@Risk

We all know supply chain optimization can save money. But, a new report suggests that the US government could save a massive $500 billion by simply putting best practices to work and decreasing duplication in its supply chain network.

The report, released last week by the Technology CEO Council (TCC), says better aligning government supply chains would also “render the government’s procurement process far more transparent, helping to strengthen public trust.” As I see it, there’s one more significant benefit, too: risk mitigation. Improving supply chain visibility is an essential first step to reducing both short-term and long-term threats.

In addition to decreasing supply chain duplication, TCC’s report also reveals several other areas where tax dollars could be saved.  For example, TCC suggests improvements with regard to: (more…)

New survey results show that businesses, in general, continue to rank enterprise risk management as a high priority. And yet, different sectors are now focusing on different aspects of their particular risk profiles. Financial institutions, for instance, tend to place a strong emphasis on liquidity risk buffers and stress testing. Nonfinancial firms are focusing more on operational risk and cash flow at risk.

The survey, conducted by the Professional Risk Managers’ International Association (PRMIA) and Microsoft Corp., polled 1,662 global PRMIA members. Most (84 percent) were from financial institutions, while 16 percent were from nonfinancial institutions.

Interestingly, the risk managers participating in the study identified deeper business knowledge and quantitative and communication expertise as the top skills required for future risk and compliance roles. In addition, survey respondents said that in the future they expect to see: (more…)

Most shippers are cutting costs and as a result, they’re re-thinking both their supply chains and their 3PL relationships, according to a new study from Capgemini, in cooperation with Oracle, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and Panalpina.

The survey, which polled more than 1,000 logistics executives from both 3PL users and providers in North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Latin America, examined global markets for shippers and logistics providers and found that, as you might expect, the recession has created significant challenges for both shippers and 3PLs.

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Nearly 90% of supply chain executives want purchasing to generate cost savings in the next 12 months, according to a new survey from CSC, Supply Chain Management Review, the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), and Michigan State University (MSU).

The “2009 Global Survey of Supply Chain Progress” polled 176 supply chain professionals representing large and mid-sized companies from more than 20 industries and every major geographical segment of the world.

Here are a few of the key findings:

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