Outsourcing success faces new complexity for supply chain network design

from logisticsmgmt.com

Outsourcing is a potential source of differentiation for any company. Making it a positive source of differentiation depends on how it’s managed, says Ray Homan, vice president of IBU High Technology for SAP labs, LLC, Palo Alto, Calif.. Homan delivered his message in a keynote speech that opened this week’s DC Expo, held at Chicago’s Navy Pier. The problem, according to Homan, is outsourcing is more complex than many companies expect it to be.

Ten Steps to Create a Sustainable Supply Chain

from greenbiz.com

Most businesses are not directly involved in the manufacturing process and the environmental impact of their products may be unapparent to management as well as customers. Savvy businesses know, however, that the responsibility for their products begins when they are conceived, designed, and ordered.

This sets in motion a cascade of events that includes resource extraction, transportation, production, packaging, distribution, sales, consumer use, and disposal. Each step in the process has its associated environmental ills, and a conscientious company would be expected to account for all of them.

Under pressure to structure supply chain and storage

from expresscomputeronline.com

FMCG companies have placed EAS, desktops and storage as their top three technology priorities. EAS gives them tighter control over their processes while desktops are a must for them and also storing vital information and having an effective DR mechanism is also high on their priority list. By Abhinav Singh

There is stiff competition amongst FMCG companies putting pressure on their wafer thin margins but they are using IT as a business enabler to their manufacturing processes. With tight supply chain schedules and intense competition the pressure is always on to bring new products to the marketplace. These companies are now using enterprise solutions to gain visibility into their schedules, customer requirements and their inventories. All of them have invested on desktops and notebooks too to enable their top management and mobile workforce to stay connected.

Digital Kanban Offers Global Competitive Advantage in the Supply Chain

from 24-7pressrelease.com
Global competition continues to pressure North American manufacturers to operate more efficiently: produce more with less, at a high quality, delivered on time and value priced. One of the keys to successfully competing in today’s globalarena is to focus on efficient management and optimization of the supply chain. Automated demand driven supply chain solutions provide significant benefits in managing production expense and optimizing profit margins in order to survive in the global market. In today’s global marketplace the competitive winners are those companies which can reliably and cost effectively supply their lines in a timely and continuous manner. Factory automation enables “Repeatability”, “Quality” and “Cost Management.” Digital Kanban solutions provide supply chains with real-time visibility and management capabilities to assist in enabling “winning and sustaining market presence”.

Akron’s Summa Health to Use SpendAdvisor

from businesswire.com

Summa Health System, an Akron, Ohio integrated delivery network with four hospitals and three affiliates, has chosen SpendAdvisor, Premier’s innovative spend management decision-support tool, joining users that are identifying supply chain savings averaging 4 to 8 percent and benefiting patients and communities they serve by working to keep healthcare affordable.

More than 40 IDNs and 220 hospitals are already using the tool which offers quick payback, a rapid return on investment and lasting value. The Web-based application is synchronized with Premier’s leading-edge catalog and electronic price activation system, allowing users to maximize contract savings.