SupplyChainNetwork.com

Almost two years ago Mazda had a supply chain disruption in the form of a ship, the Cougar Ace, carrying 4,703 of their brand new cars listing at sea for an extended period of time. The issue was not really direct damage to the vehicles as they were strapped in, however they were kept at a severe 60 degree angle slope for a long period of time and exposed to salt water air etc. leading Mazda to decide to destroy all of these vehicles.

The good news is that insurance would cover the $100’s of millions of dollars involved in the destruction process which is detailed in this Wall Street Journal Online article.

Check out this video to see the magnitude of work required to fix this disruption of Mazda’s global supply chain.

Chief Executive: “Last summer, when The Boeing Co. announced it would delay the introduction of its 787 Dreamliner, CEO Jim McNerney blamed the problem on the company’s supply chain. A large product like an airplane uses thousands of individual parts, but Boeing attempted to mitigate the smaller, individual supply chain quandary by using major suppliers to construct large pieces of the plane. Parts of the wings, for example, are being assembled as far away as Japan. McNerney reported to the press that the delays were attributed to a “slowing up in the supply chain rather than a fatal flaw in the supply chain.” Continue Reading »

Please join us on May 14th, 2008 at 11:00am est for the first in our series of free online SCN Supply Chain Network webinars. This month our topic is Measuring your Return On Intelligence (ROI) - Simplifying Supply Chain Visibility with special guests, Steve Hensley and Randy Marble of Blue Sky Technologies. As competitive pressures become more intense across the global supply chain industry, companies must seek new ways in which to increase efficiencies within the supply chain. In order to do this, cross-functional supply chain visibility solutions become a critical partner in identifying areas for strategic and tactical performance improvements. This Webinar will illustrate real world examples of companies and their successes utilizing Supply Chain Visibility and Event Management Technology. Registration for this free webinar is limited to 1000 so click the link below to register and ensure you’re part of this first SCN Supply Chain Network Online Event!

As the SCN Supply Chain Network community continues to grow, we’re pleased to announce the establishment of free online group meetings or webinars to be held on a monthly basis. Our first session will be held twice on May 14th at 10:00am and 3:00pm to give members from all parts of the world the ability to join in. For each monthly online SCN Supply Chain Network Group meeting, we will have a special guest presenter on a topical supply chain opportunity, issue or technology. On Wednesday May 14th, joining us for our inaugural session will be Randy Marble of Blue Sky Technologies and our topic will be Supply Chain Visibility. Blue Sky Technologies are providers of Supply Chain Visibility dashboards, alerts and packaged SC Visibility solutions. Looking forward to connecting with all members of the group in an online group medium and registration details for these two sessions will be sent out with an upcoming SCN Newsbrief and directly to all members of the SCN Supply Chain Network LinkedIn Group.

From Seegrid.com: “Seegrid Corporation (www.seegrid.com), the premier provider of vision-guided mobile robots for the material handling industry, today announced the launch of its Founding Distributor Program, a distribution network of dealers and resellers who are leaders in technology, in their depth and breadth of product offerings, and in providing outstanding service and support. To date, Seegrid’s eight Founding Distributors include: Amerden AGVS, Atlas Lift Truck and Rental, Engineered Solutions - A Division of Carolina Tractor, Hy-tek Material Handling, Inc., J.H. Ryder Machinery Limited, Morrison Industrial Equipment Company, PennWest Industrial Trucks, LLC, and Wisconsin Lift Truck Corporation. Continue Reading »

From Foxbusiness.com: “Companies are introducing environmental initiatives for myriad reasons, often to comply with customer mandates and new regulations or to boost public opinion. But why shouldn’t firms also use the “green” buzz as a means to improve business operations and reduce supply chain costs? Continue Reading »

From nashow.com: “In April 2008, tens of thousands supply chain and logistics professionals from more than 80 countries will arrive at Cleveland’s I-X Center. They will be greeted by over 450 exhibits covering 150,000 net square feet on one show floor - exhibits that feature manufacturing, warehousing, distribution, logistics and IT solutions for the supply chain. The Show’s accompanying Educational Conference will offer highly-focused, half-hour seminars providing industry expertise on the latest productivity innovations. NA 2008 will also feature a keynote on Supply Chain Sustainability by Green to Gold author Andrew Winston. If you are looking for solutions to make your supply chain work more productively and profitably, register today for NA 2008.” Next Week is NA 2008 Show in Cleveland

From ARC Advisory Group : “Dedham, Massachusetts; April 7, 2008: The worldwide market for Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.5% over the next five years. The market was $1,257 million in 2007 and is forecasted to be over $1,807 million in 2012, according to a new ARC Advisory Group study. Continue Reading »

Over the last seven years we have seen unprecedented progress in the viable development of new SCM technologies such as EPC RFID, Electronic Catalogues (GDSN) and the SCM standards which support them on a global basis. These supporting SCM standards referred to are GRAI (Global Returnable Asset Identifier) and GLN (Global Location Numbering) which are both also critical pieces for completing the supply chain puzzle.

Unfortunately since that time adoption, implementation and widespread use of these technologies and standards have not followed as quickly as many would have liked and in many industries there is a significant level of frustration with this inertia and lack of solid implementation progress. Continue Reading »

In November we launched the SCN Supply Chain Network Group on Facebook in concert with our article Start Utilizing Facebook for Business? As many of our readers utilize LinkedIn versus Facebook, we’ve now also established the SCN Supply Chain Network Group on LinkedIn. Simply click here to request membership in this group and we look forward to using these new tools with you to support our mantra of Ask, Learn, Build and Collaborate!

From supplychainstandard.com: “‘ Business leaders are increasingly looking to the supply chain to create a competitive edge which will directly impact the financial performance of their company”In the last year or so there has been a lot of talk about a new approach to supply chain management - an approach which turns the supply chain from concentrating on cost reduction into becoming a flexible and responsive, service oriented commercial competitive edge. This new approach has been coined ”customer-driven logistics” - but is it just talk? Is it a commercial competitive edge or is it just a myth?” The Seven Dimensions of Customer Driven Supply

From CCA: “Whatever it is that you eat - it wouldn’t be quite the same without a reliable cool chain. The prerequisite for juicy fruits and vegetables, for tasty milk- and dairy-products, for fresh fish, seafood and meat is an uninterrupted maintenance of a suitable temperature during handling, transport and storage - that’s what we call a reliable Cool Chain. And there are more perishable and temperature sensitive products (PTSP) that need special attention: flowers and plants, some chemicals, pharmaceuticals and human blood. Continue Reading »

From Big “S” Security: “Oftentimes, the first time you look at a problem, the bigger it looks. It’s only after you spend some time analyzing it that you realize that you can break it up into bite-sized chunks and begin to attack it. (Sort of the same way you’d attack that 24oz New York Strip: First, skip the salad; second, just the right Cabernet; third, leave dessert for the vegans at the next table; fourth, where’s that steak knife?…mmmmm…) Continue Reading »