Working What We Have vs. Changing What We Work With

We who are supply chain managers have their hands full doing their jobs.  The problem is we work with what we only have.   Executives of enterprises determine our scopes; executives also decide what resources & assets we will have at our disposal or have authority over.  Supply chains extend beyond the borders of enterprises, andContinue reading “Working What We Have vs. Changing What We Work With”

Why Does It Take So Long?

I looked at the bottom of a dog food can at the pet shop to check its expiration date.  It said “10/26/2026,” but the production date said “10/27/2023.”  I concluded the dog food was safe as I bought the can of dog food on May 25, 2024.  I thought, however: why was the production dateContinue reading “Why Does It Take So Long?”

What Our Customers Expect

What do our customers expect from us? The Total Quality movement from the 1980’s preached that the people we work with are either “suppliers” or “customers.”  We played the role of either one.  The idea of TQM was to do the right thing right the first time when we, as “suppliers,” serve our “customers.”  WeContinue reading “What Our Customers Expect”

Four (4) Guidelines for Available Transportation

Many small business enterprises don’t put too much thought into deliveries.  For those who are into e-commerce and sell one or very few items via the Internet, the enterprise’s flow of work is typically receiving orders, preparing the items, and booking & delivering via a 3rd party service (e.g., Grab, Lalamove). Many enterprises have seenContinue reading “Four (4) Guidelines for Available Transportation”

Lessons Learned from E-Commerce

December 28, 2020.  We ordered the food but couldn’t find the riders to deliver them.  Our family of cousins, uncles, and aunts couldn’t be together for New Year’s Eve.  Reunions and parties were not allowed in lieu of ongoing restrictions brought on by the CoVID-19 pandemic.  Instead, we ordered food from a food shop andContinue reading “Lessons Learned from E-Commerce”