The logistics required to move material from a source to a destination.
Companies and governments have been discussing the challenges that lie ahead as we enter a period of rapid innovation and change unlike any the world has ever seen. In a previous post we have made a number of observations about the increasing importance of data and connectivity in realizing the Fourth Industrial Revolution and singled … More Will Open Data Save Supply Chains?
The circular economy is a generic term for an industrial economy that is, by design or intention, restorative and in which material flows are of two types, biological nutrients, designed to re-enter the biosphere safely, and technical nutrients, which are designed to circulate at high quality without entering the biosphere. The term encompasses more than … More Is the Circular Economy a Myth?
Setting the stage We talk a lot about sustainability. Climate change, greenhouse (GHG) emissions, carbon footprints and a host of other related topics that bounce around the Internet or become the topic of speakers at countless seminars or conventions around the world and lead us to believe that we’re actually doing something to combat these … More Supply Chain’s Required Paradigm Shifts
As I’ve noted from time to time, blasts of concerns over how automation would reduce the number of jobs have been erupting for more than 200 years. As one example, in “Supply Chain Automation and Job Loss: The Fears of 1964“, I wrote about what were called the “automation jobless” in a 1961 news story and … More Supply Chain Automation and Job Loss: The Fears of 1927
When you think of an automated process, the words agile, flexible or nimble may not be the first words that typically come to mind. Most people think of automated processes as efficient, accurate, or repetitive – but not agile. You may even picture an automated process as one that cannot be stopped once it has … More Workflow Automation Increases Supply Chain Agility And Efficiency
The importance of customer centricity and speed in today’s consumer economy is well understood. Examples are everywhere, from custom vending machines that integrate with social media to companies such as Netflix and Uber. Consumers increasingly expect products to be individualized to their unique specifications and to be delivered on demand. The extended supply chain, from … More How The Network Economy Is Revolutionizing Supply Chains
It seems that there’s a robot available for every conceivable position imaginable these days and it can get quite unnerving if you stop to think about it. What human position or function can you think of that isn’t vulnerable to robotic transplanting? Technology feeds on itself and expands exponentially. What used to take a machine … More Robotics and Job Security in the Supply Chain
We stand on the brink of a technological revolution that will fundamentally alter the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope, and complexity, the transformation will be unlike anything humankind has experienced before. We do not yet know just how it will unfold, but one thing is clear: the … More The Fourth Industrial Revolution And How It Will Affect Supply Chains
For those unfamiliar with the supply or reverse chain industries, consider the lowly wooden pallet as a shining example of the complexity of many of the world’s largest international supply chains. The wooden pallet? Are you serious? How could such a simple concept possibly be the cause of complexity in any application? Here’s a short … More Supply Chains Are Costing Us More Than You Know!
According to the Carbon Footprint Calculator found under the “Fleet Tools” drop-down menu at Fleet News in the UK, there is 11.91 Kg of CO2 created with every gallon of diesel burned. If that figure is accurate then let’s apply it to the number of miles traveled by the US fleet. According to Business Insider a single class 8 … More Cool it! Supply Chain’s Carbon Footprint Quantified
Circular Supply Chains Inc. 