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.
Month end sales peaking is alive and well in FMCG/Pharma-land.
Dave Jordan Thu, Aug 01, 2013
Imagine Manchester United needed 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 take 6 wickets to win a…
FMCG Route To Market in D&E: Producer DC Errors Don’t Help
Dave Jordan Tue, Jul 30, 2013
“There is always somebody worse off than you” is a commonly rolled out piece of wisdom when somebody thinks life is unfair or hard. In reality this wisdom applies to all but the most unhealthy, unfortunate or poorest people on the planet but in the…
FMCG: Beer and Soft Drinks on shelf availability or not!
Dave Jordan Thu, Jul 25, 2013
In my local supermarket over the weekend I noticed something I had not seen or perhaps not noticed before. On the shelf I was expecting to relieve of my weekend beer was a propped up sign saying “We are sorry your choice is not available. We are…
Communicating FMCG Supply Chain Change; Music to your SC ears?
Dave Jordan Tue, Jul 02, 2013
From personal experience I know how difficult it can be to enable sustainable change in the extended Supply Chain. Communicating change is hard enough but actually seeing it happen and being maintained is a tough task for most companies. Even though…
FMCG RTM: Evaluate your distributor network in peak season
Dave Jordan Thu, Jun 27, 2013
When you are absorbed in a competitive fast moving consumer goods business there is never a good time to take holidays. Those long awaited training courses always appear on the agenda at a critical launch period or at a difficult month or quarter…
FMCG Demand Planning Quality and Wimbledon Tennis
Dave Jordan Tue, Jun 25, 2013
That time of year is upon us once again. This 2 week period usually guarantees rain in UK when the only relief could be an impossibly wrinkle-free and young-looking Cliff Richard leading the communal singing during the delays. “Oohs” and “aahs” and…
FMCG Beer Brewers, here comes the sun. Is your RTM ready?
Dave Jordan Thu, Jun 20, 2013
The sun is out and the sky is blue so what drink waits for you? Beer producers rely on the sun to drive sales and produce a distinct pull along the supply chain but how many will win the market place battle? Certainly, if they are not ready for the…
FMCG/Pharma IT: The Supply Chain of the Future?
Dave Jordan Thu, May 23, 2013
Do you agree that Supply Chains seem to evolve very, very slowly? I cannot recall any major ground-breaking innovation in recent times. Yes, we have had bar-coding, RFID and S&OP etc but nothing that sticks out as significant or a major leap…
Trouble brewing or has the extended beer Supply Chain lost its fizz?
Dave Jordan Thu, May 16, 2013
During the summer months I am partial to a pint of the foaming ale with a solid, woody name like Woods Quaff served from a hand-pulled pump. Add a bag of pork scratchings and a village green cricket match and there you have what would approach the…
Enchange RTM Fix-It Utilities 10 Professional for FMCG & Pharma
Dave Jordan Wed, May 08, 2013
Is your Route To Market (RTM) network sluggish? Does your system frequently stall and cause frustration? Sales performance not going to plan? Competitors streaking ahead of you? Is your boss at Corporate HQ giving you a rough time? What can you do?…
You need more than speed for Route To Market (RTM) success.
Dave Jordan Thu, Apr 04, 2013
In my D&E career I have lived and worked in many different countries on all continents except the Australia/New Zealand bits. Oh, and the North/South Poles of course – not a lot of demand for FMCG there, yet. There is one recurring theme that seems…
FMCG/Brewing parallel and counterfeit trade: Shades of greys
Dave Jordan Mon, Mar 11, 2013
Probably sitting at number 2 in the excuses offered when sales did not happen as planned is parallel or grey trade. Without doubt greys, “passing off” and counterfeits can have an impact on FMCG sales but I was surprised how they only became…
FMCG dummy QA recalls are not for dummies:Supply Chain Challenges
Dave Jordan Mon, Feb 25, 2013
The recent high profile cases of horsemeat DNA appearing in products marked as beef and other meats have generated a fair amount of humour but they also place great strain on FMCG Supply Chains. Thousands of Supply Chain professionals around the…
RTM Logistics: Getting your “stuff” onto shelves for consumers to buy
Dave Jordan Thu, Nov 15, 2012
You may well have another corporate buzz term for the getting your products onto shelves, into restaurants and into coolers but the title above is simple and succinct. You may use Route to Market, Go to Market or Distribution but they all have the…
FMCG 3PLP partnerships: A happy marriage? Avoid divorce.
Dave Jordan Thu, Nov 01, 2012
Marriage is quite a project, isn’t it? You take a look at what is on the market and get to know a few possibilities. You may search for a long time to find the right partner who will sweep you off your feet and eventually carry you over the…
