The post AutoCulture 2.0: Shifting Leadership and Culture in the Auto Supply Chain appeared first on QAD Blog ..read more

Enable Optimized Decision-Making In today’s fast-paced business environment, achieving alignment across all departments and trading partners is crucial for sustainable success. Effective Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) plays a crucial role in enhancing this business alignment. As highlighted in the article “5 Key Benefits of S&OP for Your Supply Chain,” S&OP is a powerful tool to ensure all parts of the organization are working towards common goals. An effective S&OP process eliminates functional silos, bringing together different departments – sales, marketing, finance ..read more

Introduction The accurate analysis and calculation of total landed costs is imperative for organizations with global supply chain operations. However, many companies overlook common cost elements including duties, tariffs, taxes, harbor fees and handling fees, to name a few.  Companies also employ tactics that theoretically reduce costs but, in many cases, generate cost savings in one area while increasing the total landed cost. For example, it is common to incentivize procurement organizations to lower a product’s purchase price variance. While this lowers the actual product cost, it m ..read more

Collaboration: A Critical Ingredient for Successful Supply Chains As its definition states, ‘collaboration’ is ‘the action of working with someone to produce something’.  When it comes to the supply chain, collaboration is a critical ingredient. The main objectives — and benefits — of supply chain collaboration are:  Enhanced efficiency Improved transparency Greater responsiveness Risk mitigation Innovation and constant improvement Collaboration aims to improve supply chain performance. You need to establish a  streamlined, open, and adaptable supply chain. If done correctly ..read more

Staying on top of global Unique Device Identification (UDI) regulatory compliance can improve outcomes for both patients and medical device manufacturers The U.S. Food and Drug Administration aims to enhance patient safety through the Universal Device Identification system, by way of improving the traceability of medical devices throughout their life cycle, to protect both patients and clinician users. Moreover, as digitization continues to play an increasing and positive role in healthcare, medical device software and regulated software as a medical device (SaMD) is required to carry unique ..read more

Ask any manufacturer what the most likely short term plan is for their aging ERP solution. The most likely answer is not an upgrade or a purchase from a major software supplier. It’s the dreaded “no decision” of living with the status quo. Many companies put off moving forward due to the fear of change and the perception of it as an overwhelming effort.  Unfortunately, the truth about postponing ERP system replacement is that doing so creates a cascade of issues for a business that compounds over time, affecting both its short-term efficiency and long-term strategic positioning. Busin ..read more

Cicadas are large, relatively benign insects native to the US. Some cicadas only emerge periodically over extended periods of time. This year two distinct broods of cicadas, the 17-year and 13-year variety, will emerge at the same time for the first time in over 200 years. The transformation of cicadas from multi-year underground nymph stage to adult winged-insect will result in billions of cicadas bursting forth in a cacophonous symphony. Their brief yet spectacular emergence will feel like a transformation. This event, while awe-inspiring, is but a fleeting moment in a repeated life cycle ..read more

Whether due to the constant drumbeat of disruption or a lack of sustainable practices, manufacturing and supply chain organizations that have long competed in an environment of unconstrained resources now find themselves competing in one that is resource constrained. This has had profound implications for technology and technology-enabled operations and has been a significant driver of digital transformation initiatives. In an annual study from IDC comparing digital maturity with business performance, those companies that are further along on their digital transformation journey significant ..read more

Updated: June 26, 2024 Published: February 4, 2021 What is the Sales & Marketing Leader’s Role in S&OP? The Sales & Marketing leader is a key part of the Roles and Responsibilities of Sales and Operations (S&OP). Successful implementation of the S&OP process requires cross-functional participation from all departments of the organization. A major participant is Sales & Marketing, who is in charge of creating, identifying, and capturing growth opportunities for the corporation.  In some industries, such as Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Marketing may take the fro ..read more

Deciding to purchase a new ERP system for your business is a major decision that, despite the short-term risks, can yield substantial long-term rewards. What are the most significant business challenges that signal your company should purchase a new ERP, instead of enduring a painful status quo? 1. You Have Too Many Manual Processes and Disparate Systems Manufacturers that use manual processes for tracking inventory, production scheduling and order fulfillment aren’t doing themselves any favors in 2024. Relying on Excel spreadsheets or pen-and-paper methods to manage such tasks is labor int ..read more