On this very spooky episode of Supply Chain Radio, we peer into a dark tale of supply chain horror. The year, 1999. The time, Halloween. The plot, a large scale candy manufacturer is about to experience a supply chain nightmare of Frankensteinian proportions. Listen on, if you dare... Sound Effects and Music Used: Lightning - http://soundbible.com/2015-Thunder-Strike-1.html Wolf Howl - http://www.freesound.org/people/adrilahan/sounds/172652/ Heartbeat - http://soundbible.com/1001-Heartbeat.html Creaky Door - http://soundbible.com/1870-Sqeaking-Door.html Crowd Shouting - http://www.freesound.org/people/DickBlox/sounds/101871/ Woman Scream - http://www.freesound.org/people/sironboy/sounds/132106/ Grandfather Clock Ticking - http://www.freesound.org/people/Ryding/sounds/125968/ Grandfather Clock Chiming - http://www.freesound.org/people/ollyoldhoff/sounds/69976/ Maniacal Laugh - http://www.freesound.org/people/AP3850/sounds/221798/ Ghostly Moan - http://www.freesound.org/people/Billy_Storm/sounds/164285/ Zombies Eating - http://www.freesound.org/people/indieground/sounds/235799/ Scary and Eerie Sound - http://soundbible.com/1801-Scary-And-Eerie.html Dark Ambient Music 3 - http://www.freesound.org/people/Xanco123/sounds/233311/ Horror Soundscape - http://www.freesound.org/people/Headphaze/sounds/170653/ Dark Ambient - http://www.freesound.org/people/Zerynox/sounds/80556/
American Apparel is going bankrupt, and other retailers are likely to follow. What made this iconic brand become obsolete? There are a variety of reasons, but major blame is due to their inability to compete with fast fashion brands like Zara & H&M who are cannibalizing market share from most traditional retailers. Is there any way to flourish amidst the fast fashion brands? Find out in this podcast.
Data provides the visibility needed to make decisions. If the data isn’t clear, companies run into risk. In supply chain, it’s even harder working with a large network of suppliers all on different technology systems. But there is a very important shift in the way that this problem is being addressed – the concept of crowdsourcing on a networked platform to raise the overall quality of data. At the end of the day, data is not a magic light switch, it’s a critical ongoing investment.
The alarming findings resulting from a 5,000 person survey, highlighting the frequency with which customers faced stock-outs and their reaction to it, is discussed in this podcast. Stock-outs are prolific and consistent across the globe, and retailers need to deploy technology solutions that will eliminate them to preserve excellent customer experience.
Pragmatic examples of supply chain innovation show how data-minded employees created quantifiable results.
The relationship between a buyer and a seller in the direct supply chain is a delicate balance. Communications have shifted from paper-based to web-based portals, and now include a more sophisticated exchange of data. It’s shortsighted to think of suppliers merely as vendors. Instead, a more robust strategy is to think of them as partners in a network.