Published in Computerworld on April 16, 2014 Manufacturers are investing in technology and systems that help their efficiency or improve profitability, comments Lisa Anderson, out Lisa Anderson, president of Claremont, CA-based LMA Consulting Group, Inc. in Claremont, CA. "They want to automate and provide more visibility about orders to [...]
Noticing hot supply chain trends first is a great way to leverage emerging trends and stay ahead of the competition. An often overlooked secret to success is to be a front-runner in identifying and leveraging emerging trends. Since I work with manufacturers and distributors from small to large [...]
Businesses face many hurdles—some we can control and others we cannot. How we manage risk is what determines our success. As this topic came up frequently at the APICS 2013 conference and has affected almost every one of my clients in the last year in some manner, I thought [...]
Having the right business priorities will keep your organization ahead of the rest. I thought it might be interesting to brainstorm top strategic priorities commonplace today for manufacturers and distributors. Speed - More and more, I'm seeing speed enter the contest as a key strategic priority. How do you [...]
Stay on top of the latest transportation trends to avoid weak links in your supply chain. Five Transportation Trends I’ve recently spoken at and participated in a few transportation industry events, and was reminded of the importance of transportation trends to the supply chain, so I thought a recap [...]
The multifaceted task of implementing a successful ERP system starts with selecting the “right” system and having a cohesive, adaptable strategy. As strange as it might sound, the software and its features is typically the least important ingredient to success. Instead, focus on... Just the critical few key requirements. [...]
Navigating growth gets tricky if you lose perspective on spending. Keep costs under control by identifying the spot where people, process and technology work best. Understanding and controlling costs has always been a critical success factor for the majority of businesses; however, during times of economic turmoil, it elevates [...]
One of my colleagues, Vicki Jeter, is exceptional at designing and implementing lean for I.T. – in essence, Lean I.T. is about providing value in the eyes of the customer, driving out non-value-added work, and leveraging systems to achieve bottom line results. A few tips I’ve learned from her [...]
