News Articles Analysis 1

News Articles Analysis 1

Article 1

This article is about several trends in the supply chain in the year 2012.Throughout 2012 there were evolutions in the supply chain technology due to companies’ realization that a supply chain that is highly visible is necessary for success in the business climate today. Generally, IT trends like big data; cloud and mobile have greatly impacted the supply chain industry. Apart from these IT trends there are specific trends which were in the forefront in 2012.All these trends are related to various aspects of the supply chain.

These trends are; improvement of the levels of customer service over cutting costs. Supply chain costs are continuously going down since recession started four years ago. The focus of companies is the improvement of the service levels of supply chain and at the same time reducing the costs. Execution is also been seen to be moving ahead of the planning of demand and supply. Planning for demand and supply has been the ultimate focus since o=it is a crucial part of success in supply chain. Contingency planning has also resurged, supply chains are becoming leaner (Riley, 2012).Reduction in the level of inventory require organizations to be able to react quickly incase of occurrence of abnormal events such as stock outs. Companies focus on the development of contingency plans, their execution and checking if the plans are effective.

There should also be partner communication from end to end as well as collaboration in execution. This means that there should be collaboration among all partners in supply chain from retailers to those who provide raw materials. Supply chain partners now are acting together on the basis of transparency. Finally big data has become mandatory, there has been combining of data from supply chain partners and transforming the data and using the data for reacting and execution. This data is often a lot and requires big data solutions alongside complex solutions for processing to digest the data.

This article is very informative as it clearly shows the trends in supply chains in 2012.the trends show that the supply chain management is moving towards service improvement in all possible ways available.

Article 2

This article talks of the importance of visual identification technologies in supply chains as a mean of revolutionizing logistics operations. There has been a lot of progress made in visual identification technologies which have potential of big implications for the logistic systems in supply chain. The idea behind the increase of cameras as well as other software in identification is similar to the bar code system that has been in use. Product identification under the VIT system is based on the image characteristics of the product or specific markings made. The photo or video analytics are now being used in the supply chains. An example is given of a displayed robotic system in the National Retail Federation show which helps in managing planogram compliance in retail shops. The camera robot equipment moves around the shelves capturing correct planogram, and the correct set up of the shelves in the store .The robot then re-travels back through the aisles at a frequency that is determined by the merchants (Supply Chain Digest ,2013).

This is very important in the supply chain as it helps in the management of logistics in the supply chain. This is achieved due to the high speeds realized with the application of the visual identification technologies. Their speeds are much higher as compared to the traditional scanners. They also reduce the problem of no reads which were common with the traditional scanners. This will ensure that the supply chain is in full control of its logistics. In the long run most supply chains will eventually replace the bar code system as it will be so effective and hence desired by virtually all supply chains.

The article is very important since it brings out a new technology that is being slowly adopted into the supply chains. This is important as it related to management of logistics in supply chain. Therefore, adoption of this system will make supply chains effective in their operations particularly in their logistics.

Article 3

This article is on IT investments that are being undertaken by most supply chains. Most companies are now rethinking of IT investments in their companies. The supply chain industry has been through a period of reduction and downsizing when it comes to IT. This articles calls for the executives to rethink the investment strategies their companies are using. This is particularly because of the dominance in cloud computing, the web and social media. The companies should think of investing in supply chain software. The main goal of supply chain software is enabling supply companies and their partners to detect as well as respond as quickly to any changes. These changes can be on product characteristics, demand for particular products and, supply of raw materials for the products. After detecting the changes they are responded to ensure that the products always meet the needs of the consumers at costs that are optimal.

There are basic components of the supply chain management software and they are; demand management also known as forecasting gives an insight of future demands. Product life cycle management keeps a track record of products from the idea of its creation to R&D and finally production (Handfield, 2011).Product planning managers the ability of a production company in terms of their inventory and product demand. Supply chain event management ensures that ca control is crated for the execution of critical parts of the supply chain process. Supply relationship management ensures that there is management of information flow between suppliers and manufacturers .Warehousing ensures that there is tracking of the movement of inventories into production and out of production as well as between distribution centers. Therefore, every supply chain organization should ensure that they invest in IT as this will enable them be consistent when it comes to semantics that are around the supply chain management.

This article is very important as it shows clearly the importance of IT investment in supply chain business. The integration of IT in supply chain ensures that the risks within a supply chain are management as there is early detection of any problem which can be a potential risk factor.

Article 4

The article is about leading change when it comes to supply chain management. It talks about General Motors as a leading supply chain manager all over the world. Companies on a mission of the implementation of supply chain management which is integrated are aware of the challenges that come with it. Among the greatest challenges is changing the organization structure that will ensure that there is redesigning of the supply chain. It is often a difficult task to try and recondition people into accepting the change especially in organizations where there have been particular mindsets for a very long time. When looking out for the appropriate change to be made in supply change management one needs to look at top ten supply chain organizations in the world. Examples of such organizations are General Motors which has had a radical culture change that had a great impact on their supply chain (Hadfield, 2004).

GM has always been exemplary to other organizations when it comes to their archaic management structure, suppliers and dealer relationships that are arms-length and processes which are dysfunctional.GM is committed to focusing on agility in their supply chain. Over the last five years there have been changes undergone by GM in its global management structure. Most companies are applying e-business as a strategy to make improvements in their supply chains.GM has gone ahead to create a strategy that will ensure it supports the organizations intentions of applying internet technologies in their supply chain. The strategy used by GM involves the use of the web in buying, building and designing new vehicles that are innovative. They also already have a global supply chain structure in place to ensure the realization of the new strategy. Therefore any company that intends to make changes in their supply chain management should ensure that they use the appropriate tools that will help them realize effective changes.

This article is very appealing as it gives information on the success of a very big supply company GM. It shows the changes that the company employed to ensure that they are among leaders in supply chain management. It will help other small companies adopt some strategies that will steer them forward in the supply chain management.

Article 5

This article is about Wal-Marts plan of making the organization a green supply chain. The large retailer announced that it would ct down on close to 20 metric tons of the green house gases that the supply chain releases by 2015.This goal is to be achieved through the focus on popular products like meat, clothing, milk and bread .This will be done through urging their suppliers to think through their process of sourcing, manufacturing, packaging, and eventually transporting these goods. Wal-Mart is asking its suppliers to ensure that they carry out an examination of the carbon life cycle of the products that the supply from the raw materials that are being used to the actual process of manufacturing until the recycling phase ( Rosenbloom, 2010).Sustainability suppliers in Wal-Mart should ensure that they work with these suppliers in helping them to figure out the exact measures they should apply. They should ensure that the costs they used in production process should be energy efficient. An example could include redesigning of the packages being used or the use of different fertilizers .This will be a responsibility of the suppliers but not Wal-Mart.the only role that Wal-Mart will play is ensuring that the suppliers ensure their production processes are green in all possible ways.

This initiative is not only good for the environment it is also god for Wal-Mart as an organization. If costs are driven from the supply chain then Wal-Mart will make some savings which can be passed to the customers. This will ensure that the organization keeps their reputation of offering low process. Participation for suppliers in reduction of green house gases will not be forced .However; Wal-Mart clearly states that it will only be involved with suppliers who are working towards the efforts of reduction of greenhouse gases.

This article is very important as it shows that the supply industry has not been left behind when it comes to provision of safe products. The world is going towards green products this means that the supply chain industry has not been left behind in these initiatives of making the world a greener and hence safe place.

Reference

Hadfield, R. (2004). Leading Change in Supply Chain Management. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/leading-change-in-supply-chain-managementHandfield, R. (2011). The Supply Chain IT Investment Enigma: Companies are Rethinking IT Investments. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-articles/article/the-supply-chain-it-investment-enigma-companies-are-rethinking-it-investmenRiley, S. (2012). Five Supply Chain Trends That Shaped 2012.Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://www.scmr.com/article/five_supply_chain_trends_that_shaped_2012/ Rosenbloom, S. (2010).The New York Times. Wal-Mart Unveils Plan to Make Supply Chain Greener. Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/26/business/energy-environment/26walmart.html?_r=0Supply Chain Digest. (2013). Supply Chain News: Could Visual Identification Technologies Revolutionize Logistics Operations? Retrieved April 19, 2013 from http://www.scdigest.com/ONTARGET/13-04-09-2.PHP?cid=6918&ctype=content