Additive manufacturing use cases, by definition, are not defined by the technology itself, but rather the value they create within an organization. This value can come in the form of operational efficiencies, creation of new products and services, or even the transformation of the customer experience. The early days of 3D printing use cases was […]
I woke up on Sunday morning, made some coffee, and then logged on to Amazon.com and conveniently made a purchase from my couch. This simple set of two common daily tasks got me thinking about additive manufacturing (3D printing) and its potential to transform both current business models and their supply chains. My colleague Steve […]
In my keynote, I stressed that Smart Manufacturing initiative around the world, are all inspired by research that indicates that manufacturing growth, competitiveness and resilience are directly correlated with high technology intensity and manufacturing complexity as well as quality. These three key factors can be improved and maintained by investment in product, process and productivity […]
On Saturday I engaged in a rare weekend activity for myself – I actually thought about supply chain. I thought about the transition from “push” processes to greater use of demand pull in replenishment; how retailers are sharing downstream POS data with their suppliers to develop a more efficient supply network; how multi-echelon inventory optimization […]
I attended my first ARC forum a few weeks ago. Having been immersed in presentations and panels for three days though, there was something almost Schrödinger’s cat-like in the air about the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The two apparently contradictory states are: IIoT is real!!! Oh. I thought there was more to IIoT than […]
I wrote a Logistics Viewpoints article in October that discussed how Diageo has transformed its supply chain from a cost savings function to an enabler of growth-driving innovation. This case discussed how supply chain was elevated to a strategic level due to its critical role in executing new product introductions. I found the connection between […]
