What’s the difference between a product and a service? A product is an item of value that benefits a user. A service is an activity that leads to the benefits for those availing of it. Products are tangible, i.e., as in solid, liquid, gas, or energy, or as virtual (e.g. software, streaming videos, speeches,Continue reading “Products & Services: What’s the Difference and How Do We Maximise Their Value?”
Tag Archives: supply chain management
The Death Industry’s Supply Chain
Dying is a complicated business. No one really plans for it in advance. For those who are charged with the affairs of the ones who pass away, there is always so much to do and limited time to do so. Funeral service providers have become more than just parlours where proprietors prepare the deceased forContinue reading “The Death Industry’s Supply Chain”
Problems are Doorways to Opportunities
Since the start of 2021, semiconductor chips, which are used in cars, trucks, computers, and smart-phones, have been in short supply. Supply has been so short that automotive companies have shut down assembly lines and consumer electronics corporations have delayed roll-outs of new products. Bloomberg reported in its September 22, 2021 Supply Lines newsletter thatContinue reading “Problems are Doorways to Opportunities”
Solving the Supply Chain Mystery
I once met a regional sales manager of a large consumer good company at Davao City, the biggest city on the island of Mindanao, 978 kilometres (608 miles) south of Manila, Philippines. As I was introduced, the RSM looked at me for a moment and smiled broadly. “You’re a supply chain consultant?” Before I couldContinue reading “Solving the Supply Chain Mystery”
What is a Supply Chain, Really?
The first time I heard about supply chains was when I was working as a production planner at P&G Philippines in 1989. P&G’s top management had just reorganised the multinational consumer goods corporation’s operations worldwide, integrating manufacturing, purchasing, and logistics under one group: the Product Supply Organisation or PSO, for short. The aim of theContinue reading “What is a Supply Chain, Really?”
Why Should We Care?
When we get a job in an enterprise, we generally assume it’s for work the company advertised and interviewed us for. We would find it kind of funny if the company assigns us to do something we didn’t get hired for. But it happens. We sometimes are given work that are not on ourContinue reading “Why Should We Care?”
The Path Towards Becoming a Supply Chain Expert Begins with Basic Competency
Sometimes identifying a problem is not in observing what’s going on; sometimes it’s noticing what’s not there. In my blog, “Where are the Supply Chain Experts?”, written last March 2020, I wrote there were no supply chain experts seen working side by side with business and government leaders in solving supply issues at the heightContinue reading “The Path Towards Becoming a Supply Chain Expert Begins with Basic Competency”
Six (6) Reasons Why We Need to Learn How to Manage Supply Chains
Why do we need to learn how to manage supply chains? The answer to the question may seem straightforward at first. We need to learn how to manage supply chains so that we can ensure the availability of products and services at the right quantity, right quality, at the time they’re needed, and atContinue reading “Six (6) Reasons Why We Need to Learn How to Manage Supply Chains”
What is a Manager, Anyway?
What is a manager? That was the first question the group of line managers asked me. I just got hired by as a management trainee at a consumer goods company and was on my first month at its Manila manufacturing facility, going through orientation. I was required to undergo a qualification test with senior managersContinue reading “What is a Manager, Anyway?”
Appreciating the Value of Veteran Employees
When I was a young industrial engineer at the food production division of a multinational company, the accounting department asked me to find out why there was a large reported loss of refined coconut oil. They’re the ones we always look for when we need something. I went to the production manager and he toldContinue reading “Appreciating the Value of Veteran Employees”
Ellery's Essays 