Articles, insights, and case studies
Manufacturing at the Centre of Technological Disruption (4 minutes)
There is more happening than you might realise
Supply Chain Leadership in an Age of Disruption (podcast, 15 minutes)
Leadership tips for thriving in an age of disruption and innovation
Supply Chain Strategy Webinar (listening time approx 20 minutes)
5 strategies you can implement today to start building a world class supply chain
Can Pharmaceutical Manufacturing can Thrive in Australia? (reading time 4 minutes)
There is constant talk about the demise of manufacturing in Australia, supported by a number of high profile closures. The pharmaceutical industry has not been immune, with pharmaceutical exports down 30% since 2012. Yet there is another side to this storyline. A number of local and multinational companies are investing significant capital in Australia right now, including CSL Behring, AstraZeneca, Ego and others.
The Power of Organisational Alignment
Let's say you only had these two options
1. A brilliant strategy with average execution, or
2. An average strategy with brilliant execution.
Which would you choose?
The Intelligent Supply Chain (reading time 2 minutes)
Your manufacturing and supply organisation is sitting on a mountain of data. It’s being stored in a myriad of software systems. It is also being generated by machines, not just ‘smart machines’, any machine with a logic controller - anything from processing and packaging equipment through to the air conditioner in your office. It’s also held in external repositories, your customers systems, and even in social media platforms. Read more
The Bullwhip Effect (reading time 2 minutes)
I come across too many manufacturers (not yours of course!) who have too much of the wrong inventory, and not enough of the stuff customers want to buy. It’s a P&L double whammy, hitting both top line sales and bottom line inventory costs. This puts manufacturers and their suppliers into a tail spin as they chase what seems like ever changing requirements. Read more
Error reduction, without playing the blame game (reading time 3 minutes)
Errors are costing industry untold billions of dollars each year in wasted resources and lost opportunity. Despite this, many industries continue with a simplistic, frustrating and potentially damaging approach to error reduction. To be effective, error reduction efforts require a systematic and structured approach, one that is informed by a thorough understanding of human and systems behaviour. Read more
6 Mistakes that will derail your Improvement Efforts (reading time 4 minutes)
With global competitive pressures at unprecedented levels, organisations need to continually find more efficient and innovative ways of getting work done. Businesses stand to gain significant market advantage if they can serve their clients better, faster, or cheaper than their competitors can. Involving employees in the improvement process is a critical enabler to building improvement into an organisations DNA, but it can be easier said than done.
Here are some of the most common mistakes made when trying to establish a culture of continuous improvement. Read more
Supply Chains of the Future (reading time 3 minutes)
Top performing supply chains create significant competitive advantage for their owners, who achieve 50% higher profitability and 40% lower costs compared with average performers. Today the evolution of supply chains is accelerating rapidly as technology pervades every aspect of business. To create or maintain competitive advantage in the future, the best supply chains will be seamless, intelligent and self-learning, as the Internet of Things and Distributed Manufacturing become mainstream. The journey towards future supply chain excellence doesn’t need to wait though – you can start right now by implementing fundamental changes to the way a supply chain is designed and orchestrated. Read more
Are you rewarding effort or results? (reading time 2 minutes)
I was speaking with a business leader recently who expressed frustration that some of his organisations’ improvement work was stalling. I asked him a simple question – are you rewarding your people for effort or results? “Both” was his reply; but I suspect that his team was not laser focused on results. Read the full article
Case Study - Keeping on top of your supply chain risks (reading time 3 minutes)
This case study from the pharmaceutical sector highlights the new approaches required for managing supply chain risks, based on recent findings by MIT researchers. Download the article
Personalised Medicine - is Big Pharma manufacturing ready for the future? (reading time 4 minutes)
Big Pharma manufacturers need to adapt to more flexible and agile systems if they want their supply chains to create competitive advantage in the future. Download the article