Can we learn from emergency supply chains? A few weeks ago there was a large condo fire at the building next to mine. I had the opportunity to watch firsthand the “supply chain” of fire rescue. Few people are involved in such an important supply chain where seconds can mean people’s lives, but…

With delivery drones, autonomous trucks, and crewless cargo ships dominating the news, much has been discussed about transforming the delivery—more specifically, the last mile—of retail in the supply chain. But for supply chain professionals, much of the focus right now is on the immediate impact…

We’ve all heard the saying “the only constant in life is change.” Change is happening faster than ever in companies around the world—whether it’s implementing new software, automating processes, or hiring/losing employees—your company will inevitably face change. One of the most valuable…

The future of supply chain management is automation. Or is it robotics? Or are those two the same thing? More importantly, what’s going to happen? With drones, driverless cars, and “lights out” factories making headlines, most supply chains will be automated and connected, to some degree,…

Dec 1, 2016 was my first day at APQC. Folks all day asked if I was drinking from a firehose yet. Indubitably I was. Actually, I moaned, it was more like having a large bucket of ice water poured over me.  You know what’s coming, but not exactly sure when. Hey, my eyes were closed! Setting…

There are lots of do’s and don’ts in the supply chain world and as a brand new member of the supply chain management team here at APQC, I thought that I would give a few examples of what NOT to do. Don’t be a dunce by doing it by yourself. Chances are someone has run into a similar problem to…

The days of staying at a company until retirement is now a foreign concept to many people—most of all, millennials. We know that millennials are more likely than any previous generation to switch jobs and that six in 10 millennials are open to new job opportunities. This is a great cause of…

There is a lot of disruption headed your way!  Big data. Robotics. Analytics. Drones. 3D Printing. Collaboration with a purpose. IoT. And the list grows daily. This we know - the supply chain will change. But how is a harder question to answer.  However, two groups are working to…

Many of us never consider where the items we purchase everyday come from and the journey those items make to get to us. Everyday shipments of everything from petroleum and consumer goods to steel and automobiles come through U.S. ports from all over the world. Shipping goods by sea tends to be…

APQC has a new supply chain management research principal lead, Joe Tillman, and I had the pleasure of recently speaking with him. In his new role, Joe will be the voice for supply chain research, benchmarking, and process improvement. Joe has a keen interest in all things supply chain and uses…