mThink

ASCET: What are the obstacles to achieving the level of visibility and integration in the supply chain that companies are working to achieve? Sonny Singh (SS): The three that are the most common are standards, technology and culture. Visibility brings a lot of benefits, but it requires standards. Rosetta Net, for example, works to promote [...]

We may never see a television series about supply chains. However, nearly everyone is familiar with Survivor, where the best players develop fast-changing strategies to outdo competitors and persevere through shifting conditions. “Outwit, outplay, outlast” is the show’s motto. So perhaps Survivor can be viewed as a good model – a template, in fact – [...]

RFID technology will be a critical tool for combating drug counterfeiting and improving public safety. The question for pharmaceutical companies is where to start and how best to deploy RFID technology in complex supply chains. This article examines some of the key considerations and opportunities for RFID solutions in the pharmaceutical supply chain. Symptoms of [...]

Smart warfare. We never stop trying to fight battles better – to increase the effectiveness and lethality of our Marines when confronting the enemy. By doing so we accomplish our missions faster and save lives. At the opposite end of the spectrum from the battlefield, on a much less visible front, we never stop trying [...]

Effective management of the supply chain over the last decade has helped several leading corporations gain market share, reduce costs and deliver more value to their shareholders. However, the aviation and defense industry has lagged its peers in adopting supply chain management practices. If one digs deeper, they will find several reasons that have driven [...]

Aviall, Inc. (NYSE:AVL) is a leading provider of aftermarket supply chain management services for the aviation and defense industries. As the world’s largest independent provider of aviation parts, the Aviall Services business unit markets and distributes products for over 220 manufacturers and offers approximately 660,000 catalog items from 37 customer service centers located in North [...]

A common supply chain misconception equates “liquids” with “process industries.” A huge opportunity for discrete and service industries lies in recognizing the quantity of liquids that flow through these industries and exploiting the operational, financial and strategic benefits that liquid-oriented logistics offers. Since supply chain networks for liquid products are fundamentally different from those for [...]

For some of the nation’s leading retailers and manufacturers looking to find the right third-party logistics and transportation partner to help move their products into the hands of consumers, one consistent name continues to rise to the top – Cardinal Logistics Management Corporation (Cardinal). Headquartered in Concord, N.C., Cardinal is one of the fastest-growing third-party [...]

ASCET: Cardinal Logistics is a relatively small company with some very big clients – KraftMaid Cabinetry, The Home Depot, Best Buy, Office Depot, IKEA and Georgia-Pacific to name a few. How are you working with your clients in terms of warehouse, inventory and transportation management? Are you using RFID, bar coding? Tom Hostetler (TH): We’re [...]