10 key attributes of establishing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Key stakeholders- involve key stakeholders in selecting KPIs
Visibility- create a KPI dashboard visible to all parties
Adding value- ensure KPIs add value to your business and highlight opportunities for process improvement
Customer focus- selected KPIs should add value to your customer’s business and ultimately improve the consumer experience
Financial impact- always keep in mind the bottom line
Direction- by [...]

15 warehousing trends

Speed – move goods at great velocity along the chain
Cross-docking – best-in-class warehouses cross-dock an estimated 50 percent of incoming goods
Greener – green technology such as natural light and renewable energy
Size – smaller and narrower, making better use of allocated space
Additional services and functions – customer services such as customization and in some cases even [...]

5 steps for a greener supply chain

Communicate the message – It all starts at the top. Communicate the green vision and actions plans to all in the organization.  Have a clear public relations agenda and don’t shy away from your critics. Work with all stakeholders.
Look at the whole supply chain – talk to your partners and suppliers and get an understanding [...]

6 key Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) issues to consider in emerging markets

Culture – understand culture issues and don’t assume anything. Change your thinking when working in other markets
Relationships – build long term relationships with suppliers and always act with the relationship in mind
Contracts – don’t assume all parties will read the fine print and try to avoid legal terms. Avoid disputes and ensure contracts are clear [...]

10 ways distributors can add value to your business

Knowledge- they know their customers and distribution area very well and can provide you with valuable customer insights.
Provide credit- many distributors provide credit to smaller outlets and they have the ability to collect regular payments.
Stockholding- [...]

10 principles of forecasting

Forecasting is mostly wrong. Keep track of forecasting errors and methods. Errors are likely to occur, so make adequate provisions. Forecasting is more accurate for product groups than individual items.
Forecasting focuses on a time series. Determine the time series and evaluate the suitability of the time series against the objective of the [...]

10 supplier risk signs to look for

In today’s challenging environment, companies need to be aware of the risks of suppliers going out of business. IndustryWeek lists ten signs to look out for:

The supplier has a large part of its businesses in depressed industries
It has raw material shortages or cannot meet the agreed lead times because of late purchase order placements
It has [...]

Reasons to standardize processes

Cycle Time – it reduces cycle time and assists with production smoothing.  Standardized processes can also help to eliminate non value adding time in the organization and reduce unnecessary motion
Stability – it will increase stability in the organization with a clear start and stop in processes
Safety and Quality – the unexpected can increase the risk [...]

8 types of muda (waste) in an organization

Motion – poor design can severely affect productivity as workers and machines perform unnecessary motion through driving and walking.
Delay – increase in lead time as operations wait for material or as a result of line stoppages. Delays can also have a negative affect on customer service in the organization.
Conveyance – caused by poor layout and [...]

10 key attributes of an effective supply chain

Transparency – supply chain processes and procedures should be transparent to all stakeholders. The higher the visibility, the easier it is to identify problems in the system
Speed – determine the speed of each process and procedure in the supply chain and assess how to improve on it. Benchmarking can play an important role here
Collaboration – [...]

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