A young businessman had set up a wholesale business selling consumer goods in downtown Manila. His competitors, however, told him he won’t succeed. Competition was indeed fierce. There were several wholesalers already established and they sold at cut-throat prices at razor-thin profit margins. To get market share, the new wholesaler would have to offer betterContinue reading “Why We Need Policies and Why They Can Make or Break A Business”
Tag Archives: operations
Embracing Supply Chain Productivity in Strategic Planning
“No, we will not change our sales policy,” the general manager of the consumer goods wholesale trading company tersely said. As I was formerly a logistics manager and land transportation service provider (trucker for short), the wholesaler GM was asking me for advice on how to bring down transportation costs, which had been rising sharply. Continue reading “Embracing Supply Chain Productivity in Strategic Planning”
Building the Entrepreneur’s Business via Supply Chains
All businesses begin from entrepreneurship, in which creative individuals turn ideas into profitable realities. There had been many who tried their luck as entrepreneurs. Many failed; some succeeded. It didn’t matter if the products or services entrepreneurs introduced seemed mundane or looked grandiose. What mattered was that entrepreneurs worked hard to develop their ideas intoContinue reading “Building the Entrepreneur’s Business via Supply Chains”
Flagships & Anchors
Every enterprise has a flagship. A flagship is an enterprise’s leading product. It’s the brand that customers identify with the enterprise or it’s the enterprise’s number one item in terms of customer popularity or sales. We know The Coca-Cola Company by its flagship namesake, Coca-Cola. Likewise, we know the Pepsico corporation from its Pepsi lineContinue reading “Flagships & Anchors”
Solving Problems in the Midst of Crises
We who are supply chain veterans have encountered many crises in our operations. Over the decades since Keith Oliver (and Mr. Van t’Hoff) coined the term, supply chain management, we have had our share of challenging crises. But even as many enterprises recognise their critical importance, supply chains remained a not well understood branch ofContinue reading “Solving Problems in the Midst of Crises”
Engineering for Versatility, Not Resilience
When we analyse the gaps in our supply chain operations, it isn’t just about how wide the differences are in how we’re performing versus what we’re aiming for. It won’t only be about variances between targeted & actual results, but it will also be about how well we respond to and handle risks now andContinue reading “Engineering for Versatility, Not Resilience”
Engineering for Risk
The earthquake that hit Kobe, Japan in on January 17, 1995 lasted about twenty (20) seconds but with a magnitude of 7.3 on the Richter scale, it was enough to kill 6,400 people and damage up to 120,000 structures. The disaster disrupted the nation’s economy as the earthquake destroyed Kobe’s seaport, wrecked railways, roads &Continue reading “Engineering for Risk”
The Problem Map
When we undertake projects like constructing an edifice, assembling an airplane, installing new information technology (IT) systems, we first assess & plan the scopes & requirements. We confirm our vision for the project, do a reality check of what we have currently, and analyse the gaps we’d have to bridge or bypass. We identify theContinue reading “The Problem Map”
Understanding the Supply Chain Engineering Roadmap
We know what we want, i.e., we have a vision. We know where we’re at versus what we want, i.e., we did our reality check. We see the disparities between our present-state & future-state performances, i.e., we mind the gaps in our supply chain operations. The next step in building our supply chains is toContinue reading “Understanding the Supply Chain Engineering Roadmap”
Mind the Gap
We see the sign in many railway stations around the world: mind the gap. It’s a reminder, if not a warning, for us to watch our step as we cross the space between the train from the platform. As much as we may take it for granted, if we don’t watch our step, we canContinue reading “Mind the Gap”
Ellery's Essays 