Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

Dear Mr. K Ite, Thank you for your very short note highlighting some minor points; I can see you are a little aggrieved. On behalf of Santa I will attempt to minimise your apparent unease with the S&OP process in the context of the small print in…

“Dashing through the snow In a one horse open sleigh…” How many of you actually started to sing then? Yes, the festive period is fast approaching and the biggest and best Supply Chain in the world is almost ready to activate. There is no way Santa…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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.…

This weeks’ top 10 looks at FMCG Route To Market Distribution - how do you get your product onto shelves? Straight in at number 10 is Queen with One Vision – Work with Distributors that have a clearly defined strategy in place. If they know what…

What a week it’s been. Plenty of S&OP tracks moving up the charts this week and some old favourites still hanging on – but only just. At number 10 it’s We Don’t Talk Anymore from Cliff Richard – A sign you need an S&OP process. When did you last…

No. If this was true there would be no space on the beach as it would be full of CEE Producer Sales Directors. Leave the Marketing guys to enjoy the beach. Does your Distributor have a clear understanding of their potential universe? Small…

There are many reasons why all sorts of relationships fail even after several years of partnership. Boredom, infidelity, money problems etc, etc but look at it a different way and consider what is it that makes relationships last and prosper? Photo…

Before you ask, no there is nothing wrong with Pennsylvania. I found it to be a great place with the most helpful tourist office I have ever visited. Bear with me and I will get back to this later and also introduce Polly. “We have always done it…