by Jay Muelhoefer Today’s global supply chain leaders know to expect the unexpected. They prepare for natural disasters, sudden regulatory changes, social and economic shifts, and even cyber attacks. But some events are more disruptive than others. The recent outbreak of coronavirus has shaken communities and put companies that rely on manufacturing from facilities in Wuhan, China at risk. Global companies are considering alternative suppliers as facilities in the region face potential production delays. The number of coronavirus cases continues to rise, and the region has implemented a quara ..read more

by Manda Schweitzer-Miller With the pace of change in the automotive industry as of late, making any predictions seems a bold move. It’s hard to imagine what the next twelve months and beyond hold for an industry facing seemingly non-stop innovation. But in 2020, I expect we’ll see this pace of innovation continue. Here are a few predictions for the year ahead. The electric age accelerates As the millennial and Gen Z cohorts continue to become more of the buying market (by 2020 they will make up 64% of the world’s population according to Forbes), their preferences will only further dictate w ..read more

by Manda Schweitzer-Miller The uncertainty around tariffs and trade wars have left many supply chain professionals feeling confused and overwhelmed. What is going to be imposed and when? How is this going to impact my organization? What costs are we going to incur and how can we manage them? Can we shift sourcing strategies and what impact will that have on my network? But before we make any major moves, what’s really going to happen and when? In the automotive industry, the imposition of new tariffs can have major cost implications. Given the complexity of automotive supply chains, OEMs are ..read more

by Sarah Harkins The days of preparing for new trade policies are over. For decades, companies were given advance notice of coming tariff announcements, with time to adapt to the upcoming changes. But that has changed in today’s “tweet today, implement tomorrow” pace of business. That speed and volatility has opened the door for a new style of global trade management to emerge. Defining the new era of best practices for tariff and trade management A recent Aberdeen Group survey of 126 companies identified the organizations that excel at global trade management and the key factors that drive t ..read more

by Ilyas Kucukcay Travelling is my ultimate passion. Even when it’s just a quick trip, setting up a routine in a different city or country helps me to think out-of-the-box as different cultures can have very different aspects of daily living. Walking in the streets of a new city is a perfect workout for my brain as it helps me quickly become familiar with my surroundings and have the full experience. I’ve been travelling as much as I can, wherever possible. I have to say though, if you like travelling, you have to like being in airports and you must be willing to deal with the complex servic ..read more

by Ilyas Kucukcay Travelling is my ultimate passion. Even when it’s just a quick trip, setting up a routine in a different city or country helps me to think out-of-the-box as different cultures can have very different aspects of daily living. Walking in the streets of a new city is a perfect workout for my brain as it helps me quickly become familiar with my surroundings and have the full experience. I’ve been travelling as much as I can, wherever possible. I have to say though, if you like travelling, you have to like being in airports and you must be willing to deal with the complex servic ..read more

by Alexa Cheater In today’s fast-paced world, success means getting ahead of change, not just keeping up with it. It’s no different for your supply chain. Growing customer demands. Shifting regulations. Big impact events like natural disasters. It’s no wonder companies are looking for hyper-agile, synchronized supply chains. But are they looking in the right place? More often than not, companies are looking for solutions or applications that fit their specific, current needs. But investing based on the functionality of supply chain planning applications alone may not be the answer. Because t ..read more

by Sarah Harkins When your supply chain isn’t functioning, the signs are clear: missed opportunities, customer complaints, unexplained errors and overstretched planners. Diagnosis is easy, but change is hard. We’ve all heard stories about the company that spent thousands of dollars and years of work on transformation only to make negligible gains. These stories have created fear and persuaded many companies to stick with outdated solutions long after they’ve outlived their utility. Why transformation fails It’s time for companies to readjust their beliefs and revive transformation’s good nam ..read more

by Manda Schweitzer-Miller The automotive industry is in the midst of unprecedented change driven by a trifecta of emerging technology, rapidly evolving consumption preferences and dramatically shifting business landscapes. All three drivers combine to further complicate the already complex and high-volume vehicle supply chain – and the supplier sub-chains that feed into it. The need for flexibility, agility and resilience in the supply chain has never been greater. So how are automotive leaders overcoming these challenges? They are leveraging the right technology at the right time, focusing ..read more

by Polly Mitchell Guthrie Today I sat through a full day of talks at the International Institute of Forecasters Foresight Practitioner Conference, which was focused on the topic of “Artificial Intelligence —The Hype and the Promise for Forecasting and Planning.” There was lots of skepticism (and humor) about the hype, along with some use cases of promising results. Different speakers attempted to define artificial intelligence (AI), with most citing machine learning as a subset of AI. I see very little true AI yet implemented, so I prefer to use the term machine learning, but for the purpose ..read more