CLAREMONT, Calif., July 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — Manufacturing and Supply Chain Expert Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP, CLTD, president of LMA Consulting Group Inc., confirms that supply chain resiliency requires acute attention to inventory and cost pressures for manufacturers and distributors. As predicted in her 2019 forecast, “Manufacturing & Supply Chain in the New Normal,” ever-changing customer needs, increased expectations, tight labor and transportation challenges are the ‘new normal’ and key issues for manufacturing and the supply chain.
Economic volatility and what Ms. Anderson calls the Amazon Effect – high customer expectations requiring rapid deliveries, accessibility and flexible, customized service – is putting pressure on costs and inventory levels.
“It’s like the perfect storm, tariffs, last minute changes, rapid delivery requirements and increased customer demands are challenging the supply chain. In turn, inventory levels are increasing. Add in elevated labor and logistics costs and it gets tougher and tougher to control costs,” Ms. Anderson explains.
The result is an increased focus on improving inventory turns to accelerate cash flow, as well as an emphasis on re-shoring and near-sourcing.
“Aligning sales forecasts with operational capabilities is critical for manufacturers to thrive. In our 14 years of consulting, sales, inventory and operations planning (SIOP) has consistently delivered the strongest increase in business value. Leveraging best practices in demand planning and better aligning sales forecasts with operational capabilities will drive significant improvements in customer performance and the bottom line,” she says.
LMA Consulting Group works with manufacturers and distributors on strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation to maximize the customer experience and enable profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth. As a result of her work with manufacturers and distributors and financial knowledge of factors affecting the bottom line, Ms. Anderson has been appointed by the Logistics Council of the Inland Empire Economic Partnership (IEEP) to lead the effort to develop a consortium for logistics, supply chain and advanced manufacturing success.
“Inland Southern California leads California in job creation and manufacturing growth. We are in an ideal situation to become a global leader in logistics, advanced manufacturing and export excellence. I’m very excited to be spearheading the effort with the IEEP to create a Consortium of Excellence to support the future of the industry and accelerate regional growth,” she says.
About LMA Consulting Group – Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP, CLTD
Lisa Anderson is the founder and president of LMA Consulting Group, Inc., a consulting firm that specializes in manufacturing strategy and end-to-end supply chain transformation. She focuses on maximizing the customer experience and enabling profitable, scalable, dramatic business growth Ms. Anderson has been named a Top 40 B2B Tech Influencer by arketi group, a 50 ERP Influencer by Washington-Frank, ranked in the top 46 most influential in Supply Chain by SAP and named a top woman influencer by Solutions Review. She recently published, I’ve Been Thinking, an inspiring collection of 101 strategies for creating bold customer promises and profits. A regular content contributor on topics including providing a superior customer experience with SIOP, advancing innovation and making the supply chain resilient, Ms. Anderson is regularly interviewed and quoted by publications such as Industry Week, tED magazine and the Wall Street Journal. For information, to sign up for her Profit Through People™ Newsletter or for a copy of her book, visit lma-consultinggroup.com.
Originally published on PR Newswire on July 3, 2019