Operations

PVH may 'pack and hold' inventory until next spring

The company, which owns Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, hopes to regain the ability to sell at full price next year rather than dump goods to into the off-price market. 

By Daphne Howland • April 03, 2020

Column

Patent Pending: IBM floats process for computers to make bidding decisions

Supply chain innovators apply to patent what they see as important tools for the future. Sometimes they're brilliant. Sometimes they're funny.

By Matt Leonard • April 02, 2020

Supply chains will survive the pandemic, but revised strategies may take hold

Experts anticipate an increased focus on risk assessment and scenario planning beyond COVID-19. 

By Rich Weissman • April 02, 2020

The supply chain behind the pivot to make coronavirus relief supplies

Relationships and labor are key as manufacturers adjust their operations to produce medical and consumer supplies necessary for fighting the pandemic. 

By Jen A. Miller • April 02, 2020

Q&A

How can supply chains manage COVID-19 risk? 4 experts weigh in

The short term need is to keep employees safe and healthy. Longer term thinking should focus on resilience and strengthening supply chain partnerships.

By Shefali Kapadia • April 02, 2020

ISM: US manufacturing decline could persist through May

The Institute for Supply Management predicts the worst is yet to come for the manufacturing and transport industries as supply shortages and declining consumer demand cause ripple effects throughout supply chains.

By Morgan Forde • April 01, 2020

How the CARES Act will affect supply chains

The law offers financial relief to businesses weathering COVID-19 disruption and attempts to keep freight and last-mile cargo moving.

By Morgan Forde • April 01, 2020

Inventory, network optimization among most widely adopted supply chain technologies

More than half of survey respondents said they think inventory management technology has the potential to disrupt the industry or provide a competitive advantage to users.

By Matt Leonard • March 31, 2020

Planning should replace forecasting as coronavirus uncertainty clouds outlook

“What you need to be thinking about is how you can now start positioning to come out of the tunnel sprinting – not crawling, but sprinting,” one private equity professional said.

By Jen A. Miller • March 31, 2020

PwC: Supply chains will broaden, diversify in the wake of coronavirus

Top finance executives shift the conversation from meeting immediate needs to what supply chains should look like long-term.

By Emma Cosgrove • March 31, 2020

Deep Dive

From Section 301 to COVID-19: How a volatile China changed supply chains

An ongoing trade war, and now a global pandemic, pushed U.S. businesses to diversify and raised the question: Are we too dependent on China?

By Shefali Kapadia • March 31, 2020

Sponsored by Opendock

Impossible dock scheduling?

Impossible Foods improves operational efficiency with online dock scheduling.

Retooling facilities to produce ventilators could strain supply chains, medical device manufacturers warn

The U.S. invoked the Defense Production Act and is "working to sign contracts immediately" with GE, Medtronic, ResMed and other major manufacturers.

By Greg Slabodkin • March 30, 2020

Lululemon leverages RFID, supplier relationships to manage inventory amid coronavirus demand drop

On top of advantageous technology investments, Lululemon has several inherent qualities that give it a somewhat easier path through the COVID-19 crisis most non-essential retailers are facing, executives described. 

By Emma Cosgrove • March 30, 2020

Survey: 59% of US companies would have 2 weeks of stock after halting production

The key is not only surviving the COVID-19 pandemic, but preparing for a "double wave" of significant demand shifts once production resumes, Rapid Ratings CEO James Gellert said.

By Morgan Forde • March 27, 2020

Deep Dive

What procurement managers should expect from a 'bullwhip on crack'

Slight variations in demand at the retail level grow larger until they reach the manufacturer. This bullwhip effect is playing out in real-time in the COVID-19 pandemic.

By Matt Leonard • March 26, 2020

India, Bangladesh close factories amid coronavirus lockdown

The Indian government called for a complete lockdown, which was followed by multiple factories announcing closures. Factories in Bangladesh face a cascade of canceled orders.

By Matt Leonard • March 26, 2020

How health systems are responding as COVID-19 squeezes the medical supply chain

Procurement of supplies will become more difficult if cases surge and federal stockpiles don't trickle down to the state level quickly enough.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • March 25, 2020

IHS Markit: March Flash PMI posts steepest decline since 2009

Manufacturers reported the first contraction in new business and orders in over a decade amid sharp declines in supplier capacity and customer demand due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

By Morgan Forde • March 25, 2020

Nike optimizing supply and demand daily to weather coronavirus storm

Previous investments in digital tools will allow the company to snap back whenever consumer demand returns while keeping and paying employees, executives said Tuesday. 

By Emma Cosgrove • March 25, 2020

Amazon suspends deliveries of nonessential goods in France, India, Italy

Third-party sellers on Amazon's marketplace that do not use Amazon fulfillment and logistics services to process and deliver orders can still ship to customers, but delays may result. 

By Morgan Forde • March 24, 2020

The apparel industry had an inventory problem before coronavirus. What now?

With such an unprecedented set of restrictions and uncertainties, universal recommendations are hard to come by for "nonessential" retailers and wholesalers, but some trends are starting to surface.

By Emma Cosgrove • March 24, 2020

Column

Today's supply chains are too lean

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the dangers of just-in-time principles and lean inventories.

By Rich Weissman • March 24, 2020

So only 12% of supply chain pros are using AI? Apparently.

Low-level AI implementation could be the result of the difficulty hiring technology talent and the inability to properly manage enterprise data streams, according to experts.

By Matt Leonard • March 24, 2020

Food manufacturing will stay healthy during coronavirus, trade groups say

Leaders of the Consumer Brands Association and the American Bakers Association say their members are rising to the challenge and see no shortages of the basics.

By Megan Poinski • March 24, 2020