I think most of you know that I am pursuing a Ph.D in Supply Chain Management at the University of Missouri and at the same time I am working with our Clients. This allows me to learn high level supply chain concepts and implement at the same time... which is a real bonus for my Clients and for me as a person who loves Supply Chain Management.

I thought I would use the e-newsletter to share with you 16 critical Supply Chain Management decisions that companies make either by design or default.  I will be writing summaries of these 16 critical decisions over this coming year.   

We are here for you, so if there is an area of interest just call (314-406-4962) or email (mitch@supplyvelocity.com) and we will provide more information to help you reduce costs and profitably grow sales.

Over the next year I will be writing summaries of each Critical Supply Chain Decision.  If you want me to cover one topic ahead of the others just call or email me at 314-406-4962, mitch@supplyvelocity.com.  I will also be writing detailed white papers (that will be located on our web site) that support each enewsletter for those that want a deeper dive.  Click on the link to get a pdf of this list.    

• Reducing variation in the Supply Chain  
• The Bullwhip Effect / visibility of inventory and demand in the supply chain
• Choosing the best Supply Chain for your Product
• How Information Technology is used in SCM to reduce costs and increase sales
• Work-flow technologies
• Improve visibility of inventory and end-customer demand
• New business models to increase sales
• Trust and Collaboration with Supply Chain Partners
• Optimization Methods to help management make decisions about:  
• Network design / facility location
• Inventory quantities
• Routing trucks
• Transportation modes
• Aggregating data to reduce variation of data used in analytical models
• Using simulation to evaluate systems and decisions under uncertain conditions (demand, material process, operating costs, supply, etc.
• Discrete event simulation
• Monte Carlo simulation
• 15 Strategic Choices to consider when designing your Global Supply Chain
• Postponement
• Consolidation
• Leanness
• Agile
• Adaptability
• Flexibility
• Speed
• Responsiveness
• Collaboration
• Hedging
• Diversification
• Redundancy
• Value Contribution
• Core Competency
• Differentiation
• Using Statistical Models (regression, logistics regression) to improve Supply Chain decisions
• The importance of Economies of Scale in:
• Transportation
• Warehouses
• Factories
• Aligning Suppliers - Operations - Customers
• Working with the right suppliers
• Optimizing operations
• Serving the right customers
• The Hierarchy of Strategic - Tactical - Operational Decisions
• How strategic (long-term) decisions affect tactical (medium-term) decisions
• How strategic and tactical decisions affect operating (monthly-weekly-daily) decisions
• Blending Qualitative and Quantitative decision making to optimize outcomes
• The Best Supply Chains are Agile, Adaptable and Aligned
• Supply Chain Performance Measures
• Boundary-spanning measures that go beyond one firm's success
• Incenting the supply chain to succeed
• Using the "Ideal" Lean Scorecard to Assess Opportunities for Improvement