Weekly wrap-up: 1/11/2013 – 1/17/2013

Supply chains face a social revolution

Founder and CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, announced this week the launch of a revolutionary new search tool. Dubbed “Graph Search”, this new tool is set to change the way users find information on social networks. Given the anticipation for this launch, it is no surprise that the announcement has been met with some skepticism with many questioning who will benefit from this new development.

Adrian Gonzalez considers the importance of Graph Search to Facebook and also considers how businesses could use the new tool to their advantage. Gonzalez touches on how organizations could develop virtual networks with new customers and suppliers through using the tools natural language search capabilities and suggests this could be a huge step forward for supply chain management.

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Fast food giant grilled over supply chain safety concerns

It is reported that Yum! Brands, the organization behind restaurant chains KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut is under investigation by the Shanghai Food and Drug Association regarding concerns over food safety. According to the press, Yum! Brands have been criticized for selling substandard food products in Chinese and Canadian outlets.  Global supply chain management problems and supplier issues have been identified as the main cause as 11 people have been hospitalized and 15 others reported ill.

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Crash landing for aerospace supply chain

In recent times, Boeing has led the way in revolutionary design, developing some of the most advanced aerospace technologies available. With their latest aircraft, “the Dreamliner”, futuristic thinking goes a step further as the leading aerospace organization adopted a whole new take on supply chain management. Through encouraging collaboration and participation in the industry, Boeing has redefined how suppliers fit into the supply chain. However, with over 70% of the components being manufactured by external suppliers in over 5000 different factories across the world, it comes as no surprise that Boeing has had some teething problems. This week the airplane manufacturer came under scrutiny following a string of problems with the aircraft leading to all Dreamliner crafts being grounded pending inspection by the Federal Aviation Administration. To read the full article, click here