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Critical Issues...

Logistics and supplychain management critical issues

Very poor countries are on the wrong side of a growing logistical divide
A Conference Board report
The gap between developed and developing countries has been a global concern for decades, but skyrocketing oil prices and the general growth of world markets threaten to widen the gap

The ‘Lean’ challenge in demand-driven value chains
By Aamer Rehman and Kelly Thomas of i2
A 'USA Today' article entitled “Toyota’s Success Pleases Proponents of ‘Lean’” may have left some readers confused

Survey shows companies 'passing the buck' on green logistics
New research by Transport Intelligence and Kewill suggests that most companies seeking to make their logistics operations more environmentally friendly want someone else to cover the costs

How to prosper in uncertain times
Tony Price, acting CEO of Vistage International, gives his top tips
As the economy becomes increasingly volatile, how can managing directors, CEOs and owner-managers prosper in uncertain times?

Track & trace: Hologram leading the way to added value
There’s no doubt about the growing impact and utility that holograms are having in the battle against counterfeiting

Oracle study reveals the shape of tomorrow’s supply chain
Oracle has released a study, conducted by future trends consultancy The Future Laboratory, which highlights the vast transformation that sustainable business practices is unleashing on worldwide supply chains

Manufacturers’ orders holding up and prices still rising sharply due to high costs
A CBI Survey
While manufacturers saw a modest improvement in their order books in June, the rise in prices of manufactured goods will continue

Going green in the supply chain
By David Simchi-Levi,Ph.D. Professor of Engineering Systems, MIT
Going green is at the forefront of everyone’s mind and nowhere is this truer than in manufacturing and supply chains

Weak domestic demand and high cost inflation push manufacturing output lower
Latest data from the Chartered Institute of Purchasing & Supply (CIPS) and Markit.

How to avoid your SOA initiative becoming a big ‘So What?’
Celona Technologies’ Tony Sceales examines the hype, hope and reality
For the past few years service-oriented architectures have been promoted as the panacea of the IT world, but cracksm are already beginning to appear

Supercomputers for manufacturing – getting it right
by Julian Fielden, MD of OCF plc
Today, western manufacturing organisations are facing increasing pressure on many levels - the rising cost of oil, environmental concerns, soaring food prices and continual increases in global competition from Eastern Europe, India and China

The game plan
ERP remains a critically important component within any manufacturing or logistics organisation’s information armoury - but things are changing, and for the better!

The pitfalls of a short-sighted IT strategy
Martin Nurser, TATA Consultancy Services
Business Process Outsourcing can prove invaluable to manufacturers and logistics organisations looking to enhance business and operational efficiencies and to reduce wastage

Supply chain professionals call for Government to help meet industry’s green agenda
Infor has released the findings of its latest research, which reveal that supply chain professionals are calling upon the UK Government to help reduce the industry’s carbon footprint

Study reveals exploding 'Culture of Connectivity'
A new global IDC study sponsored by Nortel
Enterprises around the world are being forced into changing the way they do business faster than ever before or risk the opportunities of Hyperconnectivity passing them by

SaaS spreads within enterprise and SME manufacturing companies
Technology solutions delivered via SaaS have been around for some time now, however it’s only recently that their adoption has seen a marked increase throughout the manufacturing industry

From Russia with love
The specific challenges and opportunities facing automotive logisticians and manufacturers in the Russian marketplace will be debated in detail by some of the most important players in the industry at this year’s Automotive Logistics Russia conference

Winning the technology race
Thirty years ago, the role of IT systems within most businesses was very limited. Since then, though, this relationship has reversed. Today, many companies feel it is their business that is holding back their IT systems

For what IT’s worth
Stephen Kelly, CEO of Micro Focus, calls on businesses in the manufacturing sector to acknowledge the real value of software assets

Supply chains hold the key to survival
by Barloworld Optimus, Global Business Development Director, Fraser Ironside
Thousands of companies are caught up in the global economic downturn ‘like never before...’

Consumer research welcomes reverse logistics
Research conducted by Zetes
‘2 way ePOD’ would increase sales and customer satisfaction

Supply chain systems feel the 'green' effect
from PMP Research
The increasing globalisation of supply chain systems is causing mounting concern about their effect on the environment

Linking the chain
Manufacturing & Logistics IT spoke with some of the leading names in supply chain consultancy about the state of the art in supply chain and warehouse management solutions, and what the key drivers for change are among both the vendors and end users

Fair play
How state-of-the-art WMS and supply chain solution functionality is not only facilitating enhanced efficiency in the workplace but also greater fairness and understanding in the working environment

Manufacturing sector ‘ill equipped to deal with an economic downturn’
by The Society of Turnaround Professionals & GE Commercial Finance
New research indicates the top three sectors most likely to be hit by a deterioration in the economy are those operating in the retail, financial and manufacturing sectors

Bespoke software has entered a ‘brand’ new phase
Guy Milsom (pictured), MD of Pebble UK explains how manufacturers should be considering bespoke software systems to reflect their customers’ needs, processes and brand values

2008 set to be a challenging year for the logistics industry
Margins in the industry are already thin, but shippers can make moves now to improve their chance of future success

Unstoppable Momentum: Making real change with ERP
by Rod Horrocks BEng, MSc, CEng, FCMC – Director, Procertis Ltd
People underestimate both the power and the difficulty of change, especially when it comes to implementing systems which, by every rational measure, should result in improvements for all concerned

Why focusing on processes is the Holy Grail of business management
Organisations that migrate to a process-driven structure can expect to enjoy glittering prizes, says Terry Richardson, MD of Airwave Professional Services

Rethinking product development
Product development consultant Don Reinertsen is soon to return to the UK for two workshops, organised by Smallpeice Enterprise

Let’s talk about voice recognition systems
Duncan Smillie, managing director of Psion Teklogix (UK) describes how three diverse operations have brought significant efficiencies to their supply chains by implementing voice recognition systems

Three out of every four UK businesses wary of their email integrity
UK Businesses hope they will not be called before the court to share email evidence

RFID is Poised for Change
Article by Dr Peter Harrop PhD
The prosperous RFID business is on track to grow from about $5 billion in 2007 today to over $25 billion in 2017

Lightening the Burden of Proof (of Delivery)
by Bob Goodwin, director of Digital Vision
Automating key accounts receivable functions such as handling PoD notes helps to speed up cashflow, and makes a big impact on customer relations

Why there may be more to computing than Moore’s Law
by Alan Woodward, Chief Technology Officer at the business and information technology consultancy Charteris plc.

Manufacturing in UK regains lost momentum
November data from CIPS/NTC Economics indicated that the rate of expansion of UK manufacturing production recovered most of the momentum lost in the previous month.

Getting the edge
by Matt Dunstan, Application Platform Group Manager, Microsoft

Maximise your talent: Research identifies key challenges for business
The key challenges inherent in uncovering and managing talent within UK organisations have been identified in research published by the Chartered Management Institute and Ashridge Business School.

Unhappy customers can be good for your business
Charter UK has announced that companies should be actively encouraging customers to complain

Manufacturing output eased to a nine-month low in October as new orders slowed
Data from the latest CIPS/NTC survey of the UK manufacturing sector indicated that growth of the sector lost further momentum in October.

Active RFID and RTLS in manufacturing
By Dr. Peter Harrop
The ultimate supply chain and the ideal control of parts, materials, work in progress and finished goods in manufacturing will be provided by Real Time Locating Systems, ultimately with sensing as well.

Manufacturers are more pessimistic after credit squeeze
UK manufacturers have become more pessimistic about the business environment in the wake of the credit crunch, the latest quarterly CBI Industrial Trends survey has revealed.

ERP systems must be more agile
New survey shows ERP applications need to become more responsive to meet changing business requirements.

How to do international business & stay out of jail !!!

Supplier Relationship Management: Steps to Successful Supplier - Buyer Partnerships
By Sara Ireton, Assistant Vice President. JPMorgan
The relationship between a supplier and buyer can be a complex one. Each party wants to maximize its time, resources, and cash investment; these may be competing priorities that can strain the relationship.

Fancy a boost from the taxman?
It’s not often the taxman gives you money, but here’s a chance to give your company a competitive edge with a helping hand from HM Revenue & Customs.

Supply and demand
Following on from our special 10th Anniversary Report on Manufacturing software in May’s edition of Manufacturing & Logistics IT, we now point the spotlight on some of industry’s key Supply Chain Management and Warehouse Management System vendors who consider some of the most striking developments within their market over the past decade …

China remains number one location for manufacturers
Manufacturers are facing a number of pressures on their Chinese operations such as product safety concerns, rising labour costs, increased cost of raw materials and higher inflation.

How much of your WMS are you using?
By Alex Mills, sales & marketing director, Chess Logistics Technology.
Warehouse Management Systems are reaching serious levels of complexity

Boom in RFID will be reflected in Europe's Leading Conference
By Dr. Peter Harrop, IDTechEx
As the $5 billion RFID market moves strongly to over $25 billion in ten years, advances are on a broad front.

SME manufacturers see domestic demand grow at fastest rate for a decade – CBI
Small and medium-sized manufacturers have reported the highest rate of growth in domestic orders since 1997, and continue to enjoy firm demand overall, according to the CBI's latest quarterly SME survey.

Rapid adoption of RFID in manufacturing and logistics sectors
By Peter Harrop, IDTechEx
RFID is mainly a card business today and more is spent on RFID in China than in any other country.

Supply Chain Collaboration essential for eco-friendly logistics operations-SCALA Consulting Annual Logistics Debate
More environmental logistics strategies and operations will come - but this will be as a result of consumer pressure and will require collaboration between supply chain partners and a culture of trust.

‘M’ SP
by Alan Davis, Senior Vice-President, Kaseya UK
The market for Managed Service Providers is growing, but how many of their potential clients really know what a MSP does, and what to expect from them?

Poor contingency planning puts supplier relationships under threat
Automotive suppliers that don’t conduct proper contingency planning in their logistics chain will come under increasing scrutiny by their OEM customers

The ‘next evolution’ in mobile computing in supply chain execution
by Dick Sorenson, Director, RFID Products, LXE
The globalisation of markets and supply chains puts mounting pressures on warehousing and distribution operations.

The View From 10,000 Feet: How High-Tech Can Learn From Aerospace & Defence
By Gavin Hartland, Director of Marketing & Alliances EMEA, Servigistics
We all spend our days immersed in our own industry, looking for ways of improving the way we do things from within.

Mind the Gap: Minimise the risk of failure for your investment in mobile technology
By Julie Purves, Managing Director of B2M Solutions
Moving to mobile technology will always be a big investment for any organisation.

Complacency ‘rife in IT projects’
A survey just out by HP and the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) has found that many European IT workers are not being held responsible for delivering projects late.

Show IT who's boss
By Rod Horrocks of Procertis and Ken Gorf of West Trax.

The Shocking Cost of Holding Stock
Evidence shows us that even today, it is commonly accepted that the cost of holding stock to a business is between 4 and 10% (on top of the stock’s value). However, research has shown that the real figure is nearer 40%

Taking control of global logistics
By Dominic Regan of Oracle Transportation Management

Manufacturers aware; emerging markets still a risky business?
Manufacturers with operations in the emerging markets are failing to properly assess the risks posed to their business, says Sir Digby Jones, Senior Adviser to Deloitte.

Business transformation now an integral part of management, say 86% of European senior executives
In a survey of enterprise level companies* released by Capgemini Consulting in partnership with the Economist Intelligence Unit, Western European businesses have launched on average seven major transformation programmes in the past three years.

Distribution and the wider supply chain
By Richard House, Managing Director, FuturMaster
With tighter deadlines, higher freight costs and increased demand unpredictability, how can manufacturers and distributors ensure their extended supply chain network is best geared to improving delivery, stock and production efficiencies while enhancing customer service?

Increasing globalisation puts pressure on supply chain systems
The trend for companies to source globally is having a major impact on the design and performance of supply chain systems, according to the latest survey of this market from PMP Research

S&T Survey: Clients rate quality of service higher than price
Quality, efficiency and a smooth working relationship determine client satisfaction

Broadband providers must diversify to sustain SME spend, says Analysys
Broadband providers must look to broadband managed services to sustain small and medium-sized enterprise spend in Western Europe according to a new report

Supply chain performance ‘hampered by partner competencies’
PRTM reveals the findings from its annual European Supply Chain Trends Survey

The benefits of RFID technology
By Rob McGregor, RFID project manager at Toshiba TEC
RFID has been in existence for many decades but it is only now that RFID is being increasingly used in many different applications

Local SMEs Risk Losing Major Customers in 2007
By Mike Osborne, Managing Director, ICM Business Continuity Services
Following the launch of BS25999, the first British Standard for business continuity management, local small and medium enterprises (SMEs) must act swiftly to put business continuity arrangements in place, or risk losing their biggest customers in 2007.

The Science of Shipping
Mailstream technology company Pitney Bowes has conducted the most extensive report yet into take-up and usage of intelligent shipping solutions.

Measurement: the ‘magic arrow’ in your quiver of management skills
Measuring business activity properly, which means ensuring an intimate link between the measurements and your overall strategic objectives, is a powerful competitive weapon. JEROME LONG explains why.

Taking the 'high-end' view for balancing demand and supply
By embracing Sales & Operations Planning manufacturers are better able to take a 'high-end' view of all critical data and thus determine the very best route for balancing demand and supply, argues Richard House, managing director, FuturMaster.

RFID – one bit at a time!
Migration from today's bar code infrastructure to a financially advantageous RFID future.

The case for going mobile
by Stuart Scott, Senior Director, International Marketing, Intermec Technologies
Modern wireless technologies can offer transportation and logistics companies benefits far beyond any previously available. Rugged handheld computers, wireless and automated data collection technologies bring useable information to the field and make capturing and collecting information more efficient then ever.

The ERP Implementation Trinity: How to deliver on the promise
Written by Rod Horrocks, Business Development Director – Procertis Ltd
How did ERP become one of the most tarnished silver bullets of business change – and what can we do to unlock its potential?

The future’s not bright unless it's ‘green’
CILT anniversary report considers the next 80 years in logistics and transport

The benefits of working with local companies
Mark Griffiths, Managing Director of Codify (pictured) recommends that companies considering outsourcing should look for value for money rather than the lowest possible price.

MRO Spend Control: The next step on the road to manufacturing efficiency?
Terry Wilcox, Commercial Director at Proactis, the Spend Control Company, explains how manufacturers can take their IT investment to the next level in order to achieve greater efficiencies in an increasingly competitive market.

The route to optimised planning for the global supply chain
By Richard House, managing director, FuturMaster
Customers are requiring manufacturers to supply goods at ever cheaper rates, while also insisting they accurately fulfil shorter delivery times.

Critical components: What you need to know about product traceability
Food and beverage companies face intense competition and extremely tight margins in the manufacture and distribution of their products...article by Marcus Bennett (pictured right) and Hugh Murphy (pictured left), 3M Supply Chain Solutions

Getting better visibility into the pharmaceutical pipeline via voice directed work
Pharmaceutical companies are embracing these challenges by turning to Voice-Directed Distribution in their distribution centres (DC) as a core component of their supply chain management.

A pharmaceutical co-op with a competitive edge
Sophisticated and flexible software is key to Itriafarma, an Italian pharmaceutical cooperative, which takes pride in being a technology leader in its industry.

A silver bullet—how to effectively integrate mobile data capture solutions with SAP
PEAK Technologies’ Werner Hinze presents three very different options on how best to integrate mobile data solutions with SAP—but what’s the best way to eliminate errors within the supply chain?

Improve your WMS for a healthier supply chain
Alex Mills, Chess Logistics, presents suggestions to boost WMS performance to support improved supply chain performance in the healthcare and pharmaceutical markets.

A healthy supply chain helps the medicine go down
In early 2001, Healthcare Logistics started work on the creation of a purpose-built warehouse for the UK pharmaceutical and healthcare industries. In parallel, the company also launched a search for a warehouse management system that could automate the facility.

Do you have the right prescription for global demand planning visibility?
Karin Bursa, vice-president, marketing, Logility inc., describes how a demand planning solution can assist pharmaceutical companies to improve operational performance and streamline complex supply chain networks.

Why healthy pharma manufacturing needs full integration
Tony Brooks, Exel Computer Systems, looks at why pharmaceutical manufacturers need to get to grips with integrating their systems for improving business processes and overcoming data issues.

Deploying voice in cold and frozen food logistics
Voice technology replaces paper-based picking at cold-storage logistics specialist Primafrost. The solution has boosted productivity by more than 20 per cent and the quality of work has improved significantly.

Preactor provides nourishing planning and scheduling solution for Hitchen Foods
In order to continually improve its performance as a leading food supplier, and in order to enhance further the company’s mantra of quality, freshness and speed, Hitchen Foods decided to source a state-of-the-art advanced planning and scheduling software solution.

Integrated solution provides the recipe for success
Heinz Belgium realised that its legacy system was unable to keep up with the company’s rapidly shifting needs and explosive growth once it was acquired by the Heinz Group. The company was looking for an integrated software solution to fit all its business needs...

Putting quality first
Chris Higgs, application consultant for Infor (pictured), outlines why the concept of 'quality' is long overdue for an overhaul.

Integrated WMS, duty and billing solution does IT for InBond
InBond required an automated warehouse management solution that would enable it to operate a multi-customer, real-time environment while incorporating duty management and compliance with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) regulations as a seamlessly integrated solution.

A day in the life of a logistics manager...
...Coordinating activities valued at EURO 1.6 billion

The voice on a hand held bandwagon gathers speed
Caveat emptor! Let the buyer beware says VoiteQ, a leading supplier of of voice-directed supply chain solutions. David Stanhope, the company's CEO speaks out.

Concerning the food and beverage supply chain...
Allen Scott, Manhattan Associates, looks at some of the supply chain challenges facing the food and drinks industry and offers some solutions.

Configured for success
How much simpler the days when you could limit choice according to supply for mass produced goods...

Food industry QA managers influence technology selection
More than half of all quality assurance (QA) managers in food manufacturing do not currently interface with their company's enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. Thomas R. Cutler discusses the implications.

Grid and SOA – Friends or Foes?
Clive Longbottom, Service Director, Business Process Analysis, Quocirca
There has been much coverage in the press recently over two architectural approaches to technology: grid computing, where hardware assets are virtualised so that applications can share resources, and service oriented architectures (SOAs), where discrete items of functionality are created that are brought together on the fly to meet the business’ process needs.

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