heavy loads, are inherently one of the most dangerous places to work. If you’re a warehouse manager, failing to control these risks can lead to high employee turnover, decreased productivity, legal issues, and, at worst, injury or fatality.

In most case scenarios, the law requires companies to train their workers for a CPR certificate to improve workplace safety practices.

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The Baby Supply Chain!

We have a newborn Grandson!  A beautiful baby boy!

Aside from being a parent there is no better feeling than being a Grandparent!

A whole new world of joy and responsibility has begun for my son and his girlfriend.  It is such an exciting time but their routine will be completely turned upside down as new parents.

They will have to figure out so many things that they never had to deal with before.  Parents immediately  have to care for their child in every way.

They have also just entered the world of the Baby Supply Chain!

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What is Mentoring?

A mentor is a person who can be a sounding board, someone of experience who can listen and help development, while not losing sight of reality. That is mentoring. 

Mentorship is actually rarer than we think but true mentorship is a beautiful thing.

“Mentors should keep their protégés’ feet grounded, and support and stretch them to succeed personally and professionally,” says Debbee Dale in “How to Set up a Mentoring Scheme.” I think that is a perfect description.

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The Digital Supply Chain Infographic!

Supply Chain 4.0 is the manifestation of the Digital Supply Chain of the future as enabled by many of the Disruptive Technologies that we all hear about every day. Here we review our Digital Supply Chain infographic.

Everyone is impacted by the advancement of technology in both their personal and professional lives.  And that impact will only become more profound as time goes on.

The Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR), Cloud Computing, Blockchain, Robotics, Big Data, Advanced Analytics and more are terms represent the technological breakthroughs that are being made every day.

For those involved in Supply Chain there are deep impacts that are occurring, and that will continue enabled by the evolutionary and revolutionary change that is enabled by technology. Let’s look at the Digital Supply Chain infographic.

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Augmented Reality (AR) is the Future of Supply Chain!

Augmented Reality (AR) enables transformational change!

When I started in the distribution space, I was told “…business is simple…cases in, cases out.” Reports were on green bar paper and forklifts were everywhere. As the distribution space evolved, the reports became spreadsheets and forklifts remained very important as they are coupled with the latest and greatest automation.

Supply chain improvements over the last 15 years have been incremental at best. The advances we are making in the supply chain powered by Augmented Reality (AR) are going to be wildly disruptive. The supply chain community that leans into AR and gets it right will come out the clear winners for every perspective: simplicity, safety, quality and productivity.

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Peeling Back The Orange Juice Supply Chain!

Orange juice is the most popular fruit juice in the world, and one of the most popular of all drinks globally.  Depending on the country you live in you may consume on average several gallons of Orange juice annually.

When you go into a grocery store or supermarket you are likely to see a large pile of oranges.  And when you walk down the aisle to where the juices are you will see a large variety of brands and types of juice … with lots of pulp, some pulp, no pulp, low acid, with calcium and vitamin D, and on and on.

While Oranges and juice are common and usually easily found it is still curious as to what the Supply Chain is.  What exactly is the Orange juice Supply Chain and how does it work?

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Struggling with Process Ownership? Is it a Failure to Communicate?

Does your business struggle with process ownership? Are your process improvements not “sticking”? The failure of an organization to have in place well-functioning process owners is a common occurrence these days.

The root causes (if anyone cares to do a full postmortem) are numerous. We’ve heard it all before; “the organizational structure won’t allow for it”, “incentives are misaligned”, “leaders don’t understand what it takes to be a process owner” etc. I’m sure we can all relate to some or all of these statements.

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Seasoned Leadership in Action™ – An Interview with Derek Panchyshyn!

Derek Panchyshyn
Derek Panchyshyn

At Supply Chain Game Changer we believe in sharing experiences and expertise from people in every industry and from across the globe.  As such we have introduced our “Seasoned Leadership in Action™” Interview series at Supply Chain Game Changer.  This interview is with Derek Panchyshyn.

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