Managing Uncertainty

We’re like baby sea turtles when we begin our careers.  We don’t know what awaits us as we venture out into the world.  We learn to deal with a lot of uncertainty.  A property manager proposed a project to build a warehouse that would require an expenditure of PhP 2,500,000.00 (USD$ 50,000).  Three (3) outContinue reading “Managing Uncertainty”

Managing Performance

We as supply chain managers typically oversee the following: It’s all part of our job to be perfect in serving customers and productive in meeting the standards of our superiors. We manage demand to synchronise supply. We manage inventories to make available products & services and make sure we don’t have too much (or tooContinue reading “Managing Performance”

Managing Inventory

One common priority we have as supply chain managers is managing inventories.  We make items available when needed but at the same time make sure we don’t have too much that ties up our enterprises’ money.    Sometimes, inventory management takes so much of our time that it dominates our job more than anything else.  InventoryContinue reading “Managing Inventory”

Managing Demand

Supply chains had been under a lot of pressure.  Since year 2020, supply chain managers had to deal with shortages in merchandise and rising costs for reasons traced to the coronavirus pandemic, natural disasters, deteriorating trade relations between countries, and military conflicts.     The need for supply chain engineering was mentioned repeatedly as a newContinue reading “Managing Demand”

What Should We Do When There’s Clamour?

In November 2022, this happened: One month earlier, in Manila, Philippines (and similarly in other places around the world), this also happened:  And from mid-year 2022 to April 2023, as demand for travel spiked after many countries lifted three (3) years of coronavirus pandemic restrictions:  When demand for products & services and enterprises are unableContinue reading “What Should We Do When There’s Clamour?”

What Our Superiors Expect

Customers expect perfection in service.  But what do our superiors expect? For those among us who are supply chain professionals or managers, we answer to our employers, our superiors or bosses, the owners and executives who rule the enterprises we work for.  And as much as customers expect us to be perfect in serving them,Continue reading “What Our Superiors Expect”

Attaining Flow via Systems & Platforms

We complain how little time we have.  Or we complain about how long we have to wait.  Either time is too short or too long. We lose track of time when we’re engrossed in a task.  But we use a lot of it when we distract ourselves from our jobs.  Time is an intangible resourceContinue reading “Attaining Flow via Systems & Platforms”

Three (3) Real-Life Cases of Demand Fulfilment

We fulfil demand in different ways.  For instance, we make products available such as at store shelves.  Another example is we customise and deliver based on what our customers order.  We encounter challenges in fulfilling demand, however.  And we sometimes don’t know we do.      I went to a newly opened convenience store one SundayContinue reading “Three (3) Real-Life Cases of Demand Fulfilment”

The Order-Winning Operations Strategy

We, whether we are executives, entrepreneurs, or employees, face challenges and disruptions every day.  Most of us have goals or at least have things we want to realise or get done.  We hate it when we run into obstacles.  We therefore develop strategies to anticipate and overcome them, if not get around them. Goals areContinue reading “The Order-Winning Operations Strategy”

Formulating the Operations Strategy

Every enterprise has a strategy.  Not all have an operations strategy.  A strategy is not a vision nor is it a mission.  A strategy is also not a goal and nor is it an action plan.  A vision is a desired future state.  Where do we want to be 1 to 5 years from now?Continue reading “Formulating the Operations Strategy”