When it comes to demand forecasts, sharing is caring

Procurement professionals who do not share their forecasts with key suppliers are creating a layer of risk in the supply chain that could result in supply interruptions and even higher prices.

By Rich Weissman • Dec. 5, 2019

To reduce risk and boost ROI, procurement needs to be at the executive table: A.T. Kearney

Firms that embrace strategic alignment with their procurement functions see two to three times greater supply chain ROI than average companies.

By Morgan Forde • Dec. 5, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Inventory Management

Read how retailers and brand manufactures are rethinking inventory management.

By Supply Chain Dive staff

Ikea, Carrefour, Ahold Delhaize urge Brazil to maintain soy deforestation ban

Deforestation in Brazil has nuances that make it more difficult to identify in supply chains — potentially protecting the practice from the usual pressures raw materials buyers can exert to prevent it. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 5, 2019

Survey says one third of businesses taking no action to mitigate tariffs

With 68% of survey respondents reporting businesses affected by tariffs, but 33.5% taking no action to mitigate them, it's clear a small percentage of the business community is choosing the ostrich's strategy on tariff mitigation. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Dec. 3, 2019

Seasonal hiring is the most stressful recruiting period, survey says

Experts say the onboarding process should start before a new hire's first day​ to guarantee success and efficiency.

By Valerie Bolden-Barrett • Dec. 2, 2019

Why the vaping crisis is a supply chain failure

Numerous websites sell cheap, unauthorized pods designed to fit vaping devices from major manufacturers.

By Ron Volpe • Dec. 2, 2019

Breaking procurement's glass ceiling is not just about gender diversity

Removing gender bias is not just an HR initiative. It needs to become part of an organization’s culture.

By Allison Ford-Langstaff • Nov. 21, 2019

How to coach a supplier

When one-size-fits-all supplier development activities fall short, it may be time to take a more personal approach. 

By Rich Weissman • Nov. 21, 2019

Amazon publishes list of more than 1K private label suppliers

The list provides the address and name of each supplier and a map published by the company shows China accounts for roughly 500 of the e-tailer's supplier locations.

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 21, 2019

Sugar rush: As supply runs low, USDA will guarantee a backup

Adverse weather conditions mean there is less of the sweetener available to manufacturers this year, potentially setting the stage for experiments with alternatives.

By Cathy Siegner • Nov. 21, 2019

Home Depot assesses tariff impact SKU-by-SKU

Home Depot's tariff mitigation strategy is a data-driven effort analyzing the impact of tariffs at the SKU level.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 20, 2019

Kraft Heinz, Tyson among lowest for anti-deforestation efforts as industry falls short of 2020 goal

In the 10 years since The Consumer Goods Forum set its 2020 environmental goals, experts agree more immersive, on-the-ground work is needed to achieve reductions in deforestation. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 19, 2019

Hospitals waste $27.5B on bad supply chain management, Navigant says

Between 2017 and 2018, wasteful spending on supplies rose 11.8%, or $2.7 billion according to the study of 2,127 hospitals.

By Ron Shinkman • Nov. 15, 2019

Should procurement break up with Excel?

Half of procurement organizations use spreadsheets for data analysis, but exclusive reliance on these tools, however familiar, can create inaccurate forecasting.

By Craig Guillot • Nov. 14, 2019

Less than 8% of forestry suppliers have a plan for keeping forced labor out of supply chains

Though 59% of the 39 companies Know the Chain surveyed had a supplier code of conduct in place, only 5% had a process in place to deal with violations.

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 14, 2019

Where is the new China?

As the trade war carries on and labor costs rise, supply chains seek a new home for manufacturing and sourcing. But each alternative location comes with pros and cons.

By Deborah Abrams Kaplan • Nov. 14, 2019

Tyson: Current market makes accurate forecast impossible

A deadly disease affecting the global hog supply, unpredictable trade policy shifts and a fire in Kansas all made executives wary of predicting next year's earnings — but it's not all bad news. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 13, 2019

This map is the first step to understanding risk in the food supply chain

Understanding weather and infrastructure risks can help inform supply chain decisions in states that are home to major freight hubs and agricultural production centers.

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 12, 2019

Dean Foods files for bankruptcy as consumer demand for milk declines

Last year, Dean Foods laid off 207 workers with the closure of two milk processing factories, ended more than 100 dairy contracts with the company to curtail how much milk it was buying and closed three other facilities.

By Lillianna Byington • Nov. 12, 2019

What are the most important supply chain ethics? 3 experts weigh in

Consumer awareness of sustainability and forced labor in the supply chain is driving organizations to take the next step beyond compliance into ethics. 

By Shefali Kapadia • Nov. 11, 2019

UPS creates digital tools to deliver blockchain-verified beef

The beef traveled from Kansas to a steakhouse in Japan in temperature-controlled UPS packaging and UPS developed a "customized integrated visibility tool" to track the shipment. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 11, 2019

A great supply risk lies in the Uighur crisis of China's Xinjiang Province

If you don't know the specific origin within China of your raw materials, "you should assume that you're at risk," said Ryan Lynch of the British Standards Institution. 

By Emma Cosgrove • Nov. 8, 2019

Patent Pending: FedEx eyes easier returns, Amazon marries drones and intermodal

Supply chain innovators apply to patent what they see as important tools for the future of supply chains. Sometimes they're brilliant. Sometimes they're funny. Every week, we'll share a few.

By Matt Leonard • Nov. 8, 2019

Supply chains must take the lead in origin stories

As consumer interest grows in products' sources and production, supply chains have a responsibility to plan and execute company-wide initiatives on origin stories, Gartner's Pam Fitzpatrick writes in an op-ed.

By Pam Fitzpatrick, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner Supply Chain Practice • Nov. 8, 2019

Managing procurement's new and evolving workforce

As employees from transportation, planning and operations join procurement, the department must educate the new workforce on critical supplier relationships, ethics and communication and use generational differences as an advantage, not a stereotype.

By Rich Weissman • Nov. 7, 2019