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I'd like to start a series of blog entries titled "Close the Loop" and addressing how, through a better use of supply chain information, companies can improve their operations, creating a more agile ecosystem while reducing risk. In this entry, I would like to give you an overview of the...
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Does the cost of cloud computing limits the usability of a community cloud to support a supply chain? This is really the question I'd like to address today. Last April, McKinsey and last September, IDC have done an exercise of costing the difference between running applications in the cloud and in...
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In my previous post, I spoke about the tangibles and intangibles of Supply Chain Collaboration , but intentionally did not address one element, the cultural aspects of Supply Chain Collaboration. Companies have increased the outsourcing of their manufacturing and over the years, China has become the...
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The latest recession has gotten a profound impact on many supply chains and forced rethinking strategies . In a quest to reducing costs, many have diminished safety buffers, established lean thinking, and redesigned their flows. In that process they have made themselves more vulnerable to variance, while...
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At the Gartner Symposium, last week, HP's CEO Mark Hurd was quoted about the lack of security in the Cloud . This is only one of the voices heard about cloud computing security. So, should we stop thinking about linking our partners in the cloud to gain visibility in our Supply Chain? Maybe, maybe...
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As President Obama announces a cloud computing initiative for the US , it is interesting to note that in their definition of Cloud Computing , the federal government includes an interesting deployment model, called community cloud. In their definition the cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations...
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There are an increasing number of cloud based Supply Chain services, offered as SaaS, appearing on the market. But that is not the subject of this blog entry. Actually the question is way simpler. Are you aware of all the players participating in providing you the latest SaaS service you have bought...
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A couple posts ago, I discussed the role of IT in manufacturing outsourcing . I'd like to come back to this topic, and discuss more in details the need for a cross-enterprise backbone allowing the companies members of the ecosystem to share information in an easy and transparent manner. Obviously...
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Delays encountered by both Airbus and Boeing have demonstrated the importance of cross-enterprise collaborations as eco-systems become increasingly global and complex. As both companies continue battling for the number one position, they rely increasingly on their development partners and suppliers....
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As already stated in earlier entries, the Cloud started with Web 2.0 and the Social Networking phenomena. Since, it has taken a life of its own, and is attracting many SMB's (Small and Medium Businesses) allowing them to fully rely on a cloud provider to address their IT needs. The needs of large...
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I have been asked to write a short page on the potential role of Cloud Computing in Manufacturing and would like to share with you some of my findings in this area. First, let me remind you that HP works with a very specific definition of Cloud Computing, which looks as follows: "The cloud is a...
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As 2008 winds down, many people are attempting to predict what will happen in 2009. One common element is that the year will be difficult from an economical perspective. Whether the crisis will last 6, 9 or 12 months is open for debate, but there is a crisis and it will hit hard. Let me in turn share...
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I am not forgetting my promise to continue discussing HP's Supply Chain Initiatives, and I am actually working on the next post, but as I had the opportunity to speak at two conferences this week, I want to share with you some of my observations. Thursday, I spoke at JDA Connect 2008, JDA Software's...
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The other night I was looking at CNN. As many of you probably know, in these financially troubled days, they visualize the evolution of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. During my one hour watch, I saw the DJIA at +198 and at -456, and about every other position in the middle. This is around a 7.5% swing...
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Last week I was in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore and had the opportunity to present to several CIO's on the subject of how to manage a global Supply Chain through a downturn. I know, a number of you may start argue whether we are in a downturn or not, but that was not the objective of my talk. I started...