This is the strangest economy

This is the strangest economy – like nothing we have ever seen before. America • Inflation is up, but so are the jobs numbers. We added 339,000 jobs to the American economy in May. But many companies, especially in high tech, are laying off people. • We are officially in a bull market. • Unemployment … Read more

4 Nonmonetary Motivators to Drive Supplier Quality Improvements

A common challenge supplier quality leaders face is getting suppliers to implement improvements beyond those necessary to maintain compliance. According to participants in Gartner’s Supplier Quality Management Benchmark Survey, even if suppliers have the knowledge and ability to develop their quality capabilities, about one-third of organizations struggle to motivate suppliers to do so. While many … Read more

This Supply Chain Year Will Be Dependent on Politics

Like so many organizations, the Reshoring Institute did a predictions survey for 2024. The results surprised us. Out of all the responses, politics was the most often cited regarding what will affect supply chains in 2024. Fifteen or 20 years ago, politics wouldn’t have garnered even a mention, as government and laws provided mere background … Read more

Reliable Middle Mile for the Unreliable World

Transportation planning for the furniture and home goods industry presents a complex puzzle. Online retailers, like the company we’re about to uncover, face the challenge of efficiently moving products from warehouses to customers’ doorsteps. However, traditional planning methods often fail to account for the inherent randomness and variation in real-world operations. In our research, we … Read more