Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

Do FMCG, Drinks & Pharma Companies delude themselves on Customer Service? I think some may well be doing this and may or may not know it! Whatever service related KPI you measure the aim is designed to see how you are performing both internally and…

Trying to get the best out of distributors in some less developed markets is particularly challenging. The traditional non-key account trade is unstructured and characterised by very many players many of whom are opportunists and not interested in…

Like many business functions Supply Chains use multiple initials and/or acronyms to describe various tasks they manage on a daily basis. Those not familiar with SC-speak will often sit bemused in meetings as various initials are quoted and debated…

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…

Research and experience has shown that where companies view Sales & Operational Planning (S&OP) as a supply chain process and planning system it invariably fails to deliver the expected results and benefits. Conversely where S&OP is seen as the…

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…

After the grand total of 1 days sailing during the first week – the Mistral is back again & we are port bound - moral is flagging. ‘Customer service levels’ are dropping. This mind is wandering. Time for some nautical S&OP stuff again. Let’s…

We finally got going (sailing that is) yesterday when the wind dropped to a breezy Force 4 on the beam (that’s from the side) - wonderful sailing weather. And it was marvellous – whizzing along at 7-8 knots. Mind wandering territory again ...…

This is a debate that I am starting to loose, I’ll stick with it though at least until such time as IT systems develop intelligence and personality. The theoretical debate on the role of IT in S&OP will of course run for a long time, hence this…

It’s amazing how the mind wanders when one is stuck. In my case I have just started a sailing holiday with family in tow. Here we are in the South of France west of Marseille, boat at the ready & raring to go. Problem – there is a Mistral blowing.…

There are no individuals in this team. This is a team where the whole is far greater than the sum of the parts. The Supply Chain operates quietly and often in the background but is an essential team for any business. Team Sheet Goal Keeper S&OP –…

If you have outsourced your logistics operation to a 3rd party logistics provider (3PLP) in CEE and you have any of the following problems: Unexplained stock losses Poor communication Delivery delays Inefficiency Cost increases Picking errors…