E-COMMERCE SUPPLY CHAIN AND ERP

Are the velocity requirements of the e-commerce supply chain impeded or supported by ERP systems?

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE INVENTORY VELOCITY

Retailers and Manufacturers who have not transformed their Supply Chains to create Inventory Velocity may have this for their inventory--

THE NEW SUPPLY CHAIN AND STANDING STILL

A thought for retailers and manufacturers thinking about transforming their Supply Chains for e-commerce success--

INVENTORY VELOCITY AND WORKING CAPITAL

The Inventory Velocity of the New Supply Chain frees up working capital that can be invested back into the company. Where would your company invest?

TECHNOLOGY DISRUPTOR IN LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Technology is a driving disruptor in logistics and in supply chain management.  As it creates chaos and transforms, remember--

E-COMMERCE PERFORMANCE METRIC

THE E-COMMERCE METRIC.  Performance is simple and is what customers expect---their orders delivered complete, accurate, and on-time with order-delivery velocity.  That result is driven by the New Supply Chain.  If you do not measure your performance or meet that metric, are you really doing Faux E-commerce?

CONTAINER LINE ALLIANCES--CARTEL AND PORT MONOPOLY?

Can the combination of high capital investment for assets and realignment/restructure of port calls by alliances--limiting/reducing , even eliminating, service options--lead to ocean carriers being defined as cartels and/or de facto monopolies at ports?

SUPPLY CHAIN CENTER FOR EXCELLENCE--FOR SME TRADE ASSOCIATIONS AND FOR MNCs

A viable program to transform supply chains to deliver the velocity to drive e-commerce success with customer expectations.  

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141105183826-3505219-creating-a-supply-chain-center-of-excellence/

E-COMMERCE FULFILLMENT

Companies are dealing with both e-commerce growth and with supply chain management being strategic. They are also dealing with a history of underinvesting in supply chain technologies. Against that background, there is fulfillment--how to design, operate, and invest---for a certain size facility, SKUs, number of orders, and lines per order. Some catchup reality. Now factor in shorter product life cycles--and the effect on SKU for facilities--and augmented reality--which can lead to larger orders and more lines per order. How to get ahead of the what is and will happen!? Playing catchup can be a short-sighted, poor decision. Getting ahead of the curve.

RETAILERS, MANUFACTURERS, LOGISTICS PROVIDERS--AND CHANGE

Amazon, Amazon Effect, and Being Amazoned have opened up active interest with retailers, manufacturers--and their supply chains, and #logistics providers as they try to deal with the disruption and chaos—as they deal with the need to change and willing to change.

CONTAINER LINES, ALLIANCES, AND COMMODITY SERVICE

Do today's bigger container lines deliver a differentiated service?  Or has size and alliances driven carriers deeper into being a commoditized logistics service?  Is this dangerous in the growing world of supply chain velocity?

OMNICHANNEL SUPPLY CHAIN ORGANIZATION

The Omnichannel Supply Chain organization is a centralized-decentralized hybrid to drive the required velocity while providing blended process and technology structures for performance and cost.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN PARADOX FOR RETAILERS AND MANUFACTURERS

The Supply Chain Paradox for Manufacturers and Retailers.  Many were content viewing supply chain management as a cost center measured primarily on its logistics costs and where technology was often under-invested.  Aside from some fire-fighting, things were good—with the good supply chain. 

Now, comes e-commerce.  Growth is concentrated there, and it is driven by supply chain management.  Supply chain management is a strategic necessity, not a cost center.  E-commerce has very different supply chain dynamics and requirements.  But resources are positioned in the old supply chain.

There is disjuncuture in supply chains.  How can these firms that are lagging in SCM change and transform into the what is succeeding?  The paradox—the good is no longer good, where supply chains are thriving, and where resources and organizations are positioned.

MANUFACTURING SUPPLY CHAINS AND E-COMMERCE

What does a manufacturing supply chain built on supplying factories and shipping to customers' warehouses have in common with an e-commerce supply chain?  Answer--not much.

E-COMMERCE SUPPLY CHAIN AND LOGISTICS COSTS

For those in the e-commerce supply chain world where performance is judged on logistics costs, in the battle about Last Mile, look at alternative cost reductions.  One may be in fulfillment.  3PLs in the new reality can misbid the service as to lines per order and number of orders.  Analyze cost-to-serve for opportunities and ROIs.

RETAIL SUPPLY CHAINS

What does a retail supply chain the delivers trailers of products have in common with an e-commerce supply chain?  Answer—less than you may think.

SMALL RETAIL STORES AND THE NEW SUPPLY CHAIN

Smaller stores require the inventory velocity of the New Supply Chain.  Retailers cannot dump slow-moving items into limited capacity footprint/format.

CHALLENGE OF THE E-COMMERCE SUPPLY CHAIN

The New Supply Chain that drives e-commerce success with Customer Expectations is a challenge to traditional thinking about Supply Chain Management.  Breaking that mindset is important for transformation.

IS THE 3PL BECOMING OBSOLETE?

Is the e-commerce Supply Chain with its velocity making the 3PL business model obsolete? To be replaced by? 3PSCM? SCMaaS? Or a hybrid of the two?

LOGISTICS AND TECHNOLOGY CHALLENGE

Technology is a key disruptor for logistics providers and 3PLs--digitization, blockchain, cryptocurrency, e-commerce requirements, and more--all which can cause disintermediation. Adding to the challenge is the lack of off-the-shelf solutions.

TRANSFORM YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN FOR E-COMMERCE SUCCESS

Revised--Transforming Your Supply Chain for E-commerce Success

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transforming-your-supply-chain-e-commerce-successthe-what-tom-craig/?published=t

THE LAST MILE AND MISDIRECTION

Obsessing on the e-commerce Last Mile is misdirection that takes away attention, effort, and resources from the real issue—the end-to-end Supply Chain.

E-COMMERCE AND SUPPLY CHAIN ESSENTIALS

The need and ability for meeting Customer Expectations of the Amazon Effect is not about being as big as Amazon. It is about providing the essentials of the New Supply Chain.

SUPPLY CHAIN FIRE FIGHTING AND SEGMENTATION

Much supply chain fire fighting reflects a process issue.  Supply chain segmentation can mitigate it.

RETAILERS, E-COMMERCE, AND THE REAR-VIEW MIRROR

Are retailers looking at their futures in the rear view mirror who are not aggressively adapting e-commerce and the supply chain that drives it?

2018--LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

2018--LOGISTICS AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/2018logistics-supply-chain-management-tom-craig/?published=t

CONTAINER LINES, BLOCKCHAIN, AND CRYPTOCURRENCY

Holy technologies, Batman! Blockchain AND cryptocurrency! And 300cubits, the length of Noah’s Ark!

http://splash247.com/landmark-liner-blockchain-solution-debut-june/

E-COMMERCE AND DISINTERMEDIATION

The real story with e-commerce may be the disintermediation it causes to retailers and distributors--removing some of the middle men between manufacturers and end-use customers.

E-COMMERCE REALITY

The reality of e-commerce is that almost any industry is susceptible to the new selling backed with the New Supply Chain. Yet interesting how many take a small, limited view of the opportunities, including logistics providers.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinese-retailer-jd-coms-latest-gig-supplying-restaurants-1515598879

BLOCKCHAIN, CRYPTOCURRENCY, AND SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Will tying Blockchain with Cryptocurrency slow the development of Blockchain--both in general and for Supply Chains?

OMNICHANNEL DESIGN?

Is this how some design their omnichannel and the Supply Chain that drives it?

HOW TO TRANSFORM TO THE NEW SUPPLY CHAIN FOR E-COMMERCE SUCCESS

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/transforming-your-supply-chain-e-commerce-successthe-what-tom-craig/?published=t

CONTAINER LINE MEGA SHIPS AND PORT CHAOS

The expected port chaos has arrived with the mega ships that are now larger than an aircraft carrier--

https://theloadstar.co.uk/costs-rise-southampton-bigger-ships-new-services-drive-box-congestion/

3PLs AND LOGISTICS PROVIDERS WITH DISRUPTION AND TRANSFORMATION

With all the logistics chaos, disruption, change, and transformation, how many 3PLs and logistics providers are this--

THE FRUSTRATION OF EXCESS INVENTORY

AMAZON SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT

Amazon--redefining Supply Chain Management--a big factor of its e-commerce success--
https://logisticsviewpoints.com/2018/01/08/amazon-supply-chain-innovative-world/

E-COMMERCE AND RETAIL COMMODITIZATION

Is one reason for e-commerce success because retailers commoditized their stores and the shopping experience?

YEAR OF DECOMMODITIZATION OF LOGISTICS

Would be great to see 2018 as the Year of Decommoditization of Logistics Providers with real service and brand differentiation required for the New Supply Chain that drive e-commerce success with customer expectations.

HEY, THE SUPPLY OF SUPPLY CHAIN IS UPSTREAM

The Supply of Supply Chains is Upstream. Extending upstream--de facto vertical integration--is an essential of the New Supply Chain for e-commerce success and achieving velocity.

TIP TO TRANSFORM YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN

The first things for transforming your supply chain to deliver e-commerce success with customer expectations--

• Your current supply chain, with its design and operating issues, did not happen overnight.  So your fix will not happen overnight.
• There is no quick, easy answer.
• Avoid signs along the way that say e-fulfillment answers, last mile solutions--and other simple terms.
• Watch out with the "low cost"/cheap ideas.  They are part of the "easy answer" cadre of providers and programs that can take you down wrong paths.
• Avoid "agile" which is code for trying to do more with your supply chain than it was designed to do.

Remember, this is about your end-to-end supply chain.  Not some logistics component.  Stay focused.