I went to a lunch with former high schoolmates I’ve not seen in years. Most of us were glad to see each other. One of my schoolmates, an esteemed cardiologist, however, didn’t want to make conversation with me; he seemed to prefer to talk to other schoolmates who were either medical doctors or scientists withContinue reading “If You Can’t Stand the Heat, Get Out of the Kitchen”
Author Archives: Ellery
What Do We Do with ‘Bad Orders?’
One of the most irritating things in supply chain management is handling returned items from customers. We spend plenty of our precious time & resources trying to get rid of them. ‘Bad orders’ or BO for short are otherwise known as unsaleable merchandise or trade returns. BO is a commonplace term in the consumer goodsContinue reading “What Do We Do with ‘Bad Orders?’”
Avoiding the Wrong Supply Chain Strategy
One mistake enterprise owners make is to use the wrong supply chain strategy for their products. The effects can be costly. The following are some true-to-life cases: Many enterprise owners hire executives or engage consultants that have no knowledge or experience about the products they will work with. In many cases, the executives or consultantsContinue reading “Avoiding the Wrong Supply Chain Strategy”
Building the Supply Chain at Both Ends
A supply chain essentially has two (2) ends: the suppliers (e.g., vendors, service providers) and the customers (e.g., clients, consumers, users). We who manage our businesses work both ends at the same time as our suppliers see us as customers and our customers see us as suppliers. We multitask as both suppliers and customers. InContinue reading “Building the Supply Chain at Both Ends”
The Real Value of Demand Forecasting
“We start our planning with the forecast.” This is what I’ve heard in the last three (3) organizations I’ve engaged with. These three (3) organizations often started their Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) meetings with a comparison of forecast versus actual sales data. In most cases, the actual sales data didn’t come out close toContinue reading “The Real Value of Demand Forecasting”
Multi-Tasking: Burning the Candle at Both Ends
We work in a world where multitasking is the norm. If we don’t work on at least two (2) things at the same time, chances are we won’t get much done in a day. Some of us admire those who multi-task while some others frown on those who do. Those who are against multitasking argueContinue reading “Multi-Tasking: Burning the Candle at Both Ends”
The ‘Suki’ Way to Supply Chain Excellence
On a typical early morning at any wet market in the Philippines, groups of housewives & domestic helpers would be seen moving from one vendor’s stall to another to buy fish, vegetables, poultry, & meat. Most of what the stall vendors sell are fresh, or just delivered via dealers or transporters who retrieved the productsContinue reading “The ‘Suki’ Way to Supply Chain Excellence”
Supply Chain Improvement Doesn’t Start with Fixing One’s Own Operations
It’s a popular notion that we fix our operations before we think about collaborating with our partners, i.e., vendors, service providers, & customers. We, after all, would like to show a position of productive strength when we negotiate with our partners as we try to convince them to enrol into whatever agenda we have (e.g.,Continue reading “Supply Chain Improvement Doesn’t Start with Fixing One’s Own Operations”
The Two Fundamental Tasks of Business
A business enterprise has two fundamental tasks: All activities of an enterprise revolve around these two tasks. Demand creation is about cultivating an idea, enrolling followers to that idea, and manifesting that idea in products or services that the followers would buy. Demand fulfilment is about making available or delivering those products and services thatContinue reading “The Two Fundamental Tasks of Business”
Why We Shouldn’t Ignore the Purchase Order
Vendors selling to a manufacturing company were really angry, a newly hired purchasing supervisor discovered on her first week on the job. They complained that their bills weren’t paid for months after they delivered materials or parts. At the same time, supervisors from other company departments were voicing complaints that their purchase orders (PO’s) hadn’tContinue reading “Why We Shouldn’t Ignore the Purchase Order”
Ellery's Essays 