Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

Who let the dogs out? If you lived in or visited Bucharest about 10 years ago you will have seen one or two stray dogs hanging around the city. Actually, a lot more than one or two, there were hoards of them. In 2010 a proposal was made to organise…

Your call is important to us.... Previously, we looked at how some companies are economical with the truth when it comes to measuring Customer Service. Today we take a look at how your telephone face to the customer can be helping or hindering your…

Service with a smile? Do FMCG companies delude themselves on Customer Service (CS) performance? I think some companies are guilty of this but may or may not know it is happening! Whatever service related Key Performance Indicator (KPI) you measure,…

Holiday hangover? Ok, so 2024 has been put to bed financially but many will be paying a heavy price for the mammoth last quarter efforts which must have made logistics companies and advertising and promotional agencies extremely wealthy. I wonder…

A diet beckons? Have you been brave enough to step on the bathroom scales yet or are you trying to ignore the inevitable weight gain? You may well have overindulged in chocolate during the holidays but do you still crave more? Get yourself and a…

Plane sight When travelling by air, my personal preference is to take only one plane to my final destination, where possible. I know this is more expensive than journeys with connections but I find it a much better overall experience given the…

Morning woes I have just had one of those mornings. I missed the alarm and the 10-minute snooze and from then on everything went downhill. Jumped in the shower for a brief cleanse but then once waterlogged I realised there was no soap, not even a…

Recondite complexity? I recently discussed how complexity negatively affects cost and service including how a floppy SKU tail inhibits growth. Do you understand the impact unnecessary SKUs have on FMCG success? CEOs should be seeking leaner and…

Double Bio, then the weekend! Finally, Friday afternoon and looking forward to running out of school with a whole weekend of football ahead. Just a double Biology lesson to get through and then 2 days of freedom from books, blackboards and…

Stealth? What made me think of that word? Do you remember that playground game called Statues? One person is the 'Museum Curator' and stands at the end of a field or yard. Everyone else stands an agreed distance away and the aim of the game is for a…

Deliver, deliver, deliver. Briefly, before we get stuck into today's article, I recently took a first-hand look at the ailing National Health Service in UK. Oh, how a little bit of demand and supply planning expertise plus a smidgeon of alternative…

Frustration Preparation Today I am getting ready to do business in my nameless but dysfunctional FMCG business. For “FMCG” you could substitute ANY business sector you wish. A full body suit made from flexible Kevlar with all the usual macho,…

A little bit of fun this week after the dreary focus on the UK General Election and England performances. Here comes the world's greatest drink sales guy! Summer is here and drinks producers across the globe will be battling for an increased share…

Too Little Too Late? Imagine Manchester City needing to score 5 goals in the last match of the season to win the English Premier League yet they do not start attacking with any intent until the 80th minute. Or the England cricket team needing to…

Cost saving klaxon alert!!!!!!! Picture the scene in many an FMCG boardroom. A terse note has arrived from the suits at HQ telling the boss to urgently reduce costs as the H1 or year-end result is not going to look pretty. Why do all the board…