Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

inbound

Supply chain pioneer's new book provides a personal take on life and business

Joe Andraski's My Incredible Supply Chain Journey ... and What You Can Learn From It is a unique account of his personal story, Nabisco history, and what makes a supply chain organization great.

Few people in logistics and supply chain management have seen as much change—or as much turmoil— as Joseph C. Andraski has. In his new book, My Incredible Supply Chain Journey ... and What You Can Learn From It, Andraski tells of the "teamwork, trials, and triumphs" he has experienced throughout his life.

The former Nabisco supply chain executive charts his personal story, from his early days in a tough Pennsylvania coal-mining town through the turbulence of Nabisco's famous merger-and-acquisition saga, and beyond. Along the way, the straight-shooting Andraski explains in his famously colloquial style what made Nabisco's innovative Integrated Logistics organization so successful, comments on game-changing technologies, and offers heartfelt advice for anyone who's climbing the career ladder today.


The book includes several unique features, including the author's autobiography and a collection of his pithy "rules to live by." An appendix offers a variety of extras, including articles about managing change, implementing a CPFR (collaborative planning, forecasting, and replenishment) program, a glossary of Nabisco-era terms, and much more. Our favorite: a collection of fascinating reminiscences of days gone by at Nabisco and its predecessor, Standard Brands, contributed by Andraski's former colleagues. (Don't miss the story of how the Reggie Candy Bar almost missed its public debut, and Peter Rogers' hilarious stories about life under the iron fist of Standard Brands CEO Henry Weigl.)

Andraski currently heads the boutique supply chain consulting firm Collaborative Energizer LLC. Following his career at Nabisco, he served as president and CEO of VICS (Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions). He has received numerous recognitions for his contributions to the retail industry and the logistics and supply chain management professions, including the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) Distinguished Service Award, the VICS Milliken Achievement Award, and the Salzberg Medallion.

My Incredible Supply Chain Journey ... and What You Can Learn From It is available in electronic and paperback versions at Amazon.com. According to Andraski, all profits will go to charities, including the Wounded Warriors Project.

The Latest

More Stories

Sean Webb of Sparck Technologies
Sparck Technologies

In Person: Sean Webb of Sparck Technologies

Sean Webb’s background is in finance, not package engineering, but he sees that as a plus—particularly when it comes to explaining the financial benefits of automated packaging to clients. Webb is currently vice president of national accounts at Sparck Technologies, a company that manufactures automated solutions that produce right-sized packaging, where he is responsible for the sales and operational teams. Prior to joining Sparck, he worked in the financial sector for PEAK6, E*Trade, and ATD, including experience as an equity trader.

Webb holds a bachelor’s degree from Michigan State and an MBA in finance from Western Michigan University.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

office workers talk at computer

Mid-market businesses stumble in rush to AI

Mid-marketorganizations are confident that adopting AI applications can deliver up to fourfold returns within 12 months, but first they have to get over obstacles like gaps in workforce readiness, data governance, and tech infrastructure, according to a study from Seattle consulting firm Avanade.

The report found that 85% of businesses are expressing concern over losing competitive ground without rapid AI adoption, and 53% of them expect to increase their budgets for gen AI projects by up to 25%. But despite that enthusiasm, nearly half are stuck at business case (48%) or proof of concept (44%) stage.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of global supplier capacity

Suppliers report spare capacity for fourth straight month

Factory demand weakened across global economies in October, resulting in one of the highest levels of spare capacity at suppliers in over a year, according to a report from the New Jersey-based procurement and supply chain solutions provider GEP.

That result came from the company’s “GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index,” an indicator tracking demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories, and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses. The October index number was -0.39, which was up only slightly from its level of -0.43 in September.

Keep ReadingShow less
container ship at sea

Hapag-Lloyd orders 24 new container ships

Ocean freight liner Hapag-Lloyd has ordered 24 new container ships through $4 billion in contracts with two Chinese shipyards, saying the investment will continue to modernize and decarbonize its fleet.

Half the order will include 12 vessels with a capacity of 16,800 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) to be built by Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Group, and will expand the Dutch company’s capacity. The other 12 ships with a capacity of 9,200 TEU each will be made by New Times Shipbuilding Company Ltd. and will replace aging vessels. Hapag-Lloyd’s current fleet includes 287 container ships with a total transport capacity of 2.2 million TEU.

Keep ReadingShow less
high-tech warehouse illustration

Robotics Roundtable: Automation drives forward

2024 has been a bumpy ride for many parts of the material handling equipment industry. It’s not necessarily that orders have been weak; it’s just that they aren’t up to the levels seen during the heyday of the pandemic-induced warehouse expansions. One of the brighter spots has been the robotics and automation sector, which has benefited from warehouse leaders’ continuing struggles with worker shortages and increased labor costs—both of which can be addressed through the judicious application of automated systems.

As we do every year, we recently gathered experts from the robotics and automation industry to weigh in on both the challenges facing the market and the opportunities that lie ahead. Here’s what they said.

Keep ReadingShow less