Top supply chain and logistics articles of 2015

Fronetics Strategic Advisors is a leading management consulting firm focused on the logistics and supply chain industries.  Our industry and functional expertise enables us to fully support and guide our clients as they address critical business issues, take advantages of opportunities, and grow their company. Our clients rely on us to create and execute marketing strategies, capture value from their customer and channel strategies, identify opportunities for increased revenue, create and execute new organizational models, and lead transformational organizational change.

Supply chain talent is a salient issue.  At Fronetics we not only provide thought leadership on this subject, we also engage with future talent.  Each year Fronetics collaborates with MBA students from the University of New Hampshire Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics.  I am excited that several of the most-read logistics and supply chain articles were written by these students.

Here are the 10 most read logistics and supply chain articles of 2015:

Is Amazon Ever Going to Stop Surprising Us?

It’s difficult to accurately predict what Amazon will be doing fifteen years from now, but whatever they are doing, it will mostly likely continue to shape consumer expectations and impact the surrounding business and consumer markets in ways we had not thought of beforehand. Read the full article.

El Faro Thrusts the Shipping Industry into the Spotlight

There is a common misconception that the majority of goods we purchase arrive via plane, or are transported via road. The reality is that 90% of everything we buy comes by ship — and it’s not likely that this number is going to decrease any time soon. Read the full article.

Internet of Things and Its Impact on Supply Chain Management

While many of us may be familiar with recent advancements in home automation, like the Nest thermostat, the real impacts of the Internet of Things (IoT) will be in supply chain management.  Recent reports by Cisco, IDC and Gartner all claim that a significant increase in the number of devices making up IoT will have a profound impact on how future supply chains will operate. Read the full article.

Arrow Electronics’ Cathy Morris Talks Women in the Supply Chain

Cathy Morris, senior vice president and chief strategy officer for Arrow Electronics, Inc., talks women in the supply chain and offers up career advice. Read the full article.

Supplier Scorecards: Tracking Supplier Performance

Regularly tracking your relationship with your suppliers and their performance toward your expectations is critical to ensure the success of your business. One mechanism for tracking this is the supplier scorecard — in essence, a report card for your supplier. Supplier scorecards, when used effectively, can help maintain a healthy supply chain and will benefit both parties. If not used effectively, supplier scorecards can damage the supplier relationship and hurt both businesses. Read the full article.

Pet food industry supply chain challenge

The pet food industry is a market that boasts $21.57 billion dollars in sales in the United States (2013). According to Trade Group, with 95.6 million cats and 83.3 million dogs owned in the United States, it is no wonder that there is such a large market for the food that the self-proclaimed “pet parents” feed them. However, it isn’t all good news for aspiring entrants, as they must first understand the supply chain that dictates this growing industry. Read the full article.

Transfix and the Uberfication of Trucking

Uber, the on-demand driver-for-hire mobile service, has come to stand for disruption.  The company has not only transformed the taxi industry, it has changed everything.  Uber, Aaron Levie notes, is a “lesson in building for how the world *should* work instead of optimizing for how the world *does* work.” NY-based start-up Transfix is doing just this.  With the launch of the company’s new app, Transfix is poised to disrupt the trucking industry.  Read the full article.

Top Female Supply Chain Executive, Mickey North Rizza, Talks Women in the Supply Chain

“Man or woman, the Supply Chain of the future depends upon the perfect mix of talent. And, as we know, Supply Chain talent is experiencing a shortage.” Read the full article.

Social media and content marketing works, just ask freight logistics company Cerasis

Looking at the manufacturing, supply chain, logistics, transportation, distribution and freight industries, there are a few companies that have emerged as leaders — companies that exemplify the business value of creating and executing digital, social media, and content marketing strategies.  Cerasis, a freight logistics company, is one of them. Read the full article.