News

Today, top management teams are talking about the digitalization of supply chains end-to-end, using old as well as new technology and methodology like Internet of Things (IoT), big data technology and industry/process standardization and automation. It’s to a large extent about a skill shift, again, and this time from innovation economy to digitalization. The ongoing re-conceptualization of supply chains will open up for concepts like Industry 4.0 and Seamless Supply Chains.

Today, one of the most exciting topics in the supply chain debate is IoT (Internet of Things), in connection with for example “supply chain visibility end-to-end” and “Industry  4.0”,where industrial robots and other automation systems are connected and capable of reacting to market demand and responding accordingly.

Several supply chain trends that have been mentioned during the past years are now becoming a reality. Companies are starting to think and act outside the four walls. It’s clear that more and more supply chain projects cover an end-to-end perspective, including both customers and suppliers globally. These projects’ focus are on improved supply chain collaboration, covering the full processes order-to-cash and purchase-to-pay.

The biggest problem in supply chains is still ‘silo thinking’, that is, that everyone thinks only of his own situation and acts accordingly. Thus, today’s supply chains are always less than optimal.

Collaboration has the potential of being the driving force behind effective supply chain management and may be a core capability, but few firms have truly capitalized on its potential. 

As previously announced, Telia will discontinue its Telia ISDN Duo service. They have announced that the service will definitely close on 31 December 2014. We therefore wish to inform customers using ISDN services to contact us to review alternative solutions.

The 124th EDIFICE conference took place in Stockholm on 17-18 September. The conference was hosted by Ericsson. EDIFICE is the electronics industry standards body for EDI. PipeChain was at the conference, which this year had the theme of: "Enablers and Tools for End-to-End Supply Chain Efficiency".

It’s easy to find twenty different KPIs to measure a business by, but are they relevant? There are a few things to think about when measuring supply chain KPIs.

We see pioneering trends that embrace each other and will push Supply Chain Execution forward.  Some examples are; Demand Driven Supply Chain (adapting supplies to real needs, still hot), Supply Chain Visibility (hotter), OmniChannel Retailing (consumers buy through various channels, such as growing e-commerce, and relate to offers pushed in-store to their smartphones, new and hot).

Even today you find manual order processing and order generation based on bad forecasts, subjective assumptions and outdated re-ordering points. The result is delays, shortages and unnecessary costs.

As previously announced, TeliaSonera will discontinue its Telia ISDN Duo service in Sweden. The service will close on 31 December 2014. We wish to inform customers using ISDN services to contact PipeChain should you require alternative solutions.

During spring 2013, PipeChain will participate as a partner in several different conferences. First out is DILF Supply Chain Strategy Conference in Copenhagen on 5 February. DILF - Dansk Indkøbs- og Logistik Forum - is Denmark's largest association for purchasers and logistics managers. Find out more at www.dilf.dk