Operations

Walmart joins store and online buying after decades of siloed operations

The move to unify buying across delivery channels demonstrates that omnichannel options are widely available to the consumer, but they are still making their way through the organizations that orchestrate them.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 27, 2020

Gartner: Circular supply chain investments must focus on reverse logistics

Seventy percent of supply chain leaders plan to invest in new technologies, from manufacturing to delivery, to achieve circularity by mid-2021.

By Morgan Forde • Feb. 27, 2020

From legacy systems to connected tech, manufacturers face cyber risks

The potential for damage in an operations environment can dramatically affect revenue, if not shut businesses down completely.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Feb. 25, 2020

Internal actors account for 30% of cyberattacks in manufacturing

Proper network segmentation can minimize the threat from internal actors by limiting access to applications or databases to specific employees. 

By Matt Leonard • Feb. 25, 2020

Toyota restarts manufacturing at 4 Chinese facilities shuttered by coronavirus

Operations in China are expected to get back to normal next month, but supply chain impacts are difficult to forecast as coronavirus spreads into Iran and Italy.

By Matt Leonard • Feb. 25, 2020

Walmart launches fulfillment service for third-party marketplace sellers

According to top executives, fulfillment services are as much about driving in-demand products to Walmart.com as they are about driving additional revenue from its existing e-commerce infrastructure. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 25, 2020

John Deere plans $40M spend on expedited freight for supply continuity amid coronavirus

The OEM's several quarters of inventory leaning and cost-cutting measures put it in a position to handle a business environment in flux.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 24, 2020

Coronavirus: A lesson in supply chain risk management

A quarantine put supply chains' risk management strategies to the test as it left manufacturing facilities without workers needed to reach full production, reduced demand for ocean freight and cut air freight capacity. 

By Matt Leonard • Feb. 20, 2020

Advance Auto Parts credits WMS, distribution upgrades for Q4 margin boost

The upgrades are part of a long-term supply chain and IT strategy where the majority of potential margin growth in the near future won't be dependent on sales but on internal optimization, executives said. 

By Morgan Forde • Feb. 19, 2020

Jeff Bezos commits $10B to climate. How should he spend it?

The fund created by Bezos will be separate from Amazon's efforts, which has committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2040.

By Catherine Morehouse • Feb. 19, 2020

Walmart boosts stores' role in e-commerce fulfillment

The retailer will increase e-commerce fulfillment from stores in 2020, but isn't committing to just one strategy. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 19, 2020

Deep Dive

With the promise of faster speed, inventory moves closer to consumers

Amazon could deliver nearly everything to the lower 48 states within two days by air freight. The decision to offer one-day shipping changed the equation. 

By Matt Leonard • Feb. 18, 2020

Mattel to reduce SKUs 30% by the end of the year

The toymaker embarked on a two-year supply chain simplification process that included factory closures, automated ordering and predictive algorithms for forecasting, resulting in $797 million in 2019 cost savings.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 18, 2020

Coronavirus-related component delays will hold up production for Trimble within weeks

Trimble keeps about two weeks of inventory on hand. A three-week freight delay out of China or continued factory slowdowns would affect sales in the near term.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 18, 2020

Coronavirus outbreak leads to supply shortages for Apple

Foxconn, one of Apple's largest suppliers, has not provided details on its plans to restart production.

By Matt Leonard • Feb. 18, 2020

Opinion

A break from trade uncertainty is a good time to future-proof your supply chain

Beijing and Washington have agreed to play nice for a while and the USMCA is almost complete, but firms shouldn’t sit back and relax, writes Lou Longo, an international consulting practice leader at Plante Moran.

By Lou Longo • Feb. 18, 2020

FDA tracking mask, protective gear supply chain disruptions from coronavirus outbreak

Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the shift in ordering patterns is yet to manifest in a shortage but warned Feb. 14 the situation is "evolving and very dynamic."

By Nick Paul Taylor • Feb. 18, 2020

Kraft Heinz turnaround starts with new talent

A massive SKU-reduction effort continues, but CEO Miguel Patricio said people have been his number one priority in his first six months as CEO.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 14, 2020

Machine learning is nearly ubiquitous in accounting operations, ERPs

The technology is mainly used to set up touch-free processes for repetitive functions such as accounts payable and receivable.

By Robert Freedman • Feb. 13, 2020

A regional approach helps supply chains weather trade disruption: BCG

Supply chain managers might consider a regional approach that places manufacturing capabilities closer to customers to manage the current level of global trade disruption.

By Morgan Forde • Feb. 13, 2020

Rent the Runway taps former Amazon exec as Chief Supply Chain Officer

Brian Donato comes to Rent the Runway from an indoor farming startup and before that, he worked at Amazon for seven years in operational roles related to returns and fulfillment. 

By Shefali Kapadia • Feb. 13, 2020

Nestlé beverage delivery arm reaches carbon neutrality

A combination of fleet conversion, route optimization, replacement of truck trips with rail, redesigned racks, renewable energy and carbon offset projects helped ReadyRefresh achieve neutrality.

By Shefali Kapadia • Feb. 12, 2020

Under Armour forecasts up to $60M revenue hit from coronavirus disruptions

CEO Patrik Frisk expects "significant material impact both financially and operationally" on the company's full-year results, but putting hard numbers on the disruption is tough without a clear picture of scale or duration. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 12, 2020

The quickly disappearing corrugated box: How packaging is changing

Manufacturers set their sights on packaging as a means to reduce waste, improve sustainability and lower shipping costs.

By Jen A. Miller • Feb. 11, 2020

Tyson sees double-digit inventory accuracy improvement from computer vision

The new inventory tracking system reads SKU information and weight for chicken packed in trays, replacing what Tyson described as communication by hand gestures followed by manual inventory entry.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 11, 2020