People celebrate milestones; I’m no exception. Birthdays, anniversaries, victories. We celebrate sentimental times and achievements. Sometimes, we play down some these things because whatever we’re celebrating doesn’t stand up to what others had done or had been awarded with. We compare notes; we look small; we decide not to make a big deal. I onceContinue reading “What’s the Big Deal About 300?”
Category Archives: The Supply Chain Engineer
Demand Fulfilment Means Keeping One’s Promises
The airport lounge no longer granted access via my platinum credit card. The credit card’s fine print did warn that perks may be withdrawn without notice. The bank dangled the lounge perk on top of other benefits. I took it and the bank succeeded in selling me the card. But I’m unhappy because I noContinue reading “Demand Fulfilment Means Keeping One’s Promises”
Knowing Your Inventory ABC’s
A business owner asked me: how can I manage my company’s inventories more efficiently? The business owner imported soap, luggage, and cell phones, in short: assorted merchandise. He shipped in and kept hundreds of items in inventory, in which he had trouble keeping track. Sometimes he had too many items in storage or had tooContinue reading “Knowing Your Inventory ABC’s”
Productivity: They Still Don’t Get It
Leading global consultancy McKinsey defines productivity as Gross Value Added (GVA) per work-person and reports that the world needs productivity growth on top of balance sheet profitability. McKinsey still doesn’t get it. The world doesn’t need labour productivity, it needs supply chain productivity, which is how fast and how much organisations sell merchandise and collectContinue reading “Productivity: They Still Don’t Get It”
The Good Problem
The repairman sighed. No one called; there was nothing to do. The ad said it best: we make dependable appliances. That meant that the repairmen, even though employed and salaried, had no jobs pending. They were there just in case, nothing else. It was a lonely life, and the repairmen complained about the loneliness. ForContinue reading “The Good Problem”
The Need to Change the Supply Chain
When a parcel arrives at my doorstep, I see myself at the end of a supply chain process—a process which involved multiple operations from procurement, manufacturing, to logistics. But I could care less. What mattered is I got my parcel and the items I ordered. The individuals in the respective supply chain processes which enabledContinue reading “The Need to Change the Supply Chain”
Four (4) Starting Points to Getting the Reliability You Want
MANILA, Philippines, October 3, 2019. An electrical transformer (rectifier) at the Light Rail Transit Line 2’s (LRT-2) commuter railway tripped and caught fire. The fire knocked out train service from downtown Manila to the eastern suburbs of Marikina and Cainta. Thousands of commuters from workers to students were forced to find alternative transportation. The dayContinue reading “Four (4) Starting Points to Getting the Reliability You Want”
Elements of Productivity
Our objectives stem from our business priorities, which usually consist of: Accumulation of Wealth Attaining Competitive Advantage Establishing Esteem or Reputation Growth in Influence How managers perform against objectives relative to meeting their business organisations’ priorities define their productivity. The mistake managers make is classifying productivity as a mere performance measure. As much as itContinue reading “Elements of Productivity”
“Where’s My Order?”
“Where’s my order?” I heard the lady say to the server at the diner. A family of four had been waiting for their food. Their appetizers and some entrees arrived but not all. The lady who was apparently the wife and mother of the family was impatient. “Please cancel the order if you cannot serveContinue reading ““Where’s My Order?””
Pursuing Productivity Amid Adversity
The year 2025 arrived and what many businesses dreaded came true. Newly inaugurated American President Donald Trump and his economic hawks swooped and threw global trade into turmoil. Arguing unfair trade practices from many nations, President Trump imposed tariffs on billions of dollars of imports from Canada, Mexico, China, and the European Union (EU), withContinue reading “Pursuing Productivity Amid Adversity”
