We here at the inventory and supply chain optimization blog are dedicated to bringing you the top trends and news from the fields of inventory management and supply chain optimization. Our team of writers is able to produce original, informative and fun articles on a weekly basis. As with any business, turnover is going to happen, and this blog post highlights two authors who are leaving, and their respective top blog articles. We will also introduce our new author who will begin writing for us this month.
Top 3 Supply Chain Blog Articles from Sam Phipps
Unfortunately (for us), Sam Phipps will no longer be able to complete his freelance work on this blog. Sam proved to be an excellent supply chain researcher and creative writer and we truly appreciate his hard work and dedication. Sam is credited with the creation of both the “Supply Chain Fail” and “The Amazing Supply Chain of…” blog series. To thank Sam for his hard work, we want to highlight his top 3 blog entries from the last two years.
1. The Amazing Supply Chain of the Common Ball Point Pen
“Given that over 100 billion units have now been sold worldwide, the development of the ball point pen was one of the most successful innovations of the 20th century. Since its launch, the ballpoint pen has grown into an icon and even has its own permanent fixture at the Museum of Modern Art in New York…Despite the role ball point pens play in our daily routines, the effort that goes into manufacturing and distributing this simple product is seldom considered.”
The full article can be read here.
2. Top 3 Procurement Pitfalls
“From the exposure of fatal working conditions in Bangladesh to horse-play across Europe’s food industry, how businesses go about sourcing supplies has come under increasing scrutiny in recent times. While procurement undoubtedly plays a major role in eradicating supply chain infidelities, what barriers do businesses face in achieving success?”
Sam’s procurement pitfall analysis can be read here.
3. Supply Chain Lessons from the Hit TV Series Breaking Bad
“…While we are not in any way suggesting that you should adopt illegal practices into your supply chain, the multi-award winning television series offers critical insight into one of the most topical supply chain issues at present: collaboration.”
This entertaining blog article can be read in full here.
Top 3 Supply Chain Blog Articles from Jonathan Pena
Also departing from the writing team is Jonathan (John) Pena. During his time with us as an author, John championed the news wrap-ups, bringing you the top news stories from the supply chain and logistics industries on a weekly basis. He also was involved in writing original articles, and some of his best work came while addressing some of the sustainability issues supply chains are faced with. John’s hard work and excellent research skills were much appreciated. His top 3 original articles are highlighted below.
1. Supply Chain Sustainability: Problems, Solutions and Successes
“…The report gave four key suggestions to improve supply chain sustainability, but at the heart of the recommended action, is that energy must be managed at each piece of the supply chain puzzle.”
Using Walmart, Amazon and IKEA as examples, John covers the importance of sustainability here.
2. Mixing it up With Omni-Channel Retailing
“…Omni-channel retailing provides a complete and coherent shopping experience across all channels that a brand uses to sell and advertise. This means taking a multi-faceted approach, including having an up-to-date website, reliable free apps and a competent social media presence.”
The full article can be read here.
3. Disappearing tonewoods – finding the source of the problem
“…Guitar tone, much like the types of food we like and choose to eat, is all a matter of taste. Luthiers have for centuries turned to the same tonewoods for their musical and aesthetic qualities. Although the number of trees cut down to build instruments is proportionally low compared with other industries (such as construction), they have over time left a large dent.”
This sustainability piece can be read in-full here.
New Blogger – Karolina Maziliauskaite
We are excited to announce that, beginning this month, we will be welcoming a new author to our blog team, Karolina Maziliauskaite. Karolina will focus on delivering the latest supply chain news and she will hone her great research skills in on the supply chain environment and deliver fun and thought-provoking original articles. Keep an eye out for her first supply chain news wrap-up on Friday!
If any of our readers are interested in contributing content to this blog, feel free to contact me directly at david.weaver@inform-software.com
General feedback is also welcome!
