Many of our enterprises do Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP). And each of us does it differently. Because we each have our own way of doing S&OP, the results vary from one organisation to the next. It’s no surprise, then, that there would be criticism over S&OP. The absence of uniformity drives us to compareContinue reading “The Challenge of Working Together in Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP)”
Category Archives: The Supply Chain Engineer
The Three (3) Supply Chain Cycles
Supply chains span from sources to users, passing from one enterprise to the next. And we cannot manage supply chains on our own. We need to work together with vendors, customers, and service providers in procuring, producing, and delivering the goods & services. We, perhaps, see supply chains and our individual place in them likeContinue reading “The Three (3) Supply Chain Cycles”
ESG is an Enemy of Productivity
Our enterprises are under a lot of pressure to comply with Environmental, Social, & Governance (ESG) mandates. Political leaders & activists have demanded that firms pursue sustainability of resources, climate change mitigation, cultural & social diversity, and ethical & legal responsibilities in our workplaces & professional relationships. So-called pundits (people who call themselves experts orContinue reading “ESG is an Enemy of Productivity”
What is Your Supply Chain Doctrine?
In our modern world of the 21st century, supply chains are the lifeblood of enterprises. We rely on the procurement, manufacture, and logistics for the supply of essential products & execution of services. Supply chains, given their breadths & complexities, are not easy to manage. We who work in them know that supply chains spanContinue reading “What is Your Supply Chain Doctrine?”
How Realistic is a Supply Chain Vision?
Many entrepreneurs have invented all kinds of applications for a variety of uses. We have apps to help in our finances, make music, learn new languages, find places we’ve never visited, make reservations, book rides, and buy tickets. The one app we (still) don’t have is the one that makes & delivers products. I wouldn’tContinue reading “How Realistic is a Supply Chain Vision?”
Five Characteristics of Supply Chains
Supply chains had become popular in the 2020’s, thanks greatly to the era of the coronavirus pandemic when our world experienced major economic disruptions in transportation, production, and deliveries. Because of aggravations such as missed deliveries, shortages, and overstocked inventories, we pledged we’d do better in managing our supply chains. But we hadn’t done muchContinue reading “Five Characteristics of Supply Chains”
A Primer on the Process of Order Creation & Fulfilment
The process of customer order creation and fulfilment is a core task of many enterprises. An order creation & fulfilment process in a business-to-business (B2B) relationship typically consists of the following steps: Enterprises who sell directly to end-users, that is business-to-consumer (B2C, e.g., supermarkets, e-commerce, restaurants) typically have a simpler process: Enterprises who offer services,Continue reading “A Primer on the Process of Order Creation & Fulfilment”
What Problems Will AI Solve?
The debut of artificial intelligence (AI) applications like ChatGPT in late 2022 ignited viral media firestorms around the world. AI is no longer science fiction. It is here. It has arrived. It is on our fingertips, demonstrating its power and ready for our use. With AI apps like ChatGPT, we can use our devices (i.e.,Continue reading “What Problems Will AI Solve?”
The Science Behind Management & Why We Need Engineering
In March of 1911, Frederick Winslow Taylor’s The Principles of Scientific Management debuted to the public. It was the height of the Industrial Revolution in the United States of America. Corporations were mass producing items and many Americans were employed in factories. Mr. Taylor’s Principles couldn’t have come at a better time as when itContinue reading “The Science Behind Management & Why We Need Engineering”
The Basic Tasks of Management vs. The Basic Tasks of Engineering
Management is the predominant means in how we run our organisations. It’s been like that since the late 19th century, when we adopted capitalism into our society to cultivate the prosperity & wealth resulting from the Industrial Revolution. Business was getting more complex when it came to all the money we were earning. We neededContinue reading “The Basic Tasks of Management vs. The Basic Tasks of Engineering”
Ellery's Essays 