Category: Supply Chain Trends and Insights
Supply Chain Talent Shortage: The Downside of an Up Economy
There are few basic economic tenants that rarely need explanation. One such phenomenon is the principle of supply and demand. In the world of supply chain, we are seeing this principle play out across every sector of the industry. From trucking to shipping to ports to production and warehouses and to the people who manage all of the touchpoints, supply and demand has rarely, if ever, been more of an issue. As consumers’ purchasing power increases, so does the need to increase capacity in direct proportion to this change in consumer behavior. As executive supply chain recruiters, we’re seeing [...]
Top Warehouse Skills Sought After in Warehouse Managers
Possessing warehouse skills can offer lucrative internal promotions for warehouse operatives, in particular for those with the drive to advance their supply chain careers into warehouse management. Starting salaries are typically in the $60,000-$80,000 range for warehouse managers, and can spike into the mid-to-high $100K range for those that manage large and more complex warehouse facilities. Most companies prefer their management team to consist of experienced warehouse managers, oftentimes recruited externally, and staff who have been promoted up from the ground floor within the operations. This allows for a healthy balance between having fresh ideas and allowing operatives’ voices [...]
Outstanding Operations Leadership Program: O2L
Operations Leadership Program (O2L) - Introduction Extensive research on the performance of Fortune 500 companies has shown that the key to driving sustainable long-term performance is to place an equal emphasis on the performance and “health” of an organization.1 The research notes that companies that balance the two outperform their peers by three-fold. In this context, “organizational health” refers to all the systems, processes, and cultural elements that are a part of executing the business priorities. An example from a recent engagement is expanding the S&OP process to manage inventory build-up to support new business development. This led to [...]
Understanding Supply Chain Functions
Keeping SCOR: A Good Way to Understand Supply Chain Functions Supply chains can be incredibly complex networks of companies worldwide that are transforming raw materials into products you buy and use. Materials may come from other countries, processed in still other countries, then travel by ship to ports in your own country, where they are put on a combination of trains/trucks/vans to get to your local store to be picked up. Many steps. A high amount of travel. Typically a lot of time and expense involved for a large number of supply chain employees. For some companies, however, their supply [...]
Toolkit for Supply Chain Disruptions
Jobless claims have reached a record high, and millions will be focused on seeking new employment within an economy that has been shocked to its core by the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. In the spirit of helping professionals that have been laid off or furloughed, SCM Talent Group has just completed a compilation of our top job search and professional development resources. We sincerely hope that this content and advice can aid job seekers with returning to the workforce as quickly as possible. Please know that our team is ready and able to provide support to those in need, so [...]
7 Strategies to Navigate the Trade and Tariff Volatility
Ever since the first tariffs were enacted on imports from China, many retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers have been in a panicked state. The tariffs have increased import prices on various products, leading to the choice for companies to absorb the costs themselves or pass onto consumers. This has also driven down consumer confidence as well, which is contributing to a slowing economy. Even with the talk of rollbacks, both economies have already suffered billions of dollars of losses. One recent study shows the tariffs threaten almost 1.5 million US jobs and more than $180 billion of nationwide economic activity. [...]
