Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) for SMEs in emerging markets

Where information and visibility is lacking, inventory often takes the place,  all at a cost. Emerging market operations are a case and point. Even though Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI), also known as a continuous replenishment process, has been around since the 1980s, popularized by Wal-Mart and Proctor & Gamble, it has yet to take off [...]

Interview: Penta Business Solutions

I recently spoke to Rasmus Buskov, Managing Director at Penta Business Solutions, a seasoned professional in the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) industry in Vietnam. TN:  What is Penta Business Solutions? RB:  We are a team of experienced business consultants focused on providing affordable yet sophisticated open source ERP solutions, namely Openbravo, to businesses in Vietnam. [...]

Africa mobile technology – learnings from the not-for-profit sector

Mobile phone networks have proven to be a vital piece of technology for Africa. The technology is playing an important part in bridging the infrastructure divide and assisting entrepreneurs and businesses to improve efficiency. The mobile revolution is still in its infancy and organizations are slowly adopting new tools and technology to conduct business.  The [...]

Supply chain learnings from Xbox Live

Dan Gilmore has an interesting post about the Xbox Live and the future of supply chain. There are some interesting supply chain learnings for companies. What is the Xbox live? It is an online game with a vast online community. You need a Xbox console connected to the internet. How much visibility is there in [...]

The State of ERP in Vietnam

Vietnamese companies are increasingly looking for ways to make their operations more efficient and effective. Research has found that a successful Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system has the ability to reduce inventory by as much as 45 percent.  Until recently, ERP was out of reach for many Vietnamese companies as the investment was just too [...]

Warehouse technology trends

Information hub – technology is improving visibility in the supply chain and allowing greater opportunity for collaboration   Speed – warehouses need to handle vast amounts of data Accuracy – companies are demanding increased accuracy Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) – WMS provides companies with increased functionality and visibility in the supply chain Internet age – small [...]

The advantages of Transportation Management Systems

Increased visibility. Today’s supply chain managers need to make quicker decisions based on real-time data. With increased visibility, companies become more agile and more responsive to changes. Centralization of control. Centralization allows companies to make better use of shipment consolidation and pooling opportunities. Companies can now share shipping schedules across departments and business units. This [...]

What are the key best practices in the implementation of a supply chain system?

Senior executives who create a vision for the implementation of a supply chain system will achieve success with the roll-out and implementation. Without a clear vision, the project team will struggle and are unlikely to get the required buy-in. The lack of a project approach without clear goals and timelines is likely to fail in [...]