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.
Global supply chains are on the move. Executives have been hit with the harsh reality that the risk (supply chain, geopolitical, cyber, IP, etc.) is far higher than they realized when they outsourced with an eye to cost.
Lisa Anderson joined Food and Beverage Talk podcast to discuss supply chain challenges and opportunities in the food and beverage industry.
A lack of visibility, labor shortages, and surging shipping costs make navigating the supply chain feel impossible.
There has been a run of strikes or threats of strikes lately with the latest UAW strike impacting the Big 3 automobile manufacturers. If it lasts longer than a few days, there will undoubtedly be a huge impact on the end-to-end supply chain as well as the economy.
The awareness of the importance of international supply chains has grown in recent years, not just among the business fraternity, but more widely in the media, among politicians and ordinary citizens as well.
Manufacturing is making a resurgence in the U.S. and other countries around the world. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a shortage of 550,000 stable manufacturing jobs to be filled in manufacturing businesses nationwide.
Executives are struggling to keep up with inflationary raw material prices, elevated customer requirements, margin pressures, and the lack of people to fulfill key roles. Thus, they are looking to their ERP system and related supply chain technologies for answers.
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.
