Looking Forward to 2016 in Supply Chain Planning

This post is an extract from a letter sent by Koray Dogan, our CEO, to all of Solvoyo’s customers and supporters in late 2015. As we all reflect on the year that has been and think about the year that will be – I want to share a few thoughts with our community of supply chain …

5 Steps for Building a Lower Carbon Supply Chain Plan

With the recent COP21 agreement, the focus is back once more on climate change and global efforts to reducing CO2emissions. As the full implication of this deal gets transcribed – the fundamental impact is clear – immediately and significantly reduce CO2  emissions or we no longer have the chance to cap the global rise in temperatures …

Logistics & Transportation Providers: Planning for Success

There are leading and lagging economic indicators.  Experts have debated the role and importance of various data points for years.  Supply chain indicators can be both insightful and misleading.  For example, do increased retail inventory levels foreshadow anticipated sales growth or reflect unrealized sales expectations? Cause and effect relationships ensures that if one area of the supply …

Wayne's wORld: AB InBev – SAB MillerCoors Mega Suds Takeover – A Supply Chain View

Just imagine, Budweiser-Coors Banquet Beer-Molson Canadian-Corona-Beck’s-Bud Light-Coors Light (The Silver Bullet)-Miller Lite (Less Filling, Tastes Great)-Michelob Ultra-Miller High Life (The Champagne of Beers)-Stella Artois-Leinenkugel and so on and so on, all a part of the same global supply chain.  Admittedly most breweries operate independently and sell through distribution but the scale and global buying power …

Don't Mistake Simple for Simplistic in Supply Chain Planning

Simple and simplistic are words often misused interchangeably, but Albert Einstein understood the difference when he observed “Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” Einstein valued simple solutions. Yet, he also knew that over-simplifying complexity leads to simplistic solutions that have limited value. From our perspective, simple = elegant and valuable, …

Omni-Channel for Retail: A Scientifically Refreshing Perspective

Crazy enough the ongoing conversations and debates surrounding omnichannel for retail (including retail consumers, suppliers & service providers) hasn’t lost momentum or for that matter interest level.  With that in mind, Dr. Jim Tompkins presented some exceptionally thought provoking ideas at the Tompkins Supply Chain Leadership Forum in San Antonio – Link Here   Dr. Tompkins kicked off …

Wayne's wORld: Back in the Shwing of Things

I apologize to the faithful followers I have (assuming you haven’t given up on me and are not actually reading this apology) but it seems my blog writing dried up much like the relentless Texas summer heat scorched the once flooded earth. In reviewing my previous thoughts, I was struck by the reality of the …

Simplicity in Supply Chain Planning: 5 Things to Consider

Legendary jazz pianist, Thelonius Monk was asked by a fan how jazz seemed to come so easily to him. His response: Hey, man, simple ain’t easy! With that statement, Monk first acknowledged that his goal was to make his music sound simple and give an impression that it was a spontaneous artistic expression. It also …

7 Things to Consider While Selecting a Supply Chain Planning Platform

Supply chain planning used to be a lot easier, but in today’s world of global sourcing and an almost infinite array of paths from the source to the customer, the complexity is daunting. That’s why today’s supply chain planning systems cover everything from production, transportation, sales and operations (S&OP), to replenishment planning and much more. Today’s planning solutions are expected to …

How Important Are What-If Analysis Capabilities When Selecting SCM Software?

When it comes to supply chain management (SCM) software, having the ability to do what-if analysis is a critical requirement for making good business decisions. What-if analysis allows users to explore multiple scenario options, compare outcomes of different alternatives and ultimately make better supply chain decisions. So important is this capability that it’s not an …