Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Analytics & Business Value – How Does Your Company Measure Up?

Blog037_KidFishing
My son loves to fish. Taking pictures of the “big catch” is a great way to share his success with family and friends.  But there is a trick to support the “story”. If you hold the fish as far in front of you as possible, the fish looks significantly bigger than its actual size. 

What does this have to do with analytics and business value? 


I often wonder when I hear someone talk about their successes in driving business value from analytics whether they are holding the fish a little farther out than reality.  Ever have the same thought?  The fact is that up until recently there was no industry benchmark associated with measuring the true value that companies are recognizing from their supply chain big data analytical efforts.

Well, that changed in 2017. 

A team of professionals from Supply Chain Quarterly, the lharrington Group, the Universities of Arizona State and Colorado State along with Competitive Insights designed, issued, analyzed and published the results of the first global survey on this question. The goal was to have an objective benchmark for the progress that companies have actually made in deriving sustainable, actionable value from their big data analytical initiatives.  In addition, barriers to success as well as future prioritized investments were captured.  The results were organized by type of industry and demographics.  Here is a link to the report published in the Q4, 2017 release of Supply Chain Quarterly

We need your input?

Why?  Simply said, the more companies that participate, the stronger the results.  These results can be used internally to benchmark where you are compared to your peers and to gain an understanding of some of their challenges and priorities for future investment. It only takes a few minutes to complete and all responses are anonymous. Reporting is done by industry statistics and only those statistics are shared.

Look for the survey invitation from Supply Chain Quarterly in the coming weeks.  Participate and help the results be of richer value for your company and the Supply Chain Industry. The results will allow you to see the reality of how you measure up.

All the best,

Richard Sharpe

The Latest

More Stories

5 scary thoughts about disasters and disaster relief

It’s almost Halloween, and if your town is anything like mine, your neighbors’ yards are already littered with ghosts, witches and tombstones. 

Clearly some of us enjoy giving other people a scare. Just as clearly, some of us enjoy getting a scare.  

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

Keep a clear focus on enterprise priorities.

"Spot solutions are needed to help a company get through a sudden shock, but the only way to ensure agility and resilience going forward is by addressing systemic issues in a way that is intentional and focused on the long term and brings together clear priorities, well-designed repeatable processes, robust governance, and a skilled team." - Harvard Business Review

From Low Cost to Best Cost

An article published by McKinsey & Co. in August observed, “over the past year, many companies have made structural changes to their supply networks by implementing dual or multiple sourcing strategies for critical materials and moving from global to regional networks.”

This structural change pivots on the difference between low cost and best cost.  The shift extends through Tier 1 Suppliers through lower tiers.  The intent of a low-cost supply chain strategy is to present a low price to customers. A best-cost strategy adds factors beyond cost to the equation, like risk, lead time, and responsiveness.

Keep ReadingShow less

Digital Freight Execution: Making Win-Win Connections

As global supply chains become increasingly complicated, there are now more digital connections and business collaborations in the global shipping industry than ever before. Holding freight data in opaque, disconnected silos and relying on outdated methods of communication is not just inefficient - it’s unsustainable.

The global supply chain is no longer a linear process. Whereas before it was simply about moving freight from point A to B, now there is now a multitude of options for transporting that freight, each with its own unique set of capabilities and constraints. 

Keep ReadingShow less

No wonder we are short of labor in the supply chain.

America’s posture in world trade, and the underlying supply chains, are more than robust.  According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, the United States balance of trade in goods and services deficit dropped to $70.6 billion in July.  Exports hit the highest level in real dollars since tracking began over 70 years ago.  During the recovery from Covid,, with reshoring and shifting market demands, are holding imports flat..

This success is happening despite the global disruption caused by Ukraine.  Expect our labor shortages to continue.  Expect wage pressure to continue.  Expect inflationary pressures across the supply chain to continue.

Keep ReadingShow less