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June 30, 2010
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall….

By | Supply chain economic recovery, Supply chain excellence, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

 In the movie Snow White, the Queen possesses a magical mirror that answers any question, to which she often asks: “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who in the land is fairest of all?” …to which the mirror always replies “You, my queen, are fairest of all.” _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Companies want to know “who has the best supply chain?”  Unfortunately, there is no supply chain magic mirror;  however, each June we can…

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March 24, 2010
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Good-bye to the Breakfast Club

By | Supply chain planning, Uncategorized | 2 Comments

We met for five years at the Wyndham Hotel on Broad Street in Boston.  It was usually for breakfast. My calendar was so full that it allowed very little face-to-face meeting time with a struggling start-up like Optiant; but since I have a passion to help start-ups, I rolled out of bed early for the breakfast club. The group, due to turnover, was never the same.  The names changed—Jonathan, Sean, Matt,…

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February 23, 2010
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Innovators Dilemma

By | New technologies, Supply chain excellence, Uncategorized | No Comments

Kodak owned the original patents for the digital camera, but did not create the market. Why? They were afraid of killing the profitable FILM market.  The rest is history.  Blockbuster could have easily created Redbox; but they were too tied to the conventional definition of the STORE. A simple redefinition of delivery created NEW value. Software as a Service (SaaS) is growing in popularity with the Line-of-Business (LOB) buyer; yet, only…

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February 4, 2010
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The Supply Chain Black Hole

By | Demand driven, New technologies, Supply chain economic recovery, Uncategorized | No Comments

We have a black hole in the center of supply chain applications.  A black hole you say?  Yes, a black hole has developed between transactional systems focused on order-to-cash and procure-to-pay processes and supply chain optimization technologies.  It is not there by design. It has evolved because the design of supply chain technologies were insufficient to meet today’s requirements. Understanding the Black Hole What is a black hole?  In quantum…

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February 4, 2010
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Seven Words to Know in 2010

By | Supply chain economic recovery, Supply chain excellence, Uncategorized | No Comments

This week I am off on vacation.  On some beautiful Caribbean island, I will raise my glass to toast Barbie.  Barbie, you might say?  Yes, this year, my early childhood friend is 50.  I am DEFINATELY telling my age when I share that she consumed the first 10 years of my life. I am also telling my age when I share that Supply Chain Management (SCM) has consumed the last 20 years of my…

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January 26, 2010
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New Digs. An Exciting New Start.

By | Uncategorized | No Comments

I am excited to join Altimeter Group (www.altimetergroup.com) to continue to do the research that I love in the way that I love to do it.  In my work at Altimeter Group, I will continue to focus on the evolution of supply chain excellence and the use of technologies in consumer value networks (retail through consumer products). The primary driver of my choice to join Altimeter Group is the opportunity to collaborate with smart people…

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January 26, 2010
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Get Nervous, But Place a FIRM Hand on the Rudder

By | Supply chain economic recovery, Supply chain excellence, Uncategorized | 4 Comments

It is time to get nervous, but guide the supply chain with a steady hand. Hold tight. It will be a jerky rudder. Expect turbulent times.  Why? The most money is made through the successful navigation of the supply chain in a market recovery.  However, it will be a rough recovery. Today, demand is rising, commodity speculation is increasing, and markets are responding at VERY different rates (stronger demand in emerging economies and growing hopes in modern trade…

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