Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog
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We are passionate about Route to Market and supply chain management and we are delighted to share our thoughts with you. We would like to hear from you too, so please comment on our posts or contact us.
FMCG/Pharma: How a wagging SKU tail knocks companies off-balance
Dave Jordan Tue, Oct 09, 2012
When the biology teacher tells you humans have a tail your ears prick up and you wait for the punch line and inevitable student guffaw. But it’s true! Our coccyx or tailbone is what remains of our lost tail. All mammals have a tail at one point in…
Is APO music to your Supply Chain ears.........ABBA?
Dave Jordan Fri, Oct 05, 2012
There are many ways to link all the different planning activities in your FMCG company. This could be done with one single tool like the SAP Advanced Planning Optimiser or a host of other tools and packages. As with all IT you need to know how to…
Quarter 4 Opportunities for FMCG, Brewing and Pharma Companies
Dave Jordan Thu, Sep 27, 2012
Hold on a minute, how did we get to this time in the year? I know time appears to hasten as you grow older but this year has flown by. One minute we were eagerly awaiting the Olympics and now we heading directly into a northern hemisphere winter and…
FMCG/Fuel Forecast Accuracy: Forget Flying Fears
Dave Jordan Wed, Sep 12, 2012
I have just arrived back from a great holiday full of sun, sand, sea and sacks of candy-floss which inevitably inspired me to write. I was already in my late twenties when I first flew primarily due to an irrational fear of flying. As a conscious…
FMCG CEO : An important reunion with S&OP
Dave Jordan Wed, Jul 18, 2012
Here at Missing Pieces/Fractured Families/Long Lost Family – delete as per local programming presented by irritating celebrity – we help people find family and friends they have not seen for many years. Often, we are a last resort after all other…
Silo & Obstructional Priorities (S&OP) in FMCG
Dave Jordan Wed, Jun 20, 2012
Today I am getting ready to do business in my nameless dysfunctional FMCG business. For “FMCG” you can substitute ANY business sector you wish. I pull on my tough walking boots that will do very well at hiking and climbing and dealing with any water…
Who wears the trousers in your FMCG/Brewing/Pharma S&OP process?
Dave Jordan Wed, Jun 06, 2012
Ok, I think it is fairly clear I am a big fan of S&OP. In companies without structure and process this is a way to establish a solid operational framework in a business and this does not actually cost a lot of money or need expensive or complicated…
New Product Development (NPD) needs direct linkage to S&OP
Dave Jordan Wed, May 30, 2012
There is enough disruption and discontinuity in supply chains without the necessary evil of new product development (NPD) and product change getting in the way. Just when everyone has become used to ordering, storing, picking, delivering or…
FMCG S&OP navigation with cheese and wine.......
Dave Jordan Mon, May 28, 2012
Thursday evening and heading out to an organic bread, cheese and wine evening. Oh yes, very sophisticated these days! After temperatures in the 30’s recently the torrential rain and the “end of the world” sky literally dampened spirits as we joined…
Sales & Operational Planning needs communication not technology
Dave Jordan Tue, May 22, 2012
In a recent post I took a look at how technology has changed over a relatively short time and how it is used in supply chains. For example, the cutting edge fax machine of the 1970’s is now joining the VHS and cassette tape players in the sad and…
Who is the stooge in your S&OP process?
Dave Jordan Fri, May 04, 2012
Laurel and Hardy, Morecambe and Wise, Abbott and Costello, Little and Large, Cameron and Clegg. These are examples of double acts where one party plays the straight/stooge and apparently serious man while the other plays the fool/jester. I admit I…
Who is the Weakest Link in your Supply Chain
Dave Jordan Thu, Apr 12, 2012
Not since Margaret Thatcher has a woman been so feared. Steely cold eyes and a grin that makes the Mona Lisa look like she is having a good old guffaw. Jet black clothes contribute to her oozing superiority complex and an image of someone certainly…
FMCG, Brewing and Pharma : Famous Last Supply Chain Words
Dave Jordan Fri, Mar 23, 2012
The “Famous Last words” of people can be intriguing, rude and frequently very, very funny just as much as they can be complete nonsense. In the context of Supply Chain, “Famous Last Words” are usually uttered just before something disastrous or…
FMCG Supply Chain Challenges: International Rugby Union.......
Dave Jordan Thu, Mar 15, 2012
Sacred blue, mon petite pois, bonjour as Del Boy would say. Against all odds, a very young and experimental England rugby team defeated France in the 2012 6 Nations. Add in the fact that this match was in France and the home team had not lost there…
FMCG Regional Supply Chains ; Swiss Legal Entities & Local Op-Cos
Dave Jordan Tue, Feb 14, 2012
In Europe at least, there is a fashion for creating a new supply chain legal entity and housing it in a friendly canton in Switzerland. The prime benefit is tax although operational and efficiency savings are often claimed to offset the nasty…
