As companies are searching for ways to successfully navigate these turbulent times, the best ones are achieving a win-win focus on the customer and costs. Since the pandemic, there has been a heightened awareness of the customer experience as companies struggled with supply chain disruptions, delays, shortages, and the lack of resources.
CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA – November 20, 2023 – In a business landscape characterized by unprecedented business volatility, maintaining stellar customer service emerges as a critical differentiator for companies navigating the ebbs and flows of the current market. Manufacturing and Supply Chain Consultant Lisa Anderson, MBA, CSCP, CLTD and President of [...]
In the last month, clients have been proving the critical importance of SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning), also known as S&OP or IBP (Integrated Business Planning) time and again.
Lisa Anderson of LMA Consulting Group was quoted in a Harvard Business Review report about supply chain volatility and uncertainty that are part of the new normal.
Inflation and disruption are increasing again. Wholesale inflation as measured by the producer price index increased by .5% since last month which was more than expected. Core inflation (excluding food and energy) went up by .3% which was also more than expected.
In working across company sizes, industries, and geographies, in almost 20 years of business consulting, every single client without exception needed to better utilize data to improve customer service and bottom line results. Smart clients are turning data into insights so that they can pinpoint where to focus quickly.
Manufacturing is in a state of flux. After seven straight months of contraction in manufacturing, it is not surprising manufacturers are thinking about cutting back. On the other hand, in many industries, manufacturers continue to have a robust backlog and are growing faster than their capacity.
Prior to Uber, a medallion (a transferable permit that allows a taxi driver to operate) cost $1 million dollars in New York city. It was a powerful permit with substantial value. After Uber started up, the low point for a medallion was around $25,000. That is a 40-fold [...]
Manufacturing is on a downward trend after eight months of PMI (purchasing manager's index) below 50. It dropped to 46 in June. China's manufacturing also shrank for a third month in a row to a PMI of 49. Yet manufacturers backlogs remain relatively robust in many industries, leading executives perplexed on what to do about capacity shortfalls.
Interest rates have increased by a historic amount within the last year. Increases of almost 5 points on such an aggressive timeline is already having a significant impact on manufacturers and distributor’s ability to fund and support their business growth.
