Going beyond operational supply chain digitalization
Matching themes: action management, Quality, supplier collaboration
Nowadays, most leading companies have EDI interfaces in place to communicate their demands, improve demand visibility, and receive information about shipments. The most advanced ones use cloud platforms, allowing for real-time collaboration with suppliers and other business partners like subcontractors or carriers. It goes without saying, that analytics and big data play an increasing and critical role for companies in all industries.
This trend has had a huge impact on stocks reduction and optimization of procurement processes. But it has also increased reliability and provided consistent data. As a result, transparency is not just a concept anymore, but has become reality; and brings with it a common and trusted view and understanding between business partners.
Unfortunately, this will not prevent Read more
Railway Forum 2017: Digital transformation is shaping the innovation agenda of the railway industry
Matching themes: Digital Supply Chain, digital transformation, digitalization, RailSupply, Railway industry
The fifth Railway Forum was held in Berlin on August 30/31. Once again, the focus was on the digital transformation that is taking place at all levels.
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Software engineering: Don’t slice the elephant – create a paradise
Matching themes: Software Engineering, Software-Design
Often when someone thinks about software engineering, he gets the recommendation to slice the elephant. E.g., you want to design a nice e-commerce pet shop, you need to cut it into individual slices.
But for me, slicing the elephant sounds quite strange: An elephant in slices is still difficult to handle – even then those slices would be quite large (even if they are smaller than the original elephant). Moreover, the slices belong only to that specific elephant.
Supply Chain Days: About digital disruption and ambition
Matching themes: Digital Supply Chain, digital transformation
EY’s conference “Supply Chain Days” was held on June 21 and 22 in Heidelberg. More than 150 experts discussed the next step: the digitalization of the supply chain.
The intense interest in this topic was reflected not only by the large number of attendees, but also by the caliber of the participants and speakers: They included representatives of BMW, Siemens, Adidas, Uber and Drägerwerk. Villa Bosch was bursting at the seams. The organizer is now considering moving the conference to another site or partially digitalizing it. And that brings us to the topic at hand.
The key revelation: The supply chain is evolving from an Internet-based, company-owned world and becoming a new cloud-based eco-system designed to serve a global network of all members. Read more
Automated goods receipt – part 2: How to avoid relabeling
Matching themes: ASN, Digital Supply Chain, goods receipt, Inbound Supply Chain
There is definitely a lot of “beeping” going on at my customer’s first plant goods receipt area, where the goods are now being processed – in a considerably more relaxed manner – with scanners.
In the first part of my post on goods receipt optimization, I described how to automate goods logging with electronic notifications.
Now merely the tedious and elaborate relabeling of the packages for internal quality or production processes remains to be solved. A solution for this issue was also developed jointly with my customer. Read more
Automated goods receipt – part 1: Recording deliveries
Matching themes: ASN, Digital Supply Chain, goods receipt, Inbound Supply Chain
The electronic ordering process had just been successfully introduced. As I walk through my customer’s plant grounds after our final meeting, I think to myself “there sure are a lot of trucks in front of the gates,” and get into my car.
As soon as I get on the highway, I call my customer once more, “Mr. XXX, let’s talk about electronic delivery notification and automatic goods logging….”
How to enhance collaboration between procurement and quality management
Matching themes: APQP, procurement, project management, project procurement, quality assurance, quality management, Sourcing
Digital transformation or not: Working together is often difficult even when system-supported processes are in place. This occurs not just on a large scale, e.g. in the collaboration between companies and their suppliers. It also happens on a small scale, e.g. between different departments. Here companies face challenges such as media discontinuity, a lack of transparency, and processes that are interdependent. Read more
Siemens–SupplyOn Suppliers Day: Collectively driving digitalization
Matching themes: Digital Supply Chain, digital transformation, supplier collaboration
“Help shape the future with us”. This call to action greeted over 60 participants at the first Siemens and SupplyOn Suppliers Day. Together with the German Federal Logistics Association (BVL), the two companies invited participants to share their experience of supply chain digitalization in Freising on May 4th. Read more
Industry 4.0 generates excitement at Aeromart Montréal
Matching themes: Aerospace, Digital Supply Chain, Industry 4.0, IoT
With Montréal emerging as a global networking platform for organizations in the aerospace industry, the 5th Aeromart Montréal exceeded critical mass with 1,300 participants representing 800 companies from 28 countries, including growth markets in the US, Asia, India, Africa and Europe. Part of a series of aerospace conferences produced internationally by BCI Aerospace, the 3-day event was a hybrid of informational sessions and business-to-business meetings connecting manufacturers, suppliers, contractors and service providers. Read more
SupplyOn Rail Industry Council: The railway community
Matching themes: Digital Supply Chain, RailSupply
SupplyOn has always made collaboration a top priority. But this includes much more than partnerships between companies and their suppliers. The concept of community is also a key element for these alliances. We develop solutions not just for an industry, but also together with the industry.
As part of this commitment, we created the Rail Industry Council last year. Its main objective is Read more