Archive for December, 2009
Yesterday, we reviewed some key events from 2009, along with the most read postings on Logistics Viewpoints. Today, my colleague Steve Banker and I offer up a few predictions and things to look for in 2010.
Steve’s Predictions
- Demand Signal Repositories (DSR) market continues to grow briskly: Based on research I conducted for an upcoming market study, the DSR and related applications market grew 49 percent
It’s that time of the year again, where we look back at the year that was and look forward to the year ahead. We formally launched Logistics Viewpoints on January 26, 2009 and thanks to all of you, our readership today is almost 5X greater than it was in February, and we’re getting an average of about 2 new email subscribers per day. What were you all reading? Below… Continue reading
The State of the Retail Supply Chain
· CommentsThe Retail Industry Leaders Association and the supply chain faculty at Auburn University recently published a report called “The State of the Retail Supply Chain.” The research results are based on interviews with Senior Vice Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Directors from 45 large retailers headquartered in North America, including many retail organizations respected for their supply chain capabilities. I don’t want to steal too much of the… Continue reading
Filling a Void in Shelf-level Collaboration
· CommentsI recently spoke with Mike Spindler, the CEO of ShelfSnap, about the company’s entry into the “shelf-level collaboration” arena.
(Quick aside: As I mentioned in a previous posting, I prefer the term “Shelf-level Collaboration Solutions” over Demand Signal Repository (DSR) products because I believe it’s both more accurate and evocative.)
ShelfSnap is in start-up mode, and although the company has conducted some interesting pilots for large… Continue reading
Our annual Transportation Management Systems (TMS) Market Outlook Study was delayed this year due to other priorities, but it will get published after the holidays with a forecasted market size for 2009 and a five-year outlook through 2014. I won’t steal the report’s thunder here, but it’s sufficient to say that despite the strong value proposition of transportation management systems, the market was not able to fully escape the… Continue reading
Transform Your 3PL Relationships in 2010
· CommentsLooking for a work-related New Year’s resolution? How about transforming the way you establish and manage your outsourced logistics relationships with 3PLs? As I have written many times before, many 3PL-customer relationships, particularly those that are in their fourth or fifth year, seem to be stuck in a rut. Yes, in most cases these relationships are going okay, cost targets are being met and service levels are acceptable, but… Continue reading
Angélique Moon, Director of Product Management for Consumer Goods at Oracle, briefed me recently on Oracle’s Demand Signal Repository (DSR) solution. At the end of the presentation, Ms. Moon and I bemoaned the fact that the vocabulary used to describe these types of products is not very good. Shortly after, I had a similar conversation with Razat Guarav, the SVP of Sales at i2 Technologies (both Oracle and… Continue reading
You Might Need A Supply Chain Intervention If…
Posted on Dec 18 2009 | By Carl Fowler · Comments (0)A certain comedian from the South has achieved great fame with an act based entirely on a series of “You might be this, if that” jokes. He enjoys poking fun at those who don’t take stock of the obvious to solve their problems. Minus the chastising and the humor, however, it’s the same practice of self awareness that is critical for those logistics professionals who are uncertain about whether their… Continue reading