When it comes to manufacturing supply chains, there seems to be a serious disconnect between their goals and their priorities.
Supply Chain Digest recently looked at the results of IDC Manufacturing Insights, a report based on a survey of 300 supply chain professionals in manufacturing.
Retailers who rely on warehouse management systems alone are missing opportunities to dig up savings and cut costs in their supply chains, according to retail distribution consultant Kevin Harris.
In particular, Harris writes in a recent Supply Chain Digest article, retailers need to better capture and leverage the data found in purchase orders and core B2B documents and related data, such as:
Over the labor day weekend I was traveling with my family and we stopped by a fast food restaurant for a quick meal. Each person in line in front of me placed their order and was given the response, “that item will take five to ten minutes to prepare”. When I placed my order I was given the same response and immediately changed my order.
While waiting for my order, I asked the four people who ordered before me what they initially ordered. Amazingly enough, it was the exact same item that I ordered. When I received my order I asked the Manager why the original item took so long to prepare. The response: “No one orders that item so we don’t stock it and only prepare it on an order by order basis.”
In a blog entry on 12/26, I stated I would present a use case for the combination of CEP & Big Data. Happily, the state of Massachusetts has provided an outstanding opportunity.
On the 1st of January, 2013, retail stores will no longer be required to display tagged pricing. Consumers will be able to utilize scanners to read a bar code to determine the price of that item.
