Procter & Gamble, the maker of Charmin toilet paper, was prepared for thousands of scenarios – including earthquakes, fires, and cybersecurity attacks – but not for a disruption greater in magnitude than all three combined: a global pandemic. As COVID-19 spread throughout the United States in March, panicked shoppers snapped up [...]
"As manufacturers realize what can be achieved with technology such as AI, IoT, robotics, and additive manufacturing, they are sourcing manufacturing closer to the customer to create a customer experience advantage (rapid customization and delivery) with a lower cost base," comments said Lisa Anderson, founder and president of LMA [...]
Whether outsourcing, insourcing or near-sourcing or a combination of all three, manufacturers need to reassess their strategies to measure risk and ROI. We are managing in an Amazon-impacted world. Customers expect rapid deliveries, 24/7 accessibility and products and services tailored to their needs. Customers are not willing to wait. [...]
American businesses may have miscalculated costs and benefits when they joined the outsourcing bandwagon. With the tide rolling back, what direction should you take? For many years, companies outsourced as a natural course of activity. Unfortunately, often times, they didn't even perform an analysis of the total benefit; instead, [...]
The key to effective cycle counting is to not get bogged down in resolving every dollar, but rather focus on the significant discrepancies. The main goal of cycle counting is to cycle through your inventory to ensure inventory accuracy on a consistent basis. (In contrast, a physical inventory is [...]
