Supply chain managers spending too long on compliance

Supply chain managers spend up to 52 days per year simply keeping abreast of, and complying with, supply chain regulation and legislation, according to a report by ERP conglomerate Infor. Its survey, of more than 100 UK supply chain professionals in manufacturing companies, finds 84% in that league, while the remaining 16% suggest they have to spend even longer. More than half (58%) claim to be either concerned or very concerned about operating in an increasingly regulated environment. However, despite spending significant resources on compliance, 30% admit they do not have a risk management strategy for their supply chains – leaving them wide open to serious operational problems and financial penalties. “Supply chains are increasingly complicated, and the fact that those responsible are spending up to 52 working days a year on compliance alone is a serious concern,” says Andrew Kinder, director, industry and product marketing, supply chain management, at Infor. “With the need to dedicate 20% of their working time to supply chain compliance, it’s little wonder that professionals struggle to find time to unlock cost savings, optimise productivity and add value to the business.” He insists that emerging supply chain regulations make a risk management strategy more important than ever. “Organisations are well practiced at deploying risk management strategies for their data centres and mission critical applications, such as order taking and dispatch functions. However they often leave supply chains, which carry millions of pounds worth of assets, exposed,” he observes. “Failure to comply with legislative requirements can be among the most expensive of risks, with financial penalties and damage to reputation posing real threats. These findings demonstrate that supply chain managers need to ensure that supply chain risk management becomes a formal consideration.”

Author Brian Tinham

Source by mcsolutions.co.uk

'Oswaldtwistle dealer was high up in supply chain'

AN ALLEGED dealer accused of being involved in drugs sales in Oswaldtwistle was ‘high up’ in the chain of supply, a court was told.

Mumtaz Khan, 51, was said to have provided a man named Kevin Barsky with amphetamine which was then sold to undercover cops, Burnley Crown Court heard.

And the jury was told Khan had a large amount of the drug stashed at his house in the town when police searched it.

Three undercover officers had been based in Oswaldtwistle trying to catch dealers out and used video and audio tapes, the court heard.

The jury was told when Khan, who operated from his home on Springhill Road, was arrested he denied being involved in supplying drugs and made no comment when charged.

The defendant has pleaded not guilty to being concerned in making an offer to supply 595 grammes of amphetamine on September 20 2005, being concerned in supplying 508 grammes of the drug on Sept 30 and possessing 531 grammes of amphetamine with intent to supply on April 19 2006.

David Temkin, prosecuting, told the jury the defendant was high up in the chain of supply.

Mr Temkin said Khan held a large amount of amphetamine and would supply to dealers lower down the chain.

That dealer would then supply others further down the chain, Mr Temkin said.

He added: "The prosecution say this defendant was an essential part of the whole criminal enterprise."

In 2005, police set up an undercover operation into the supply of illegal drugs in and around Oswaldtwistle.

It had proved successful and led to a number of prosecutions, Mr Temkin said.

Mr Temkin told the jury that the undercover officers moved into the area and were able to get important information about drugs sale and use.

Two officers were in Oswaldtwistle and in early September Barsky approached Shaun, asking if he would be interested in buying amphetamine.

A sample of the drug was provided to the officers, the officers contacted the third undercover officer and it was decided Barsky would provide half a kilo.

He was to get £950 for the deal set for September 20.

The prosecutor said in the mid afternoon Barsky went to the officer’s address in Oswaldtwistle and the three officers asked about the supply of more amphetamine. Barsky made a call to his supplier, allegedly the defendant.

Ten days later Kevin Barsky went to an officer’s house, there was a further discussion about supply and Barsky left and returned with amphetamine.

Mr Temkin said :"The prosecution say this amphetamine came from the defendant.

"Some police officers saw Kevin Barsky making the short journey on foot to Springhill Road. He made that journey several times.”

Source by lancashiretelegraph.co.uk

DSI Launches the Supply Chain Development Award 2008

FAIRFAX, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In 2002, Michael R. Aevermann created DSI (Distribution & Services, Inc.), a company offering food supply chain services to the onboard industry, and has ever since turned it into a fast growing business, thanks to the support of his customers, employees, suppliers and trade community.

Today, in 2008, with more than 20 years of relationships, ventures and successes, it’s “pay-it-forward” time for Michael R. Aevermann and DSI; time to contribute back to a community they like and owe so much.

Through the DSI Supply Chain Development Award, DSI is happy to distinguish a new leader in supply chain, revealing vision, agility, focus, fortitude and determination, and help the recipient seize future opportunities in the 2008 fast moving onboard service industry. The DSI Supply Chain Development Award is launched with the support of the International Flight Services Association Foundation. It provides the opportunity for an individual involved in onboard food supply chain to further their education. The amount of the award is $4,000USD, which includes tuition, living expenses, books and associated costs.

Candidates for the DSI Supply Chain Development Award must complete an application which is available via the IFSA web site at www.ifsanet.com by August 30th, 2008. The recipient of the Award will be notified early September 2008 and will be invited to attend the IFSA Annual Conference September 13-16, 2008 in Orlando, Florida.

For all information about the award, application, award considerations and programs: www.ifsanet.com.

Applications must be sent by mail at

IFSA Foundation/ DSI Supply Chain development Award

Attn: Traci Gibson

1100 Johnson Ferry Road, Suite 300

Atlanta, GA 30342

About DSI

360° Food Supply Chain.

Created in 2002, by Michael R. Aevermann, DSI is a fast growing private company, fully committed to delivering global supply chain services to each of its customers. Its dedicated team of food supply chain operational experts has developed close partnerships with the travel and hospitality industries, providing them with reliable tailor made services through a unique 360° knowledge and approach. DSI 360° food supply services cover every aspect of the food supply chain, from menu design to inventory management, including worldwide sourcing, centralized purchasing, import/export, warehousing, transportation, forecasting and reporting.

News Release Canada, US Sign Mutual Recognition Arrangement Covering Supply Chain Security Programs, PIP and C-TPAT

(Ottawa: July 3, 2008) -- On balance, the Canadian Trucking Alliance is giving the thumbs up to an announcement from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) and US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) that they have signed a mutual recognition arrangement covering the departments’ respective supply chain security programs -- Partners in Protection (PIP) and the Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism (C-TPAT). The June 28^th signing follows months of discussion between CBSA and business groups, including CTA, on ways to bring PIP into line with the more stringent C-TPAT program in the US.

Carriers who were members of the PIP program before June 30^th, 2008, will have six months to re-apply to the re-vamped program. They will be required to complete a security profile, which will be reviewed by CBSA. A follow-up site validation may be required, but CBSA has indicated that this step may not be undertaken if a C-TPAT validation has been carried out within the past two years. Ultimately carriers will be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with CBSA that sets out the roles and responsibilities of the respective parties.

“If a carrier is already a C-TPAT member, this should be a relatively straightforward exercise, and they will continue to receive the benefits these programs provide, such as access to FAST lanes at busy international crossings”, says CTA Chief Executive Officer David Bradley. “I’m also pleased to see that CBSA listened to CTA and others in the business community and significantly revised an initial suspend/cancel policy that would have literally driven carriers out of the program. I am confident that the trucking industry, the single largest industry sector in PIP, will be able to comply with these tougher new requirements.”

However, Bradley admits that he “remains disappointed that CBSA and CBP have fallen short of the goal of full mutual recognition – that is, a situation where a carrier need only apply to PIP or C-TPAT, but not both. But we have at least taken an important step forward, and I’m hopeful that we will get there eventually.”

Source by cantruck.com

Infor Streamlines Collection Design Processes for Celio

Infor Streamlines Collection Design Processes for Celio

Celio Deploys Infor PLM Runtime to Reduce Development Cycles and Boost Productivity

ATLANTA -- July 1, 2008 -- Infor today announced that Celio, the high street fashion house, has deployed its Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) solution to streamline the development cycle of new product launches.

The implementation of Infor PLM Runtime will help increase productivity and speed-to-market at all stages of garment design for annual collections, in addition to regular new product introductions throughout the year.

“The project commenced late 2006 following our design department’s desire to streamline the new product development process. We wanted the company’s departments, suppliers and subcontractors to share and maintain information at all stages of the design process within a single product data management (PDM) database,” explains Francois Messager, director of organization & information systems at the Celio Group.

“After conducting extensive research on potential vendors and then holding user trials, Infor’s PLM solution was selected in Q1 2007. It was integral that we could deploy a comprehensive, standard version of the solution immediately without the need for bespoke developments.

“Infor PLM Runtime has already helped us adapt our working processes to become more collaborative and transparent in the way we work both internally, and with members of our extended supply chain. All of our designers now have secure access to the PDM database. This provides a single data source for drawings, forms, schedules and technical change orders. In addition to generating time and cost savings, the PLM system plays a vital role in terms of improving quality and speed-to-market by creating new products right first time, without expensive design faults.”

The solution has now been rolled-out across Celio’s different product groups. The fashion house has recently commenced working with Infor on a new project to develop and automate system interfaces. This will provide better visibility by linking Infor PLM Runtime with Celio’s incumbent systems for enterprise resource planning and supply chain management.

“In addition to the technical specifications of the PLM solution, Infor’s deep domain expertise within the fashion industry has also proved crucial to the success of these projects,” Messager concluded.

For more information about Infor PLM Runtime, please visit http://www.infor.com/product_summary/plm/runtime/.

About Celio

Founded in 1985, Celio has risen to become a leading brand in the men’s ready to wear fashion market. The brand is represented in more than 40 countries with over 600 points of sale across the globe. A specialist in sports and casual wear, the Celio brand offers masculine yet relaxed fashion together with its new city-wear range, Celio Club. Its refined and discrete style places an emphasis on quality, colour variety and cut.

About Infor

Infor delivers business-specific software to enterprising organizations. With experience built in, Infor’s solutions enable businesses of all sizes to be more enterprising and adapt to the rapid changes of a global marketplace. With more than 70,000 customers, Infor is changing what businesses expect from an enterprise software provider. For additional information, visit www.infor.com.

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The U.S. Display Consortium (USDC), a public/private partnership chartered with developing the flat panel display and flexible electronics supply chain, today announced a cost-shared contract award with Applied Materials, Inc. to develop metal-oxide films for next-generation thin-film transistors (TFTs). Oregon State University (OSU), a pioneer in transparent electronics, will work with Applied's Display Business Group-AKT, in this USDC-sponsored program, bringing together the U.S. government, private industry and university research to enable critical innovations for future display technology.

The R&D program will address two main challenges for future displays—to significantly improve device performance and reduce display cost per area. New metal-oxide films are one of the promising disruptive technologies for next-generation panels since they have higher electron mobility and the potential to reduce costs through lower temperature processing. Metal oxide films are also expected to be used for fabricating flexible displays and backplanes for OLED applications.

“The exponential growth of the display industry has been driven by continuous improvements in performance and cost,” stated Gilad Almogy, group vice president and general manager of Applied Materials’ Display and Thin Film Solar Products Group. “Applied has always been an industry leader and an enabler of emerging thin-film semiconductor technologies. I am happy to launch this new development program expanding our technology portfolio, which is expected to further contribute to the growing applications for digital information displays.”

“USDC is pleased to have the team of Applied Materials and OSU working together to resolve fundamental issues in the manufacturing of displays,” commented Dr. Mark Hartney, USDC’s chief technology officer. “This is a very strong partnership, bringing together OSU’s leading–edge R&D in transparent electronics and AKT/Applied Materials’ world-class technology development capability.”

“I congratulate Applied Materials in receiving this competitively-bid contract award from USDC to provide solutions for the manufacture of displays and other innovative products,” said Representative Mike Honda (CA, 15th District). “This award represents exciting R&D being conducted in Silicon Valley for emerging display applications. Applied Materials has an exceptional history of developing technology that strengthens California’s economic base.”

The USDC program is expected to take a year to complete. Additional support will be provided by the U.S. Army’s Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University.

Source by azooptics.com

Companies Need to Re-Architect Supply Chain Application Portfolios, Forrester Research Says

Globalization and Aging Internal Systems Among the Factors Driving New Supply Chain Solutions; Keys to Getting New Projects Approved

No one denies that the business and supply chain worlds are changing rapidly, with an incredible array of new forces and pressures on supply chain and logistics professionals. (See The New Supply Chain Perfect Storm.)

Common sense says that with these rapid changes in the environment and market conditions, a company’s existing supply chain and logistics software applications – which were likely deployed in far different times, and perhaps for business drives that have changed dramatically – may need to be retooled.

That’s certainly the position of Patrick Connaughton, an analyst at Forrester Research. In a recent research report, Connaughton says that “Saddled with inflexible and heavily customized legacy systems, countless supply chain operations are urgently in need of a large-scale IT modernization and transformation effort. Some have flat out reached a point where they can no longer compete or expand globally without a complete rip and replace of their systems.”

Of course, companies facing this reality may be tempted to think they can “outsource” their way out of the dilemma, but that is an unlikely route to solving the problem, Connaughton argues. The systems of “logistics service providers are often just as archaic,” he believes.

Despite this scenario, relatively few companies have major supply chain software upgrades planned. According to a recent Forrester survey, about 11% of companies were planning any major supply chain technology upgrade in 2008.

“That leaves the remaining majority doubling down on legacy investments, essentially bringing new innovation to a standstill,” Connaughton adds. Part of the challenge is that in recent years, concern about rising IT costs, combined with a slowing economy, means companies are putting any new software initiative under “detailed scrutiny,” Connaughton says.

Source by scdigest.com

Rapid globalisation is stretching the supply chain

Supply chains are losing flexibility due to rapid globalisation, causing major concern to more than 60 per cent of companies surveyed in sixth annual Global Supply Chain Trends Survey published by PRTM.

The study aims to offer insight into how leaders are responding to the challenges of globalising their supply chain operations.

PRTM spoke to more than 300 global manufacturing and service companies compiling information between December 2007 and February 2008.

More than half of participants said they do not have the internal capabilities to adequately manage their external partners. However, in spite of these challenges more than 50 per cent said they plan to move all manufacturing operations outside their home country by 2010. During the same period off-shoring of product development is expected to almost double.

The research found that 96 per cent of participating companies were not currently able to fully achieve the planned benefits of globalisation.

Average reported benefits include an 18 per cent reduction in material costs and a 26 per cent decrease in labour costs.

Management costs proved to be the hardest to reduce with only eight per cent of participants reporting lower costs in this area. More than 40 per cent of companies, however, made no benefit at all or saw an increase in management costs.

Gordon Colborn, lead director for PRTM’s UK business, said: “This is an indication of how difficult it is to globalise without having a solid operational strategy in place, and a tactical framework against which to execute.

“Even companies with significant collaboration experience are struggling to develop and cultivate the right management skills to deal with the complexity resulting from working with multiple partners around the world.”

The study also found that by 2010 the need for greater supply chain flexibility will have overtaken product quality and customer service as the major factor for improving supply chain strategy.

In addition, the survey revealed that the majority of companies are only turning to more environmentally friendly solutions in order to comply with legislation.

Colborn added: “These findings should be of concern to any company planning to move operations to a new geography without a corresponding plan to address the resulting supply chain impact.

“The survey highlights that many companies will be unable to make the changes required to deliver their strategic objectives if they fail to evolve and develop the necessary skills and competencies to manage the complexities of global supply chains. If they are not careful, they will lose the ability to design and implement strategies that deliver competitive advantage and better business performance.”

Source by supplychainstandard.com

Study Shows Barrier to Green Supply Chain Initiatives

Companies striving to "green" their supply chains are most constrained by the inability to justify cost of implementation, according to "The Green Supply Chain Study," a new survey jointly conducted by CSC, Manhattan Associates, IBM and Supply Chain Management Review magazine.

The study focuses on the most important environmental issues faced by supply chain professionals; outlines the supply chain green initiatives currently implemented or planned in manufacturing, warehousing and distribution; gauges the level of green collaboration with extended supply chain partners; and highlights the greatest challenges for implementing sustainable business practices.

The survey revealed that 78 percent of the 250 supply chain executives who responded are either currently implementing or evaluating sustainable supply chain initiatives. Of those evaluating, close to two-thirds report the greatest barriers their organizations face with regard to establishing these business practices is cost justification. Of those currently implementing a program, 40 percent have not established a method to measure return on investment.

"CSC helped conduct this study to give supply chain executives a view into what strategic green supply chain initiatives are being implemented or planned by their peers and to help them better understand the impact of their efforts," said Brad Barton, a partner and managing director in CSC's Global Business Solutions group. "The results speak for themselves. Companies clearly need an effective method to identify and quantify high-impact areas throughout their supply chain and ensure their investments are green -- especially in cases where these efforts also drive improved profitability."

According to the survey, more than 50 percent of the respondents said they have a documented plan at the corporate level, and about the same number said their company has a senior executive, often a vice president, dedicated to this effort. Nearly two-thirds said waste disposal and recycling were the most important environmental issues to address.

"This study reveals the importance that companies place on reducing environmental impact by executing strategies that optimize efficiency in their supply chain processes," said Eddie Capel, executive vice president, Product Management and Customer Support, for Manhattan Associates.

Many of the supply chain and logistics executives surveyed are involved in at least one sustainability-related group. The study indicates that more than a third are involved in the EPA's SmartWay Transport program, and one-quarter of respondents report that their organizations are actively involved in the Green Suppliers Network and/or Carbon Disclosure Project.

((Comments on this story may be sent to newsdesk@closeupmedia.com))

((Distributed via M2 Communications Ltd - http://www.m2.com))

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'Supply chain excellence' often misunderstood

We are chairing a discussion panel at the upcoming Supply Chain Asia Forum in Singapore on July 9 and 10 (http://www.supplychainasia.com ) that will focus on the topic: "Supply Chain Excellence: The most misquoted concept in SCM?" It is an intriguing topic, indeed. But is the issue misquoted or misunderstood, due to lack of clarity?

There is, of course, a raft of ways to define what one means by any given term, including this "Supply Chain Excellence".

Certainly, in our professional work, we spend a lot of time clarifying what we mean by certain terms, performance measures or concepts. Also, for another example, we have written here in the past about the achievements of the Supply Chain Council in defining their Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model, which is very specific about their views of excellence in processes and measures. There are many such references available to all of us.

The one reference that we use as the central part of our practice is the Oliver Wight Class A Checklist for Business Excellence, Sixth Edition. In this, the many aspects of how excellent organisations operate are very clearly and concisely documented in a practical format for people to use as a reference. For example, what are the essential elements of an excellent Sales and Operations Planning process? How do we know when we are truly "excellent"?

The Checklist documents the many elements of the Integrated Business Model, thus covering the best means of managing the following processes:

1. managing the strategic planning process;

2. managing and leading people;

3. driving business improvement;

4. integrated business management (sales & operations planning);

5. managing products and services;

6. managing demand;

7. managing the supply chain;

8. managing internal supply;

9. managing external supply.

We will write more about "excellence" in each of these nine areas next week, but we acknowledge that, on seeing this list of chapters in the Checklist, a likely reaction of many will be that the scope is more broad than just supply chain management. So, that takes us back to definitions and being clear, doesn't it?

We would counter that the characteristics of an excellent supply chain depends on what the organisation needs to execute its strategy. For example, are you striving to serve one or two particular segments of a customer/market base? Or, is the strategy ill defined or lacking focus and you are still trying to be all things to all people? In this way, managing your strategic planning process certainly has a very direct effect on the notion of Supply Chain Excellence.

One key basis for strategy, the appropriate value proposition for your organisation, as presented in The Discipline of Market Leaders by Treacy and Wiersema, has everything to do with defining what would be supply chain excellence for an organisation and its relationship with customers. What are you intending to do for and what do you promise to your customers with respect to products and services? Are they looking to you for lowest price and they are willing to allow extra time to get that or are they actually thinking that they are paying premium price because quick response is important to them? Are you clear in your proposition to them? Either of those approaches can be "excellent" if they are honouring your promise.

Decisions you make about your value proposition have an obvious effect on the sort of supply chain you need and how you deliver on your promises. Do you intend for customers to say about you, "Great prices and quality" as opposed to "Premium priced, but worth it"? The former will dictate one particular means of supply chain execution (perhaps sound, lean execution with no options offered) as compared to the latter (probably with latitude to offer more customised responses).

So, back to our initial question about supply chain excellence and whether or not it is a greatly misquoted concept. We see that basic notion of quoting or misquoting depends on clarity of thought.

Indeed, as Treacy and Wiersema said, the progress of strategic planning in the past couple of decades, including business process re-engineering and making things work better is about how to run a good race. The discipline in determining your value proposition is about choosing which race to run.

As we said above, next week we will elaborate on what we think "excellence" means as per the Oliver Wight Checklist for Business Excellence.

Weekly Link is co-ordinated by Barry Elliott and Chris Catto-Smith CMC of the Institute of Management Consultants Thailand. It is intended to be an interactive forum for industry professionals; we welcome all input, questions, feedback and news at: BElliott@OliverWight-AP.com, cattoc@cmcthailand.org

Source by bangkokpost.com

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