@Risk

Success in today’s unpredictable business environment depends on robust supplier relationships, a keen understanding of risk and skilled management of working capital. How are companies juggling this assortment of critical challenges? What steps are they taking to strengthen supplier relationships and improve working capital efficiency?

New research from CFO Research Services and Prime Revenue offers some insights. For instance, the study found that working capital management is now a high priority for most companies surveyed, and that the vast majority have deployed Supply Chain Finance or are considering doing so.

Here are a few key findings in greater detail: (more…)

During the economic turmoil of the past few years, companies have turned to their supply chains in order to maintain profits and respond to consumer demand for lower prices.

As a result, supply chain management (SCM) is now considered a core competency, according to the vast majority of respondents (82 percent) in the 2010 Global Survey of Supply Chain Progress, conducted by Supply Chain Management Review, The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management at Michigan State University and CSC, with assistance from The Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP) and Supply Chain Europe magazine.

The survey was completed by 164 supply chain executives from 20 different industries worldwide, split evenly between manufacturing and service organizations. The results also show that: (more…)

Nearly half the retail and manufacturing companies surveyed in a recent Tompkins Supply Chain Consortium study now have a supply chain leader at or above the executive vice president level, reflecting a positive trend in supply chain leadership over the past five years.

Specifically, here’s a breakdown of the survey results by industry:

The study also found that: (more…)

Those of us who work in the field know it to be true. But, now there’s new survey data that offers confirmation: These days, supply chain function is widely recognized as an integral part of successful business strategy.

The survey, conducted by the Cranfield School of Management and Solving Efeso, included more than 180 senior global supply chain professionals, and it provides insights about the strategic development and implementation process in some of the world’s leading organizations.

The findings show that about two-thirds of those polled have senior supply chain representation in the boardroom, and that supply chain management is now increasingly integrated into companies’ overall business strategies. In fact, survey participants identified alignment with corporate strategy and customer service as the leading functional drivers of supply chain strategy; the most important supply chain performance drivers were found to be cost focus, customer lead-time and customer quality. (more…)

Ninety-four multinational companies recently participated in A.T. Kearney’s global survey of indirect procurement, and the results suggest that unfortunately, many firms remain resistant to updating analytics techniques.

Specifically, the data showed that even though indirect procurement categories like IT, marketing and advertising, facilities management, MRO, Logistics and professional services, have become increasingly important to Chief Procurement Officers and their organizations, most companies are adopting new practices at a much slower rate than analysts expected.

For example, A.T. Kearney found that: (more…)