Proactis acquisition bolsters public sector presence

from itweek.co.uk

Spend control management and e-procurement software specialist Proactis has today extended its portfolio and bolstered its presence in the public sector market with the acquisition of supplier and contract management software vendor Alito.

The company said the deal would add 50 public sector clients to its customer base, and plans to integrate the acquired product-set to provide an end-to-end procurement solution.

Globalization Risks Require Continuity in Strategic Supply Chain Planning

from prnewswire.com

Optimal Supply Chains Require Cost/Benefit Analysis For Risk Mitigation

MANASSAS, Va., March 26 /PRNewswire/ — INSIGHT, Inc., top international provider of planning solutions that power supply chain design for the world’s foremost companies, emphasizes the need for new approaches to risk management in strategic supply chain design, given the increasing globalization of supply chain networks. Each location and transportation link in a supply chain is a potential point of failure or disruption and recent catastrophes have reinforced the need for risk assessment as an integral part of supply chain strategic planning. Yet, recent studies
(AberdeenGroup and others) indicate that firms often do not assess these risks.

Perfect partners

from supplymanagement.co.uk

How can you ensure maximum value for money when using consultants? Emma Clarke finds out
“Consultants: the people who borrow your watch, tell you what time it is, and then walk off with the watch.”

Ask many about their views of consultants and no doubt you will get a similar quip, along with disgruntled tales about glossy reports telling people what they already know and inflated rates for teams that never seem to go away.

But, despite the disapproval, a lot of organisations - and their procurement departments - continue to use consultants. According to a recent SM poll, 57 per cent of purchasers questioned believe consultants offer value for money. (News, 30 November 2006).

First Horizon National Corp. Awards Procurement Services Contract to Accenture

from businesswire.com

Accenture (NYSE: ACN) will provide First Horizon National Corp. (NYSE: FHN) with procurement services under a seven-year business process outsourcing (BPO) agreement. Financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.

The agreement is designed to reduce First Horizon’s costs for purchased goods and services through improvements to supplier relationships, processes, technology and spend compliance.

“This is part of our overall strategy to improve efficiencies as we position First Horizon for long-term earnings growth,” said Jerry Baker, CEO of First Horizon National Corp. “We believe this agreement with Accenture will drive down our expense base while enabling us to continue providing high-quality service to our customers.”

Iasta Announces the Launch of eSourcingWiki for Procurement Professionals

from prweb.com

Iasta.com, Inc., is fast-becoming the leading innovator of e-Sourcing software and services for global supply management. In an effort to promote increased knowledge sharing of supply management best practices, the company announced that it had launched eSourcingWiki.com. The new web site is intended to contain a series of documents which are meant for global review, collaboration, edit and publishing. Although Iasta is writing the initial content versions, the company is encouraging readers to participate in the evolution of the content to keep it current and useful.

A&D Companies Look to RFID for Improved Supply Chain Visibility

from sdcexec.com

Radio frequency identification technology growing in popularity for supply chain and asset management applications in aerospace and defense market, ABI reports

The aerospace and defense (A&D) industry is always on the move and changing. Technologies and processes that worked yesterday might not work today. That is why A&D companies are constantly seeking better ways to manage complexity, cut costs and boost productivity.

Enter RFID technology. There are scores of supply chain and asset management applications where RFID is being used, tested and deployed to solve real-world business problems within A&D markets. A multitude of recent announcements from the likes of the U.S. and allied militaries, Boeing, Airbus and NASA bear witness to the technology’s growing popularity, according to a new report from ABI Research.

Supply Chain Saves The World

from forbes.com

Last year, AMR Research hosted more than 700 executives at its annual Supply Chain Executive Conference at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Ariz. The theme was “Making Money and Saving the World.”

In a world flooded with cynicism, the back end of the conference theme may have struck some as more of aspiration than a realistic objective. While former President Clinton reminded all of us in the ballroom that “one person can make a difference,” it’s easy to dismiss that notion–until it comes true.

Top Eight Supply Chain Solution Trends for 2007 According to Winnow Companies CEO Frank Blateri

from earthtimes.org

DALLAS, March 29 /PRNewswire/ — Right now product suppliers to some of the world’s top consumer product makers are losing hundreds of thousands of dollars of profit due to charge-backs or markdowns enlisted by large retailers upon their vendors. One Texas based supply chain management company has emerged as a powerful player when it comes to “Customer Compliance” and helping their clients recover hundreds of thousands of dollars from these very retailers.

It’s make or break: Supply chain is critical to business’ success

from desmoinesregister.com

Tuning operation to customers’ needs is a crucial point, expert says
By WILLIAM RYBERG
REGISTER BUSINESS WRITER

Asparagus and components for aviation electronics have more in common than it might appear.

Both are parts of supply chains - the stream of ingredients, information and processes that turn raw materials into products for companies such as food maker General Mills and Rockwell Collins, the Cedar Rapids-based manufacturer of communications and aviation electronics equipment.

LeapFrog Implements Oracle Supply Chain and Procurement Applications

from prnewswire.com

LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. has successfully implemented Oracle(R) Supply Chain Management applications to lower inventory, increase visibility across global operations, better plan for spikes in demand and improve procurement practices. A leading designer, developer and marketer of innovative, technology-based educational products and proprietary content,LeapFrog enhanced its supply chain management practices with Oracle Advanced Supply Chain Planning, Oracle Global Order Promising, Oracle Demand Planning and Oracle Advanced Procurement.