Critical Issues Manufacturing/Supply Chain

By John Paterson, Chief Executive at Really Simple Systems.

Many organisations will have a CRM system in place and they will urge their employees to use it, but are they really making the most of the system? The answer for most businesses is "probably not".

Large corporates are showing increasing demand for distributor finance (DF) programmes to enable downstream business in international supply chains, especially in emerging markets. In parallel, global banks are confirming their growing interest in offering DF solutions to their clients.

New manufacturing orders fell slightly in the three months to April but output increased and firms are expecting orders to grow in the next quarter.

The BBC has announced the imminent launch of a new 'secure facebook' initiative that could help retailers save millions of pounds each year by sharing information on cyber threats. But, fraud specialist Tony Sales has serious doubts about the new system – because it only operates during office hours working hours.

By Phil Lewis, Infor.Maximising productivity in today's complex and competitive environments is top of mind for manufacturers, while improving company culture is often overlooked. What companies often don't realise is that through creating a more proactive company culture, productivity can be substantially improved.

......a series of case studies (issues – problems - remedies - benefits) developed by ColumbusManufacturing REAL WORLD

Scarcity of resources and demographic change are determining the future of public transport as shown by the industry survey "Perspective – Public Transport" initiated by PTV Group.

Special Report:
ERP

Automotive/Logistics special feature:
FERRARI

Also in this issue:
Fast order from chaos: the High-Tech industry
How the West is won back
Winning the inventory battle in consumer electronics
Retailers require only modest changes to survive

The 'Manufacturing Success' report, issued by SAP (UK) Limited at the Manufacturing Innovation Forum indicates that UK manufacturers are welcoming of change, with 82% citing innovation as the most important driver of business growth in 2013 and beyond.

A new study sponsored by UPS shows that nearly two thirds (64%) of small businesses do not have a written sustainability strategy (Q1) or set of sustainability policies (Q2), despite increasing pressure from customers and suppliers.