by John Sucich | Nov 9, 2023 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen it comes to disruptions in the supply chain, there are the kinds an organization can prepare for and the kinds that are harder to anticipate. The disruptions brought about by the pandemic fell into the unanticipated category, and even though the problems brought on by some natural disasters can be expected, a bigger-than-expected weather event can be hard to work around.
Organizations can expect certain disruptions, though, for which customers will hold them accountable. Product shortages, for example, or shipping delays are frustrations that an organization might not have complete control over, but are expected to be able to handle. And the way they can handle them is through data.
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by John Sucich | Aug 17, 2023 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 5 minutesOne of the most complex industries when it comes to supply chain management is healthcare. Some of those complexities were brought to the public’s attention as a result of the pandemic. It was widely known that some healthcare organizations ran out of personal protective equipment (PPE), and some hospitals reacted by either overpaying for supplies, not getting supplies that met the usual standards of quality, or both overpaying and getting less quality.
There are a number of aspects to consider when looking at the supply chain from a healthcare point of view, and data is used in all of it. It is especially important now, as healthcare organizations are looking to cut costs where they can. They are examining their supply chains for opportunities, and they’re using data to help.
by John Sucich | Jun 22, 2023 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 4 minutesArtificial Intelligence (AI) has played a role in the supply chain for years. Like any technology, though, it continues to grow, and that can lead to more opportunities. As the technology improves, and awareness about what exactly AI can do increases, people are looking at AI and its role within all industries with a new set of eyes.
It comes at an important time in particular for the supply chain industry, as after a period of disruption after disruption, organizations are putting more emphasis on quickly analyzing data and making better decisions. Here’s a look at the ways AI is already established in supply chain analytics, and how it might be used moving forward.
by John Sucich | Apr 27, 2023 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 5 minutesOrganizations rely on transparency in their supply chains for any number of reasons. Following the pandemic, companies that did not have their supply chain entirely mapped out came to see the practice’s importance. Instead of finding out about supply chain weaknesses when something stopped working, they could identify and address potential problems ahead of a disruption.
Organizations have taken new approaches recently to help track the origins of their products, and they’ve begun using technology that is new to the industry in order to do so. Here’s why supply chain transparency is important, and how technology is helping organizations be more aware of their goods at every step of their production process.
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by Trevor Branch | Mar 29, 2023 | Cannabis
Reading Time: 5 minutesThe cannabis industry is rapidly expanding, with more and more states legalizing cannabis for both medicinal and recreational use. As new dispensaries and cultivation facilities pop up around the country, the cannabis distribution supply chain grows increasingly complex. Product shelf life, regulations, and the standard obstacles expected from any new industry have posed major obstacles to getting cannabis on store shelves. As a result, efficient supply chain management is growing increasingly important within the industry.
Data analytics platforms, such as Dimensional Insight’s CannaBI Analytics, can provide the supply chain insights that your business needs to answer the important questions such as:
- How do we align supply with demand?
- How do we meet compliance?
- How do we manage multiple channels?
- And, most importantly, how do we increase sales?
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by John Sucich | Feb 16, 2023 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 5 minutesWhen it comes to sustainability in the supply chain, the one consistent thread is that companies are facing increasing pressure to be as environmentally friendly as possible. Perhaps another consistent thread is the fact that for those organizations, meeting those sustainability demands can be a difficult task.
For the companies that are serious about reaching their sustainability goals, though, difficult is not impossible. Here are some ways organizations can approach sustainability in the supply chain, and how they can use data to help achieve their goals.
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by John Sucich | Jan 19, 2023 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 4 minutesWhen the pandemic hit, the companies that found the most success were the ones that could pivot the most quickly. Instead of closing their doors and waiting for people to dine out again, some restaurants sold some of their ingredients for customers to make food at home. Some in-person activities – like fitness centers or escape rooms – changed their operations to a live interactive experience using an app like Zoom. Retail stores began offering curbside pickup.
Some organizations were able to pivot production because they had the materials available, which is how breweries began to make hand sanitizer, for example, or an engine filter factory began churning out masks. Creativity helps when a disruption hits. But you shouldn’t have to rely on a lucky alignment of circumstances for ways that your business might survive an interruption. It’s not too late to put a system in place so your organization can get an idea of what to expect the next time the unexpected happens.
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by John Sucich | Oct 13, 2022 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 4 minutesMore than two and a half years after the onset of a global pandemic, the supply chain continues to experience disruption. What started out with the closure of factories has become a shortage of workers to help get goods from one place to another.
Warehouse workers, truck drivers, railroad workers, and port workers – many pieces along the supply chain are seeing shortages that have affected the smooth movement of goods. Organizations are hoping there is a light at the end of the tunnel, though, and they think data can help show them the way.
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by John Sucich | Sep 15, 2022 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 4 minutesThe ordinary person doesn’t think much about the supply chain until something goes wrong. It’s the product that doesn’t reach them that draws the most attention. As everyone has come to realize over the past couple of years, any one weak link in the supply chain can cause that product to not reach its destination.
One of the generally unnoticed parts of the supply chain is packaging. If the supply chain is working smoothly, no one thinks about it. But packaging is something that can end up causing a disruption along the line. Here are some of the ways packaging can impact the supply chain, and how data can help make sure your organization’s packaging is at its most efficient.
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by John Sucich | Aug 11, 2022 | Manufacturing & Supply Chain
Reading Time: 4 minutesFor most industries, the scariest thing about a disruption to “business as usual” is the unpredictability of it. It’s hard to control every aspect of a business, but controlling as much as possible certainly eliminates those unpredictable elements.
The right analytics solution can help you make decisions about which parts of your business are the ones you can best control. Here are a few examples of companies that were able to use data to eliminate some of the uncertainty of the supply chain.
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