There is a significant difference between Cost Reduction and Cost Takeout. All companies should have cost reduction as part of their business strategies. It only makes good sense. At one time or another, just about every C-suite and boardroom has had the discussion regarding Cost Takeout as a Strategy.   Continuous Improvement and Lean Business concepts tell us that there are always ways to take out cost and those tools do a good job of reducing cost gradually.  Cost takeout as a strategy is a completely different approach. The first thing is to make sure that everyone is clear on what a cost takeout strategy really is.  Let’s start with what it isn’t.

It is not: …Read More

The implications of Industry 5.0 and the Internet of Everything ( IoE ) are not fully understood by leadership teams.  How to get there is a larger challenge.  It needs to be a strategic discussion in the board room and in the C-Suite.  Its impact, while seemingly obvious is not! Technology …Read More

A lot has happened since the creation of blockchain in 2009, including the great hype of 2014-2017, when hundreds of books were written and blockchain was continuously in the news – At that point, more of a fantasy than a practical business reality.  Over the last few years, blockchain systems have matured and are going mainstream with companies now accepting cryptocurrencies for payments, issuing fungible tokens for digital assets, and notable companies such as Maersk, IBM, Walmart, and others having implemented blockchain in their supply chains.  Just as the internet was in its infancy in the late 90’s, …Read More

The development of a global world class supply chain is a challenge in good times, but is really tested when a supply chain is significantly disrupted. During periods of supply and demand disruptions, like we are currently experiencing, the concept of world class is severely tested. As companies are attempting to understand the resiliency of their supply chain, …Read More

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All of our clients are having OMNI channel discussions these days. Why? Because OMNI Channel is the front end of the supply chain and has a significant impact on supply chain optimization. These discussions are fraught with a lot of misunderstanding of what OMNI channel is and how it supports the company’s Market Effectiveness.  Googling OMNI Channel delivers …Read More

Since the inception of Sales Force in 1999, CRM has gained incredible popularity in just about every business.  Recent research indicates that over 90% of companies with over 11 employees use some kind of CRM. It is now used to document any customer related information you can think of and is part of a company’s Market Effectiveness.  The great news …Read More

The phrase “Internet of Things (IoT)” or “Internet of Everything (IoE)” and its application to manufacturing and distribution does not bring to mind a concrete set of images or business approach to most senior executives.  In fact, the opposite is true, …Read More

“The world is a supply chain, every company has one and its backbone is technology.”

We just finished supply chain optimization projects for two middle market CPG companies. In one of the projects, we created programs that will reduce inventory by $15M and annual operating costs by $2.5M (You can read the case study here). …Read More

Companies today increasingly recognize Digital Technology and IT infrastructure as a strategic asset that provides companies with the ability to effectively compete in its’ marketplace – an observation underscored by the Nash KPMG 2017 CIO Survey finding that CIOs sit on 62% of executive boards as opposed to 38% in 2005.  While their relative importance varies slightly from year to year, the C-Suite charter for Digital Technology consistently features the following items: …Read More