It Is HERE!

September 4, 2012
9:09 pm

Six months ago, I founded a new firm with a promise to redefine the industry analyst market. Today, with the launch of the SCI Community, we have taken an important step in realizing our vision.
The SCI Community is open and global. It is free and available for supply chain leaders and teams everywhere. We have tried to make it fun!
It is designed specifically for the supply chain professional. We at Supply Chain Insights LLC have worked for the past six months to deliver what we think is a set of unique services:

Financial Supply Chain Benchmarking. It is just too hard to get meaningful financial supply chain data. We have built a database on financial ratios that go back over 20 years. Want to understand how your company stacks up against a peer group on Working Capital, Inventory Turns, Free Cash Flow, Altman Z, or Return on Assets? Ask us to run a custom cut on the data for you.
Technology and Consulting Ratings and Reviews. We go to YELP for a rating on a restaurant, check out Expedia for a hotel recommendation; but up until this point, there was no place for supply chain leaders to rate software or consulting partners. The SCI Community gives supply chain leaders a place to share.
Industry Events Ratings and Reviews. There are a lot of events. How do supply chain leaders know which are the good ones? The community allows ratings and reviews of the events so you know which ones to attend.
Ask an Industry Expert. Want to ask an industry analyst a question? The SCI Community is a place to go. Pose a question to our panel of experts and engage in discussion.
Supply Chain Wiki. Need help getting your group on the same page on supply chain terms? Check out our Supply Chain Wiki.
Meaningful Discussion Groups. Follow the tags and the discussion groups to get in on the action.
Blogs, Videos, and Webcasts. Listen, share and learn.
Open Content Research. It is part of our strategy to redefine supply chain research. We believe that it should be open and actionable. On our community today, there are nine research reports, three new surveys and the opportunity for you to tell us what should be on our future research agenda.
Posting of Content. The community allows supply chain leaders everywhere to post and share content. If you have an article that you are proud of, post it for others to rate and review.
Meaningful Networking. Connect with supply chain leaders like you. Network with supply chain leaders you respect. Do you have a question? Ask another supply chain professional directly in the SCI Community.

I believe that research sells and relationships renew. It is my goal to deliver deep research that is actionable. The community is part of my vision.
Check it out today! Let us know what you think.

Lead Time: A Broken Gossamer

July 16, 2026 6:38 pm

If you are struggling with supply chain planning, dancing in the light of shiny objects, and scratching your head, please read on. My goal is to help you.

Please do not AI Stupid. What do I mean? AI Stupid is putting agents and agentics on top of existing architectures believing that making them faster and hands free add value. To me, this is fools play.

I love AI. I am excited about new technologies. To this end, I want to shine a light on how new technologies can help address the black holes and inconsistencies in today’s supply chain, which largely stem from the limitations of the first generation of supply chain planning and execution technologies. In this blog, I give you three places to start.

Do You Need a Supply Chain Coach?

July 9, 2026 5:27 pm

Supply chain is where the rubber hits the road. For a public company, over 40% of market capitalization is tied to the trade-offs between growth, operating margin, inventory management, and Return on Capital Employed.

The road for supply chain improvement is fraught with issues. Here we share some and offer some advice.

Is your Supply Chain AI Ready?

June 11, 2026 2:39 pm

A simple quiz to assess an organization’s AI readiness.

The pace of change is fast and furious. Every day, technology advances faster than we can digest. A great challenge to have.

Determining whether a supply chain is “AI-ready” is less about technology and more about the gray matter between the ears of supply chain leaders. Leadership, alignment, and clarity of goals matter.

Too few companies are clear on the definition of supply chain excellence. Measuring and rewarding functional metrics reduces the firm’s value. Putting agentics on top of today’s processes can make bad practices run faster, reducing value.

The toughest job for the supply chain leader is challenging existing supply chain paradigms that were defined by the limitations of decades of supply chain technologies. As the curtain lifts on the potential of new forms of technology, process redefinition is our opportunity, but only if we are clear on what drives value. (Here, I link to the Supply Chains to Admire reports to help you define value. The next report will be published on June 23rd, along with my Dynamic Benchmarking Product, to help you define value in the face of your AI readiness. More information about the launch is at the bottom of this blog.)

Case Study: A Scrappy Demand Management Approach

June 9, 2026 5:37 pm

This study of Franklin Sports shines a light on the work that needs to be done at the sales account level to challenge a retail forecast, and also highlights the importance of a new technique for a forecast engine — reinforcement learning.

Artificial intelligence comes in many forms — large language models, generative AI, machine learning, unstructured text mining, deep learning, neural networks, reinforcement learning, agents, and agentics. While the industry is wigging out about agentics, I think reinforcement learning is a great step forward in the journey of Artificial Intelligence.

Can We Side-Step the AI Spin Cycle?

June 7, 2026 3:44 pm

When it comes to combining tech, 1+1+1 should equal more than 1. The impact should be exponential. Unfortunately, today, the answer is 0.

What do I mean? Let me explain.

I find that the supply chain technology market moves slowly along traditional technology lines. Conferences are usually focused on the use of technology, not on redefining work. This bothers me. I want it to bother you as well.

Here I share some insights to drive change.

Supply Chain Health Check: The Power of an Orbit Chart

May 27, 2026 9:49 pm

An orbit chart is a powerful tool for understanding the “health” of a supply chain and its potential for improvement. The supply chain is a complex, non-linear system with limited trade-offs. The relationship between trade-offs varies by industry, region, and size. The orbit chart is a diagnostic we use in the Supply Chains to Admire work. Here I explain the use case.

Supply Chain Shaman