Supply Chain Management (SCM) can be divided into three main areas: purchasing, manufacturing, and transport. From end to end, this includes decisions about which input materials to use, production quantities, inventory levels, distribution network configuration, and transportation for both the input materials as well as for the finished products. Logistics Management is the component of SCM that focuses on how and when to get raw materials, intermediate products, and finished goods from their respective origins to their destinations ..read more

What we mean by Industry 4.0 The term ‘Industry 4.0’ stands for the fourth industrial revolution. Other related terms include the ‘Industrial Internet’ or the ‘Smart Factory’, although neither takes as complete a view. While Industry 3.0 focused on the automation of single machines and processes, Industry 4.0 focuses on the end-to-end digitisation of all physical assets and integration into digital ecosystems with value chain partners. Generating, analysing and communicating data seamlessly underpins the gains promised by Industry 4.0, which networks a wide range of new technologies to create ..read more

Accenture's Supply chain management in the cloud report states that "Supply chains face the common challenge that detailed knowledge of operations is held locally creating silos—organizational, functional, and cultural—and these undermine effective collaboration between different elements of the supply chain, increasing the likelihood of problems emerging at a late stage, and limiting options for response ..read more

Although Freight Spend usually makes up 5% to 10% of a company’s Sales, details of this important cost element are often unknown to manufacturers and besides that they often don’t have the tools at hand to control and improve these costs in a standardized yet flexible way ..read more

There are two major issues: the understanding of the supply chain as a complex system and the effective use of data ..read more

Your IT landscape strategy will be crucial in supporting the digitalization of your logistics operations. Several factors influence your IT landscape, make sure you identify them and make the right decisions ..read more

You wouldn’t expect it in 2017, but a lot of logistics departments and companies still run solely on spreadsheets. Despite the disadvantages, it seems extremely hard to escape the grip of Excel sheets ..read more

Because of mobile devices, geofencing has become a well-known technique in some applications. But did you know that this function is becoming indispensible in logistics, too. The name geofencing might not ring a bell with you, even though chances are you are using it anyway. Thanks to the presence of GPS in smartphones, geofencing has become almost universally applicable. Take a look at the smart Nest-thermostat, for instance: geofencing lets it know when you’re home and when you aren’t, just in time to adjust the heating to the right temperature. Philips’ Hue lamps can be used in the same w ..read more

Whether you realise it or not, you come across API’s every day. Have you ever wondered how it’s possible to log into external apps using either your Facebook or Google account? API’s are the answer to that one. But did you also know that APIs are the key to efficient transport management ..read more

A Transportation Management System is the key to tackling your logistic issues the efficient way. Why? Here are seven reasons a TMS makes all the difference for your company. Transportation management systems are no novelty, but chances are you haven’t considered acquiring one for fear it would not suit your company. Too expensive, too complex, built to service only the large corporations… These are but a few of the oft-cited reasons not to consider a TMS, let alone implementing it. A few of them may sound familiar to you. Lately, though, things have been changing fast in the world of logisti ..read more