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...

The Christmas season delivery schedule is one of those things that while it only happens once each year, can put a dent in the reputation of the supply chain everywhere. When UPS underestimated the volume of packages that it would need to deliver on the last day before Christmas, these packages left sitting in the sorting facility on Christmas day put frowns on the faces of entire families. Read more...

There’s plenty of data racing through our collective supply chain and there are lots of technology vendors bidding for your participation in their specific systems. According to Deloitte’s recent report there are a variety of factors for which timing is right for 2014 being the year the supply chain in general and procurement in particular gets beyond simply understanding that big data and analytics is important and begins to use the tools that have recently become available. Read more...