The SupplyChainBrain Podcast

It's safe to say that no child yearns for a career in supply chain. But schools and educators are working to change that. The shift can be seen at all levels – college, high school and even the elementary grades. Until recently, the education system wasn't doing a very good job of producing graduates who were qualified to take on even entry-level jobs related to supply chain, logistics o...

Today's fashion industry is obsessed with getting product to store shelves quickly, changing out assortments constantly, and charging rock-bottom prices. But there's a price to be paid for that behavior. So says Maxine Bédat, chief executive officer of Zady, Inc., an advocate of the concept of ''slow fashion.'' The company has launched a year-long research effort to e...

When it comes to teaching the complexities of supply-chain management, is digital learning as effective as the traditional in-class experience? Actually, it's a little late to be asking the question. ''Virtual'' teaching experiences are becoming increasingly common in all areas of education. And they deliver some real benefits. Supply-chain professionals looking to hone th...

Corporations pay lip service to enforcing human rights and fair working conditions in offshore factories. But the deaths and injuries continue. An estimated 2.3 million deaths each year, in fact, from work-related accidents or diseases. Many are the result of unsafe factory environments, despite efforts by original equipment manufacturers to ensure that their suppliers are meeting high standards f...

Can playing a game help supply-chain managers cope with the uncertainties of the real world? Experts would say yes. As far back as the early 1960s, professors at MIT's Sloan School of Management developed the Beer Game, which despite its frat-friendly name was a sober attempt to demonstrate the principles of supply-chain management. Since then, academics and practitioners have developed a num...

Commercial delivery drones are in our future – or so we're told. What will it take to make them a reality? Drone technology is advancing quickly. Amazon.com is well along in its development and testing of drones for delivery of packages. And now Wal-Mart says it wants to start testing drones as well. Soon, it seems, the skies will be filled with these futuristic flying machines. First, though...

There's more to reshoring than simply moving a factory from Asia back to the U.S. Higher wages for Chinese factory workers, coupled with the headaches of maintaining long supply lines, are prompting manufacturers to relocate plants closer to markets in the western hemisphere. In some cases, that means a return to the U.S. But there's an important link in the supply chain that needs to co...

Are you certain that your sensitive exports aren't falling into the wrong hands? In today's world of global, multi-tiered supply chains, it can be a challenge determining who the end buyer really is. In the case of certain high-tech products, or items for military use, regulators demand that companies maintain the highest possible degree of vigilance. But complying with the rules is gett...

It's a dangerous world out there for global supply chains. Earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, labor stoppages, terrorist threats and general congestion all conspire to hinder the flow of product to market. The situation calls for a renewed commitment to risk management and, most of all, supply chain resilience. Joining us on this episode is MIT professor Yossi Sheffi, director of the school'...

The Reshoring Initiative would like to slap the ''Made in U.S.A.'' label on a lot more products. Can it succeed? The organization's mission is to convince companies to bring manufacturing jobs back from China to the U.S. Recent economic trends in China, including a growing labor shortage and rising factory wages, are helping to make that dream a reality. At the same time,...

A message to procurement managers: Your job is about to be transformed ''almost beyond recognition.'' Those are the words of Kai Nowosel, managing director of the Sourcing Procurement Practice of Accenture Strategy. On this episode, he talks about the big changes that are coming to procurement, spurred by developments such as digital platforms, sophisticated analytics and the I...

U.S. West Coast ports are being ''held hostage'' by longshore labor. So says one noted economist. Diana Furchtgott-Roth is a former chief economist with the U.S. Department of Labor. Today, she serves as director of Economics21, in addition to acting as senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. She believes it's time for a change in the way that longsho...

This is a ''watershed year'' for cybercrime, according to a new survey on the topic. Yet many companies are falling short in their efforts to battle it. The state of corporate cybercrime protection is mixed at best. Government agencies and boards of directors are taking an increased role in the adoption of good preventive practices, according to a new survey by PwC, CSO, the U....

Are robots taking over the warehouse? The science of robotics has long been critical to manufacturing. It has had less of a presence in the logistics sector, where automation has often taken the form of state-of-the-art conveyors, sorters and systems limited to directing the picking process. One reason for the disparity is safety. Another is cost. But all that might be about to change. New robots...

Change in the organization is inevitable. So how do you get your employees to stop blocking it? Shifting consumer markets, a constant stream of new products, technological innovation, personnel changes, economic upheaval, mergers and acquisitions: they all contribute to the ceaseless march of transformation within every business. Yet managers find themselves battling the natural human tendency to...

Multi-tiered manufacturing supply chains can end up in some unexpected places – including prisons. The use of unauthorized subcontractors, even prison labor, is a disturbingly common practice in China and elsewhere in Asia. The problem surfaced a few years back, when an Oregon woman discovered a hastily scribbled note in the Halloween decoration kit that she had purchased at a local Kmart. The wri...

What's going on behind the veil of secrecy that masks China's economy? Recently we've seen a steep plunge in share prices on China's stock markets, signaling the bursting of a bubble that was long in forming. Meanwhile, questions persist about the condition of China's banks, which have long been rumored to be saddled with large amounts of non-performing loans. Does all of...

Another short-term extension of funding for transportation infrastructure improvements? This story is getting old. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation has come up with a six-year transportation bill, the Comprehensive Transportation and Consumer Protection Act of 2015. That's not to be confused with the DRIVE (Developing a Reliable and Innovative Vision for the Econom...

Is there slavery in your global supply chain? Are you sure about that? Governments want to know. The first major attempt to curb modern-day slavery through legislation was the California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010, which took effect in early 2012. It served as a template for the United Kingdom Modern Slavery Act of 2015. Both require companies to disclose the presence of slavery or...

The race is heating up over who will dominate the world of ''last-mile'' delivery of online retail orders. It's a crowded field, to be sure. Competitors range from internet giants such as Amazon.com, Google and eBay to traditional brick-and-mortar retailers such as Walmart, Macy's and just about every major department store imaginable. The nature of the service is up...

What can automobile manufacturers to do stop the endless flood of recalls, some of which result in injury or death to drivers and passengers? There's been no letup of incidents in recent years. The recall of airbags by the Japanese manufacturer Takata Corp., affecting more than 53 million cars worldwide, is only the latest to hit the headlines. In recent years we've seen the failure of b...

It's enough to scare the daylights out of retailers: $1.75tr in lost revenue due to overstocks, out-of-stocks and preventable returns. Welcome to ''The Ghost Economy.'' The term comes from new research conducted by IHL Group on behalf of OrderDynamics. It looks at the costs that retailers rack up by failing to understand what's happening in their businesses today. The...

The Greek people have said a resounding no to their creditors. So where does the country go now, to avert all-out economic collapse? There doesn't seem to be much light at the end of the tunnel. Greece owes the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund and other lenders a reported €323bn (about $354bn). But the people and government of Greece have balked at the additional austerity m...

In the world of fast fashion, social media can be both bane and salvation for manufacturers and retailers. Clearly, they are hoping it's the latter. Much press has been devoted to the negative impact of social media on products and brands. But there's a significant upside as well #150; provided that companies know how to exploit it. Handled properly, social media can be a rich source of...

Bad things are bound to happen in your supply chain. Are you ready for them? Recent history demonstrates how vulnerable companies are to disruptions in their supply chains. Whether it's a flood, tsunami, earthquake, volcano, disease, port strike, data breach, or any number of other potential disasters, the impact on global organizations is immense. Yet many seem not to have got the message. W...