Opinion: Page 2

The latest opinion pieces by industry thought leaders


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    Morris MacMatzen / Stringer via Getty Images
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    Stress tests: The right tool for strengthening supply chains.

    Simulations of potential disruptions — large economic shifts, trade wars, climate change or even cyberattacks — can yield forward-looking assessments of risk.

    Jonathan Welburn • Aug. 9, 2021
  • Home Depot Home Depot flatbed delivery center in Dallas
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    Permission granted by Home Depot
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    Want to improve supply chain performance? Start by defining OTIF

    Nothing hinders supply chain performance more than low on-time and in-full rates. Tom Kieley, CEO of SourceDay, suggests three steps to improve it.

    Tom Kieley • July 27, 2021
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    Mark Wilson / Staff via Getty Images
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    Supplier diversity and inclusion is a business imperative

    As with all successful transformation programs, getting to the multifaceted benefits of supplier diversity and inclusion will require commitment.

    Jaideep Sen • July 21, 2021
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    Courtesy of DHL
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    Using a new supplier can be risky. Traceability can help.

    The supply chain is its own complex ecosystem that requires tracking and documenting products from raw materials to finished goods, writes Brian McCaffrey, production operations manager at Rockwell Automation.

    Brian McCaffrey • July 8, 2021
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    Win McNamee via Getty Images
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    Biden administration needs to broaden supply chain focus to all 'essential' products

    The pandemic experience has clarified that personal care and cleaning products are just as important as a stocked pantry to everyday life, writes Tom Madrecki of the Consumer Brands Association.

    Tom Madrecki • June 25, 2021
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    Photo by Alexander Suhorucov from Pexels

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    Supply chains that don't prioritize DEI risk losing out

    Organizations that don’t "walk the talk" will lag competitors in business performance, employment value proposition and meeting their defined purpose, write ASCM's Abe Eshkenazi and Gartner's Dana Stiffler. 

    Abe Eshkenazi and Dana Stiffler • June 22, 2021
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    Morris MacMatzen / Stringer via Getty Images
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    It's time to use a wealth of available data to push sustainability forward

    The data from digitization efforts can be used to find opportunities to accelerate progress on key sustainability targets.

    Lisa Wee • June 15, 2021
  • Procurement can't ignore market intel — especially now

    The turbulence in the paperboard market is just one area that pushed companies to consider creative alternatives over the last year.

    Praveen Kumar Soni • June 3, 2021
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    Permission granted by the American Logistics Aid Network, courtesy of The Home Depot. Edited by Adeline Kon/Supply Chain Dive

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    Logistics firms can make a dent in climate change. I know from experience.

    The last year has shown that supply chains are amazingly resilient, but even resilience has its limits, writes Kathy Fulton, executive director of the American Logistics Aid Network.

    Kathy Fulton • June 1, 2021
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Inventory accuracy is a must-have to cut waste in supply chains

    The hard cost of wasted inventory in the grocery industry — known as shrink — is critical in addressing today's weighty climate change and food insecurity issues, the author writes. 

    Stefan Kalb • May 18, 2021
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    Courtesy of 3M
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    Responsible sourcing is key to rid labor abuse from PPE supply chain

    Legislation and governmental sanctions can help, but businesses must commit to ethical sourcing standards.

    Steve Ardagh • May 6, 2021
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    Emma Cosgrove/Supply Chain Dive
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    Postal Service does more harm than good by prioritizing package delivery

    The timely and efficient delivery of mail is essential for keeping the U.S. economy humming and supply chains efficient, the author writes.

    Paul Steidler • March 30, 2021
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    Yujin Kim/Supply Chain Dive
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    Avoiding supplier fraud requires shipment analysis and an educated workforce

    Agility is important for survival, now more than ever, but agility without risk management for procurement will not be enough.

    Gina Govojdean • March 25, 2021
  • A still of COVID-19 vaccine vials from Johnson & Johnson going through production
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    Permission granted by Johnson & Johnson
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    5 steps supply chains should have taken for effective vaccine distribution

    Perhaps most disappointing has been the failure to use one of the most common tools for supply chain logistics: the barcode, according to Karen Conway, vice president of Healthcare Value at Global Healthcare Exchange.

    Karen Conway • March 23, 2021
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    Permission granted by Black Button Distilling
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    Rethink labor management. Peak no longer operates on a set schedule.

    With a holiday season like no other, many companies found that their preparation left them unprepared to make frequent pivots.

    Carl Schweihs • March 9, 2021
  • USPS rose to the challenges of peak, unlike private carriers

    "Criticisms of USPS' package business are off base," and Congress should build around the Postal Service's core strength, the author writes.

    John M. McHugh • March 9, 2021
  • FMC: Injecting more containers won't solve supply chain woes

    Two commissioners — a Republican and a Democrat — call for cooperation among supply chain stakeholders.

    Daniel B. Maffei & Louis E. Sola • March 2, 2021
  • 5 questions to answer when designing a responsible-sourcing strategy

    Procurement leaders are tasked with identifying and correcting practices that are not sustainable. But they also must also go a step further.

    Sarah Watt • Feb. 25, 2021
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    A moral monopoly: The difference between supplier-performance management and bullying

    Businesses must reevaluate the highly unequal distribution of risk and reward.

    Kim van der Weerd • Jan. 28, 2021
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    Photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash
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    To boost earnings, focus on supplier spend — not job cuts

    It's an area often overlooked, even by senior business leaders, when employee costs are a relatively small portion of most big companies' budgets, the author writes.

    Simon Geale • Jan. 5, 2021
  • As supply chains reshore, regional networks will be key to resiliency

    Fully onshoring electronics manufacturing can be impossible, so the industry will need to reevaluate how products go from raw materials to consumers' hands, the author writes.

    John Mitchell • Dec. 17, 2020
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    Why smart factories are the future of supply chain resilience

    Smart factories are coming into focus as businesses put more resources behind productivity and efficiency, the author writes.

    Adam Mussomeli • Dec. 8, 2020
  • The COVID-19 vaccine's logistics will be targeted. Vet the supply chain.

    A burst of activity and demand will create openings for providers of transportation and warehouse facilities that may have poor security practices, the author writes.

    Tony Pelli • Nov. 24, 2020
  • To distribute the COVID-19 vaccine, allocation models need a redesign

    Before the pandemic, fair-share allocation helped safeguard against any well-intentioned providers overstocking. But the models that once proved effective needed to evolve, the author writes.

    Heather Zenk • Nov. 19, 2020
  • Take a dynamic approach to supply chain, US government.

    Federal lawmakers proposed a task force to fund a more "resilient" supply chain. But resiliency is not the answer for the future, the author writes.

    Nader Mikhail • Nov. 10, 2020