We talk a lot about integration. That is, integration of your supply chain components with your enterprise operations and ERP. I don't believe that anyone thinks this is something that can simply happen because it's the best thing to do. The complexity of each of the processes and components that have already been put in place, and the amount of effort each required just to get them to the point of functionality can bring tears to the eyes of those who struggled through them - or at least cause a twitch of pain. The point is that the first steps were not simple ones. Read more...

As the supply chain becomes more intricate, more demanding, and faster moving, margin for error decreases. The complexity of omnichannel retailing in itself means predicting the next order is impossible. It may come from a web catalog, from a retailer, or from a service like Amazon that integrates multiple processes. With the speed and complexity of product demand it's critical to record and automate each transaction when it happens. Because there's no time to go back and record it later. Read more...

Integration is always a hot topic for the supply chain. It's a powerful tool to improve profitability by reducing costs. Like a lot of ideas, though, its effectiveness depends quite a bit on context. What works best for a small manufacturer may be considerably different than what does the trick for a large retailer. The pressure for profits may be the similar but there’s a huge difference in scale.

 

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Cash register transactions are flowing at an ever increasing rate. Actually ‘cash register’ isn’t at all an appropriate term anymore since such a large volume of purchasing take place as credit or debit transactions. But the point is still the same. The challenge of managing those transactions is part of the reason there is so much attention on Big Data. And the obstacles of handling big data are becoming as well known as are the companies that are providing solutions. Read more...