Voice-Directed Work in the Supply Chain: What IT Execs Need to Know

from sdcexec.com

A primer for anyone ready to implement voice-directed work

By Larry Sweeney

 

The questions in the minds of today’s information technology (IT) executives run in a seemingly endless agonizing loop: “Do I have the right infrastructure in place?” “Are my servers and databases and applications doing what they need to do?” “How do I separate valuable new technology from all the junk?”

These are all tough questions. But as any business-minded IT executive knows, these concerns are not about technology alone. They are about technology as it relates to the bottom line, corporate strategy and other business threats, including rising costs, increased competition and ever-slim profit margins. In short, what really keeps the strategic IT executive awake at night is this: “How can I use technology to boost productivity, make the supply chain more efficient, and maximize return on investment?”

(supply) chain reactions

from dcvelocity.com

A comic strip that appears in newspapers around much of the country, “Arlo and Janis,” celebrates the joy of the commonplace in the lives of a couple approaching middle age, along with their son and their cat. For those of us of an age to immediately recognize the origin of the characters’ names, the strip has a certain resonance.

I mention it here because a recent strip built off news developments that involved, of all things, the supply chain. In the strip, Arlo senses his cat’s reluctance to eat from the bowl of food in front of him—a clear reference to the tainted ingredients that found their way into the pet food supply chain. Arlo reflects that the cat is worried about globalization. “With globalization and outsourcing, you don’t know what you’re getting,” he tells the cat, “and you’re powerless to do anything about it, aren’t you?” He then adds, “Now you know how we humans feel.”

Enablers Partner on Integrated Supply Chain and Regulatory Compliance Solutions

from sdcexec.com
Lean Horizons Consulting has entered into a strategic partnership with Windsor Center to deliver Lean supply chain management solutions optimized to comply with exacting federal import-export regulations.

Glastonbury, Conn.-based Lean Horizons is a provider of enterprise-wide Lean transformation services, including strategy development, supply chain and manufacturing optimization. Colorado-based Windsor Center is a provider of import-export regulatory compliance training and education services.

Enterprises Seen Increasing Technology Spending to Drive Supply Chain Innovation

from sdcexec.com

With increasing globalization of supply and more customer-specific fulfillment mandates, the need for supply chain technology is accelerating year over year, according to a recent report from Aberdeen Group.

In analyzing the plans of 210 enterprises in early 2007, Aberdeen found that supply chain executives are actively seeking technology areas for getting immediate return on investment, the analyst firm reports in “The Supply Chain Innovator’s Technology Footprint 2007.”

In fact, the researchers found that five times as many companies are planning to spend more on supply chain technology in 2007 as were planning to spend less on such technology.

Kewill Selects GXS as its Preferred Global B2B Network Partner

from digital50.com

GXS, a leading provider of business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce solutions, today announced that Kewill Systems Plc. has selected GXS as its preferred global B2B network partner. Kewill will resell the GXS Trading Grid(R) Messaging Service to its European customer base, helping to extend the reach of its own B2B solution set.

the top of the food chain: interview with William B. Day

from dcvelocity.com

It’s already North America’s largest foodservice distributor. Now Sysco wants to make its supply chain the best food chain on the planet. And it’s William B. Day’s job to see that it happens.

The usual complaint among supply chain executives is that the supply chain is all but invisible to the CEO. But you won’t hear that from William B. Day. Day is a senior supply chain executive at food-distributor Sysco, which supplies fresh and frozen food, china and silverware, and kitchen equipment to nearly 400,000 restaurant and institutional food-service customers. Sysco’s CEO, Richard J. Schnieders, has made it clear that he sees the supply chain as the industry’s new competitive battleground. In a November 2005 address to shareholders, Schnieders announced his intent to make Sysco the global leader in “multi-temperature food product supply chains.” And he left no doubt as to his expectations: “We will be able to move a case—or multiple cases—of food and related products from points anywhere in the world more effectively than any other company.”

Sockeye Supply Chain Introduces Allegro Suite

from sys-con.com

Sockeye Supply Chain (formerly Sockeye Solutions), a supplier of collaborative supply chain solutions, today announced its Allegro Suite, a product suite that includes modules for inbound and outbound supply chain management, inventory management, demand management and supply chain event management. The new Allegro Suite provides enterprises with a broad range of supply chain management capabilities, including features that enable collaboration and inventory visibility.