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Top Tip for Organizations Looking to Create an Effective Logistics Strategy
Having the right logistics strategy is essential for organizations that are committed to process improvement, cost savings, increased customer satisfaction, and increased profits. The top tip for an organization looking to create an effective logistics strategy is to determine which key performance…
U.S. Manufacturing Isn't Dead: Apple Plans to Bring Manufacturing Jobs Back to the U.S.
Over the past year, an increasing number of stories about companies moving manufacturing operations back to the United States have been making their way into the news. The idea of creating more well-paying manufacturing jobs in the United States and offering products made in the USA has been…
Is Managing Supply Chain Talent a Top Priority for Your Organization?
Do you agree with experts who say it is difficult for organizations to find supply chain talent that can meet the demands of a complex global economy? As supply chain becomes a more strategic function within the enterprise, managing talent within the supply chain discipline is a critical…
How Cisco's Barbarians Program Uses Crowdsourcing to Stay Ahead of the Competition
Last week, Jennifer Cheung, director of knowledge management at Cisco, presented on an APQC webinar. She discussed how Cisco utilized crowdsourcing to harness the collective IQ, identify experts, and increase its competitive intensity. Cisco has many fierce competitors and is working with…
Reasons Fortune 500 Companies Collaborate Externally
APQC launched the Open Innovation: Enhancing Idea Generation Through Collaboration study to examine the open innovation practices of five leading global organizations: Amway, British Telecommunications plc (BT), Cisco Systems Inc., Corning Inc., and General Mills Inc. Due to the increasing rate…
Using Maintenance Management Software
Many organizations have adopted computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software, enterprise asset management (EAM) software, and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software to help improve daily working capital transactions. APQC’s 2011 report Improving Working Capital Management and…
Managing the Risk of Supply Chain Disruption
Last month, APQC hosted a webinar on managing the risk of supply chain disruption. APQC'S Mary Driscoll, Experis' Eric Gerner and John Hejka, and Baker Hughes' Mike Miedema looked at how organizations identify and mitigate supply chain risk while maintaining efforts to control costs of materials…
The Importance of Quality Supply Chain Management Professionals
What are the unique challenges to filling positions in supply chain? A recent article in Supply Chain Digest emphasizes the demand for supply chain professionals and the benefits afforded those who choose the profession. The article notes that the demand for supply chain talent outpaces available…
Using Software Tools to Improve Inventory Accuracy
Inventory management is important to many organizations, and finding new ways to improve inventory accuracy can save an organization a lot of money over time. This post will look at data for inventory accuracy. The data presented is taken from APQC’s Open Standards Benchmarking in logistics, and…
How Cisco Systems and General Mills use Open Innovation
APQC conducted both in-person and virtual site visits in March and early April for the Best Practices Study, Open Innovation: Enhancing Idea Generation Through Collaboration. Site visits have taken place for the following five best-practice organizations: Amway, …