Supply Chain weekly wrap-up 9/5/14 – 9/11/14

Samsung has the top supply chain in Asia Pacific

Information technology and advisory company Gartner has recently published a list of top supply chains in Asia Pacific. Samsung electronics’ supply chain was identified as the best in the region. Amongst the best Samsung practices are initiatives to improve product life cycles, delivery and planning.

Lenovo group took second place with its growing corporate analytics center of excellence (COE). Lenovo’s COE provides support to the supply chain, sales, marketing, and other business units. Moreover, a new initiative of ‘pallet pooling’, which reduces CO2 emissions, was introduced in Asia.

Toyota managed to improve its supply chain after a number of recalls in 2013. The automotive company placed third on Gartner’s list. Since 2013, Toyota has been working on communication improvements as well as better collection and analysis of supply chain data.

Other companies that made it on Gartner’s list are: Hyundai, Huawei, Woolworths, Honda, Flextronics, LG Electronics, and Sony.

You can find the full list here.

Revolution in space exploration supply chain

During the next SpaceX operational mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on September 19^th, a 3D printer will be among the astronauts’ supplies. The printer was made by Made in Space, and is approximately the size of a microwave.

The 3D printer aims to revolutionize the supply chain in space. With this latest technology, astronauts will not have to wait several months until new replacement parts arrive. They will instead be able to print new items on-demand, potentially including food items. It is hoped that cargo loads can be reduced as a result of the new technology being brought to outer space.

To read the full article, click here.

Apple is hogging shipping channels

In advance of Apple’s event on September 9^th, the company started flooding retail stores around the world with the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 plus. Apple booked the majority of shipments with FedEx and UPS. The company’s competitors are now struggling to get their products delivered. According to one of Apple’s logistics executives, this is not the first time Apple has disturbed other producers’ shipments.

Apple’s actions show high expectations to sell an immense volume of devices during the holiday quarter. This shipment strategy might also be a way to indirectly intimidate its close rivals, like Samsung, which is currently the leader in the smartphones market.

To read the full article, click here.

Have a nice weekend!