Best-in-class companies are focused on analyzing their current inventory positions and looking for opportunities to reduce inventory and improve cash flow. Rising interest rates and fears of an impending economic slowdown are prioritizing this effort. Supply Chain Optimization leaders are adjusting to a “new normal” looking to reduce inventories after increasing inventory positions during Covid… Read More

By: Joseph Abbud and Steven Imholt Last month, the Mexican government made an agreement with business groups to raise the minimum wage by 22%, which went into effect on January 1, 2022. Understandably, the news has left many business leaders wondering whether the increase—and corresponding potential for a higher fixed cost of labor—would negatively impact… Read More

Many signs point to continued positive momentum for manufacturing and distribution industries in 2022. Despite labor shortages and distribution woes, businesses are starting to define what a new normal might look like. While supply chain challenges threaten this progress, forward-thinking leadership teams are creating opportunities for growth by working one step ahead. Integration is becoming… Read More

Supply chain has never been more top of mind than it is today. The reverberations from the ongoing supply shocks in the wake of COVID-19 have been felt by nearly everyone — from consumers struggling to purchase automobiles, to corporate executives across industries scrambling to account for the soaring price of goods and services in… Read More

DOWNLOAD FULL INSIGHT SIOP – also known as Sales, Inventory and Operations Planning – is the process and routine used to define future demand and most optimally balance it with supply in a consistent cadence of consensus-based review and agreement. It’s the heartbeat of every manufacturer, distributor and consumer products company.  Getting it right can… Read More

At the start of the year, it would have been impossible to predict how the coronavirus pandemic would impact business. Shutdowns and lockdowns began in China in late 2019, and ever since, there have been a number of variables at play that continue to affect all points on the supply chain—from shifting levels of demand,… Read More

Business leaders need COVID-19 action plans around 4 key priorities. First and foremost, we hope that you and yours are healthy and safe. These are unprecedented and uncertain times. Even though we’re socially distancing, our goal is to offer candid counsel–the type of advice we’d share one-on-one. We hope you will find it valuable and… Read More

As a result of the business disruption caused by COVID-19, executives are quickly evaluating fixed and variable overhead, while looking for areas to trim expenses. Cutting IT spend will be an obvious focus area for many companies, but careful consideration is needed to avoid unintended consequences. As you consider reducing IT spend across your portfolio,… Read More

The continued spread of COVID-19, or the novel coronavirus, has been both swift and extensive in impact. For all businesses, this pandemic must be viewed as a health crisis first and foremost, and our top priority must be to care for the well-being of employees and customers, assist those afflicted, and mitigate the speed of… Read More