Supply Chain

Key Trends to Keep in Mind in 2018

With the release of Accenture’s 2018 Fjord Trends report, we see seven tech trends and their anticipated evolution throughout the coming year, and their subsequent impact on business and consumers. According to Mark Curtis and the Team at Fjord, each of the 2018 trends is born out of a fundamental tension, whether it’s a shift, a disagreement, a collision or a definitive rift in ideas. Digital versus physical, human versus machine, centralised versus decentralised, speed versus craft, automation versus control, [...]

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e-Commerce Fulfilment – Global Challenges and Opportunities

With another holiday season fast approaching, it seems that nearly one half of all consumers are going to experience some disappointment with their holiday orders, resulting in frustration and dissatisfaction in their overall online shopping experience. Despite retailer’s best efforts, a shocking 47% of consumers say they faced challenges related to shipping when making holiday purchases last year, suffering issues such as tracking inaccuracies, non-transparent return policies, wrong shipped items, items shipped to the wrong address, or duty and tax [...]

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Aligning Organisational Strategy and Supply Chain Strategy

I am often asked to speak to senior executives about organizational strategy and supply chain strategy, and how to effectively achieve alignment of the two. Its complex nature requires a lengthy presentation or workshop, but I like to summarise at the end with a ten-point summary: Articulate & share the organisations Vision & Mission with every employee and partner, again and again. Express in detail & share the organizations strategy with the mid and senior Management Team; the Supply Chain Team should [...]

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Take a Look at Your Future Supermarket

Integrating online and offline grocery shopping, Alibaba appears to be leading the way in the new era of supermarket retailing with the launch of another three new supermarkets in Beijing and Shanghai recently, reaching a total of 13 stores in its new retail format. Cleverly blending mobile technology, big-data analytics and a traditional hands-on service approach, Alibaba, trading under the Hema Supermarkets name, is delivering a very compelling offer to the Chinese market: Customer membership, which remembers purchase preferences and makes [...]

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Improving the GCC Food Supply Chain

A growing population base; increasing affluence, the growing awareness and sophistication in the average consumer; and rising tourist inflow is driving up food demand across the GCC region. How we experience the availability, quality, price, consistency, and diversity of choices in this most important and even indulgent part of our lives is a direct consequence of the food and beverage (F&B) supply chain. To illustrate the scale of this sector in the GCC, a recent research report revealed that food consumption [...]

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