Author Archives: Ellery

The Need for Clarity Before AI in Supply Chains

It’s near the end of 2025.  Just about everyone is talking about Artificial Intelligence (AI) and how technology firms are racing to capitalise on it. Executives want AI to be integral in just about every business area.  That includes supply chains.  Aside from all the automation firms are installing into their operations, executives are aimingContinue reading “The Need for Clarity Before AI in Supply Chains”

What’s the Metric for Resilience?

Many executives insist their organisations need to be resilient.  Given all the adversities and disruptions businesses had experienced, it’s understandable to believe resilience is vital. Resilience is “an organization’s ability to adapt to and recover from disruptions, such as natural disasters or market shifts, while maintaining core operations and continuing to function.” But how doesContinue reading “What’s the Metric for Resilience?”

Scolding My Subordinate Was Wrong

I scolded my subordinate manager the other day.  Yelled at him, in fact.  It was wrong.  I should not scold, much more yell, at a person whether he works for me or not.  When I scolded my manager, I negated the value of pointing out his mistake.  The manager ended up not realising his errorContinue reading “Scolding My Subordinate Was Wrong”

Goals Lead to Tangible Benefits

In one scene from the movie, Rocky, the title character played by Sylvester Stallone, is seen waking up at 4:00am, helping himself to a glassful of raw eggs, and then starting a jog. Rocky’s jog is the start of his preparation for his boxing fight with Apollo Creed, the current heavyweight champion in the movie. Continue reading “Goals Lead to Tangible Benefits”

What the Supply Chain Must Be

There are many things we like supply chains to be.  Popular examples are resilient, sustainable, and agile.  For some of those at the end of the chain, they’d simply want them to be dependable or on time, especially when it comes to deliveries.  And for many supply chain professionals, they’d want vendor supplies to beContinue reading “What the Supply Chain Must Be”

Make It Visible

The planet Earth and its Solar System reside in the Milky Way galaxy, a spiral collection of a 100 to 400 billion stars.  Yes, that’s billion, not million, and far more than a thousand or hundred.  We can only see only a few thousand of stars in the night sky and only so much moreContinue reading “Make It Visible”

Dedicate, Not Commit

Commitment is placing the highest priority to another.  When people marry, they commit; they promise to put their partners above everything else.  Enterprises try to enrol employees to do the same.  Managers expect subordinates to place first-priority to their jobs.  I don’t commit to employers; I dedicate.  Dedication is compliance to mutually agreed contracts.  FocusContinue reading “Dedicate, Not Commit”

The Supply Chain Surrounds Every Product

The enterprise sells, its customers order, and the enterprise delivers. This constitutes the basic process of demand fulfilment.  As the enterprise creates demand through marketing & sales, it fulfils it.  The enterprise and the customer agree on the terms and conditions of the latter’s order.  Delivery of the order should arrive at the right place,Continue reading “The Supply Chain Surrounds Every Product”

Arguing for Engineering

Engineers have been the go-to people to solve problems or implement pre-decided solutions.  Engineers build edifices architects design, install equipment which executives prefer, and fix things that were creating problems no one else could solve.  Engineers deal with the complicated technical stuff like designing rockets and constructing skyscrapers, repairing nuclear reactors, setting up oil drillingContinue reading “Arguing for Engineering”