Critical Issues Manufacturing/Supply Chain

Welcome to the June 2021 edition of Manufacturing & Logistics IT. In this issue we feature a Special Technology Report looking in depth at the latest developments in the world of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP).

Also included is a special Cover Story by Sarah Gaffney, market insight analyst on the research team at Aberdeen Strategy & Research, in which she looks at how to unleash the full potential of manufacturing intelligence with smarter data

The Government’s recently announced tax relief scheme will allow manufacturers to accelerate their journey to Net Zero, with an energy financing specialist urging businesses not to miss out on the opportunity it offers.

Women comprise 41% of the supply chain workforce in 2021, up from 39% in 2020, according to a recent survey by Gartner, Inc.

By Claire Price at QMS International, one of the UK’s leading ISO certification bodies.

Quality and consistency have always been benchmarks of good business in the manufacturing and engineering sectors, but after the turmoil brought by COVID-19 they have become even more crucial.

By Ed Smith, freelance writer

When we head to the supermarket to do our shopping, it’s likely that most of us don’t stop to think about where the produce has come from or how it got there. But the food supply chain plays a crucial role in what we eat and when we eat it. Without it, our stores would be empty and so would our cupboards.

Following the news that numerous blue-chip businesses, such as KPMG and Ernst & Young, have adopted a permanent hybrid working model, new research indicates that workers do not feel they have the tools or technology they need to work from home.

An annual international study exploring the attitudes and habits of deskless workers – everyone from care managers, lorry drivers and supermarket cashiers to warehouse operatives and restaurant staff - paints a fragmented UK picture of understaffing, high pressure, stressful working, and a lack of appreciation.

By Jon Walkington, Retail and System Integrator Sales Director, at Schoeller Allibert UK.

For many brands operating today, warehousing and distribution has never been more closely tied to a brand or retailer’s commercial performance. As part of the holistic value chain and the service offering for the consumer, logistics can no longer sit in isolation. How products are stored, handled and distributed have a core part to play in the success of a business.

Tetra Pak has identified an opportunity for more women to join the F&B manufacturing industry, to help drive transformational change.

By Donato Montanari, Vice President and General Manager, Machine Vision, Zebra Technologies.

Many supply chain organizations are exploring the potential of more automated and intelligent technologies right now, Zebra Technologies included.