Gap, one of the most prominent heritage brands, is moving into the world of fast fashion. The shift, from ordering a whole season’s worth of inventory at a time, to rotating small batches every six weeks will be tremendously challenging. Gap will face this challenge, though, with a secret weapon: network technology.
There's lots to consider when investigating supply chain technology. How easy will it integrate with your systems? How difficult will it be for partners to get on board? The real value of a supply chain platform comes when it unites all partners--buyers, suppliers, 3PLs, carriers, and financial providers. Crucially, good cloud-based technology also meets the needs of specific industries while, at the same time, delivering benefits across verticals to the entire community.
Supply chain visibility offers incredible value to companies, with the opportunity to save in numerous areas, from inventory to transportation to agility and finance. Many executives feel like they’re doing just fine, but they are missing out on a whole different level of visibility: real time, end-to-end, transactional, and immediately accessible. When companies have that level of visibility, it becomes a very different picture.
Cloud is the only way to harness supply chain visibility. All previous attempts to make it happen with ERP software have not scaled – companies have switched to cloud in order to see it work. A cloud-based supply chain visibility system is a connecting layer that runs over the top of ERP and TMS systems. Cloud improves data quality, and improves the way information is translated and transmitted, resulting in supply chain visibility.
Cloud is the prevailing model because it’s the only one that works.
Everyone in supply chain is excited about the Internet of Things. Smart, connected sensors distributed throughout the supply chain will bring us unprecedented visibility. But the IoT in supply chains has a long, strange history. Find out how music, espionage, and a notorious four letter word were responsible for the cutting edge technology we have today.
Real applications of the Internet of Things are already happening in supply chain. Together with information systems, IoT is helping companies reduce blind spots by providing all the data from transactions and partners in the supply chain network. Insights happen when companies look at data over time, and can see where moving sourcing from one supplier to another can make a big difference. Big Data is not just about an operational set of tools, it’s about the long-term detailed memory that allows companies to look at trends and analytics to drive insight.
Cloud supply chain technology allows companies to remain agile and avoid risk caused by disruptions like the financial crisis in Greece.
Boris Felgendreher of GT Nexus sits down with Mick Jones, Vice President Global Logistics, Supply Chain Strategy & Network Transformation for Lenovo to hear his perspective on challenges in the modern supply chain.
Businesses are shifting from one size fits all supply chain to a multi-dimensional approach in order to better serve customers.
The two worlds of supply chain planning and execution are coming together - enabling a shift to running more agile supply chains.
Topics like bimodal innovation and taking a holistic view of the supply chain network took center stage at the 2015 Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference in Phoenix, Arizona. Sessions from Frank Crespo at Caterpillar, Jim Cafone at Pfizer, and Reuben Slone at Walgreens, as well as other supply chain management insights, are discussed in this podcast.
How the ocean portal solutions of 15 years ago have evolved into the visibility-enabling cloud networks of today.
Logistics service providers have moved from being a provider of technology to being an implementer of technology
What are the differences between direct and indirect sourcing? John Atherton and Saeed Rezavi discuss global sourcing in this podcast.
Procure-to-pay and an automated supply chain finance process provides lasting value for vendors and buyers.
The modern supply chain executive needs experience in operations, finance, IT, and marketing.
Without data, companies can’t have supply chain visibility, which can lead to missed opportunities.
Greg Kefer and John Atherton discuss the recent Kraft and Heinz merger and possible implications for supply chains.
Discussing the new approach to transportation management.
Pharmaceutical companies maneuver a distinct set of challenges in the race to serve a global market.
Inventory intelligence helps retailers to know where inventory is in real-time and connects them to all moving parts of the supply chain.
Since oil is a cyclical industry, companies need to stay agile to avoid risks and take advantages of opportunities.
The global supply chain is all about managing risk; here are tactics companies can use to stay one step ahead of disruptions in their supply chain
The Internet of Things brings tremendous opportunities. Companies that adopt supply chain technology will be positioned to win.