Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

Ok, I will admit to something. I started my career as an R&D type who helped bring FMCG products to the market. Nobody really knew how a product made the transition from bench top and pilot plant testing to the supermarket shelves. Somebody must…

From Monty Python to S&OP and integrated supply chain planning in one blog. The next instalment .... Dear Mike I thought that you were joking when you said my email would make a great series of articles about integrated supply chain planning.…

This week we take a tongue-in-cheek look at the Supply Chain charts. I Want My ERP – Sting is at number 10 with his classic need for a decent ERP system to support your business. Avoid off the shelf solutions as they rarely work in the long run.…

Inspired by Monty Python’s film “Life of Brian” ... What have the Romans ever done for us? And one of our consultants ..... "What has S&OP ever done for us? ...said Reginald the (very frustrated) CEO at the annual operational review meeting. Silence…

Sorry, this blog has nothing to do with any of the above. It is everything to do with Friday afternoon & a bit of fun. We had a meeting today about how to improve our blogging & some whit suggested that if we were really serious about increasing web…

Nobody doubts the difficult market conditions we find ourselves in. Every single company is trying its hardest to take their share of a diminishing consumer purse to meet their targets. In reality, not everyone can achieve their annual numbers but…

No, honestly this is a blog about Supply Chain! Those seeking advice on leather and chains should return to Google now. Within an FMCG business are there any people lacking more in structure, discipline and planning as Sales and Marketing…

Yes, it is difficult. You have already "sold" the stock and paid out and received sales bonuses based on sales targets. The fact is that although the stock may have left your books it has not really been sold. The ownership of the goods has changed…

Hello pop pickers, this weeks’ top 10 smash hits in this important but often forgotten part of the Supply Chain. At number 10 is All Systems Go by Donna Summer – Do not cut costs on your WMS and avoid any untried local “specials”. Make sure all…

“We’ve been doing S&OP in our African Operating Companies for 5 or 6 years .... & it’s still not working properly....” This was one of several discussions we have had with clients over the last couple of weeks and something of a recurring theme.…

Despite what you might wish to believe the answer is probably, yes. You have invested heavily in brand spanking new ERP software and similarly heavily in some smart, young consultancy people to run the implementation. You will have spent some timing…

I have been thinking about Africa this year & its particular needs regarding supply chain. We have been working there since 1993 & it came back into consciousness during the World Cup. Many African countries are growing rapidly. However, I have been…

If you suffer from agoraphobia you should avoid visiting FMCG/ Pharmaceutical warehouses in CEE. Pre the banking and financial melt-down you would struggle to find any available space and certainly not in significant workable quantities. Not too…

As we slowly (but surely?) emerge out of recession you can expect the number of M&A deals to rise. Many companies have tightened their belts and tried to ride out the economic storm but many have already gone to the wall and even more will follow.…

Route to Market (RTM) is a term used for a series of innovative approaches to a manufacturers supply chain that encompasses all processes and activities dealing with Finished Goods (FG) . Traditionally these processes have been identified as…