Industries are already reaping benefits from trusting

from bangkokpost.com

BARRY ELLIOTT

Over the past few weeks, we have been discussing the notion of trust in the supply chain and what people are doing about it.

Certainly, the linkage and logic flow of the words “trust”, “sharing”, and “collaboration” come to the fore. Thus, it is not surprising that industry-related programmes typically have the word “collaboration” in the titles. Some of the better-known ones are the following:

Collaborative Planning, Forecasting, and Replenishment (CPFR): The consumer packaged goods industry has mostly used this, but it is also found in retail, electronics, automotive, defence and postal sectors.

ARC Automotive Selects TradeBeam to Improve Global Inventory and Supplier Management

from marketwire.com

Automotive Supplier to Use Collaborative Inventory Management Solution i-Supply to Drive Costs Out of Supply Chain

SAN MATEO, CA — (MARKET WIRE) — October 31, 2006 — TradeBeam, Inc., a leading provider of on-demand Global Trade Management (GTM) software and services, today announced that ARC Automotive, Inc., a unit of Sequa Corporation and a global automotive supplier of airbag inflators, signed an agreement to use TradeBeam’s Collaborative Inventory Management solution i-Supply as part of an effort to improve the company’s inventory management and drive bottom line benefits. Currently, i-Supply is being rolled out to ARC plants and its suppliers in the U.S., Mexico and China.

Stradling Global Sourcing Launched

from BUSINESS WIRE

Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, a leading law firm headquarted in Southern California, today announced it has joined forces with a renowned team of advisors whose specialty is providing global sourcing and consulting services to companies worldwide. The group, lead by Kevin S. Parikh, joins Stradling from the Global Strategic Sourcing Practice of Gartner Consulting. The new Stradling affiliate, Stradling Global Sourcing, Inc., will feature experienced management consultants and attorneys who have been at the forefront of global sourcing since 1988. The group will provide clients services in IT outsourcing, business process outsourcing (BPO), integration execution, relationship management and offshore services.

Procuri Expands On Demand Service Offerings

from BUSINESS WIRE

Procuri, the global leader in On Demand Supply Management solutions, has expanded its award-winning support services with the launch of its On Demand Best Practice Center (BPC) and On Demand Category Intelligence and Templates. Procuri also has appointed industry veteran Marie Gunn, new senior vice president of customer operations, to oversee and expand Procuri’s global On Demand Services organization.

The new service offerings, along with Gunn’s proven experience managing and growing best-in-class customer services operations, reinforces and enhances Procuri’s commitment and capabilities to accelerate customers to self-sufficiency and continued supply management success. These additions complement and enhance Procuri’s existing support services, including its award-winning Professional Services team and its 24-hour technical help desk that offers support in 10 languages.

Jimmy Choi Named Senior Vice President and Managing Director

from PRNewswire-FirstCall

NEW YORK, Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Jimmy Choi has been named senior vice president and managing director of Kellwood Global Asia, according to Jeff Streader, president of Kellwood Global. He will be responsible for leading all aspects of strategic sourcing and production for the Asia business unit and will act as a liaison between domestic and international Kellwood Global business units.

Supermarket sweep

from ITP Business

The retail scene in Saudi Arabia is vastly different today compared to 25 years ago, when Panda opened its first supermarket in Riyadh. Although the country was experiencing steady economic growth at the time, local supermarket chains remained stagnant, accounting for less than 20% of food sales in the whole Kingdom.

However, with a large population and relatively high per capita income, Saudi Arabia has become increasingly attractive to investors. Indeed, the opportunity to enter a lucrative and underserved market has caught the fancy of several industry players. Despite the competition, Panda has more than doubled in size over the past three years, transforming itself into a retail powerhouse, with more than 50 supermarkets and six hypermarkets located throughout the country.

Logistics Lecture

from ITP Business

As the logistics boom continues throughout the Middle East, the University of Wollongong in Dubai is planning to develop the industry’s knowledge infrastructure, explains Dr. Cedwyn Fernandes, the university’s chair of graduate studies.

The number of logistics-related courses offered by the University of Wollongong in Dubai is expected to increase significantly in the future. What prompted this decision?

Well, Dubai is gaining a solid reputation as the Middle East’s most prominent logistics hub. We want to bring a certain level of knowledge infrastructure into the industry, which is essential for future growth. This is basically an extension of the university’s work back in Australia, where we have established a dedicated centre to conduct research into supply chain management. The facility also hosts various executive seminars, guest speaker presentations and, once a year, it also hosts the Supply Chain Executive Forum.

Supply chain software could shift to mobiles

from mikrofax.com

Supply chain software could play a key role in the growing trend towards mobile devices, according to new research.

The poll conducted by Information Week reveals that many companies are already looking at increasing the use of mobile devices via smartphones and PDAs. This trend could have a significant impact on supply chain management solutions and e-procurement software as firms seek out more portable ways of accessing data in order to boost sales and improve overall efficiency. 

Aldata dominates French food retail sector with Auchan supply chain contract

from theretailbulletin.com

Monday October 30 2006

Auchan will improve its replenishment to stores, using G.O.L.D. Topase from global retail solutions provider, Aldata, in its French warehousing operations.

The pilot is planned to be completed in 2006 with full rollout in 2007, and is a test case for adoption in the rest of Europe in the future. The project is managed by a dedicated Auchan business team and Aldata is providing delivery and support services.

Avon Reports Third-Quarter Total Revenue up

from moneycentral.msn.com

… Avon also said it launched a Strategic Sourcing Initiative to reduce direct and indirect costs of materials, goods and services. Under this initiative, the company will shift its purchasing strategy toward a global supplier orientation from one that today is more local and component oriented. The initiative is an outgrowth of the company’s recently established Global Supply Chain organization, and will result in far greater leverage with vendors.