Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

PERSPECTIVE

The EDGE difference

CSCMP EDGE is coming to Nashville. In this issue, we preview some of the highlights of this strategic supply chain conference.

Welcome to the July/August issue of Supply Chain Xchange. This edition focuses on the 2024 CSCMP EDGE conference, coming September 29 through October 2 in Nashville, Tennessee. This must-attend event offers engaging thought leadership from top supply chain practitioners while showcasing the latest industry innovations.

EDGE is also an opportunity to connect with old friends and make new ones and discover strategies for improving supply chain operations. Look to our Forward Thinking section for some highlights of what’s occurring at EDGE.


Also check out our Dialogue interview in this issue, which features a conversation with Roberto Isaias, executive vice president and chief supply chain officer at Mattel. Isaias is one of the keynote speakers at EDGE, and he shares how Mattel’s supply chain handled a significant jump in sales following the success of the blockbuster Barbie movie.

Beyond the EDGE information in this issue, we also feature other top supply chain thought leadership.

For example, this year’s EDGE conference theme focuses on the “State of the Global Supply Chain.” One of the top challenges shaping the global supply chain is trade tensions between the U.S. and China, including the most recent round of tariffs imposed by the Biden administration. However, a close analysis by authors Robert Handfield, Clark Banach, and Jennifer Pédussel Wu makes the case that tariffs have not had the intended effect.

Then there’s the article from Kate Vitasek, Jim Groton, and Ellen Waldman on supplier conflict. The three argue that most companies could be doing more to avoid disputes before they even begin and outline four conflict-resolution mechanisms that you can put in place before a contract is even signed. Vitasek and representatives from BP and JLL will be presenting a real-life case study of one of those mechanisms at EDGE.

Other highlights in this issue include articles on the link between supply chain disruptions and sustainability improvements, our Annual Salary Survey, and an excerpt from the new book, Strong Supply Chains Through Resilient Operations.

We hope you enjoy this issue of Supply Chain Xchange.

Recent

More Stories

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

Just 29% of supply chain organizations are prepared to meet future readiness demands

Just 29% of supply chain organizations have the competitive characteristics they’ll need for future readiness, according to a Gartner survey released Tuesday. The survey focused on how organizations are preparing for future challenges and to keep their supply chains competitive.

Gartner surveyed 579 supply chain practitioners to determine the capabilities needed to manage the “future drivers of influence” on supply chains, which include artificial intelligence (AI) achievement and the ability to navigate new trade policies. According to the survey, the five competitive characteristics are: agility, resilience, regionalization, integrated ecosystems, and integrated enterprise strategy.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

screen shot of returns apps on different devices

Optoro: 69% of shoppers admit to “wardrobing” fraud

With returns now a routine part of the shopping journey, technology provider Optoro says a recent survey has identified four trends influencing shopper preferences and retailer priorities.

First, 54% of retailers are looking for ways to increase their financial recovery from returns. That’s because the cost to return a purchase averages 27% of the purchase price, which erases as much as 50% of the sales margin. But consumers have their own interests in mind: 76% of shoppers admit they’ve embellished or exaggerated the return reason to avoid a fee, a 39% increase from 2023 to 204.

Keep ReadingShow less
robots carry goods through a warehouse

Fortna: rethink your distribution strategy for 2025

Facing an evolving supply chain landscape in 2025, companies are being forced to rethink their distribution strategies to cope with challenges like rising cost pressures, persistent labor shortages, and the complexities of managing SKU proliferation.

But according to the systems integrator Fortna, businesses can remain competitive if they focus on five core areas:

Keep ReadingShow less
shopper uses smartphone in retail store

EY lists five ways to fortify omnichannel retail

In the fallout from the pandemic, the term “omnichannel” seems both out of date and yet more vital than ever, according to a study from consulting firm EY.

That clash has come as retailers have been hustling to adjust to pandemic swings like a renewed focus on e-commerce, then swiftly reimagining store experiences as foot traffic returned. But even as the dust settles from those changes, retailers are now facing renewed questions about how best to define their omnichannel strategy in a world where customers have increasing power and information.

Keep ReadingShow less
artistic image of a building roof

BCG: tariffs would accelerate change in global trade flows

Geopolitical rivalries, alliances, and aspirations are rewiring the global economy—and the imposition of new tariffs on foreign imports by the U.S. will accelerate that process, according to an analysis by Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Without a broad increase in tariffs, world trade in goods will keep growing at an average of 2.9% annually for the next eight years, the firm forecasts in its report, “Great Powers, Geopolitics, and the Future of Trade.” But the routes goods travel will change markedly as North America reduces its dependence on China and China builds up its links with the Global South, which is cementing its power in the global trade map.

Keep ReadingShow less