Blog Entries: Collaboration

Barriers to supply chain collaboration: Actionable information needed—fast!

Andrew Atkinson, Director, Product Marketing, E2open - Thursday, April 12, 2012 - 0 Comments

What gets in the way of effective collaboration with supply chain partners? The latest research from SCM World’s Kevin O’Marah, Collaborative Execution: Speed, Innovation and Profitability, surveyed 374 supply chain professionals, to identify the top barriers to achieving “truly collaborative” relationships across the extended trading network. More »
Collaborative execution: Innovation and growth, not just grinding margins

Sean Rollings, Vice President, Product Marketing, E2open - Friday, April 06, 2012 - 0 Comments

Collaboration between trading partners is not a new concept. However, as technology has become more sophisticated, the way suppliers and OEMs communicate and work together has started to change rather dramatically. Companies who’ve mastered the technique of learning-by-doing at scale have accelerated organizational learning. More »
Big Data beckons…with a speed bump or two

Michael Schmitt, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Product Management, E2open - Thursday, March 29, 2012 - 0 Comments

There is a huge amount of data available in the global trading network, but where companies fall short is in making sense of and acting upon this data while it is still relevant. Companies will realize a strategic advantage if they are able to retain, maintain, and leverage the talent and expertise of analytical and data-savvy supply chain personnel to make timely decisions with this information. More »
National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security underscores importance of collaboration

Rich Becks, General Manager, High Technology, E2open - Monday, March 19, 2012 - 0 Comments

The release of the National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security (The Strategy) at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, has put a strong spotlight on the increasingly pivotal role of the global supply chain in the nation’s economic development. In a letter introducing the strategy, President Obama noted that the global supply chain “is essential to the United States’ economy and security and is a critical global asset.” We absolutely agree. More »
Don’t believe the hype! The truth about supply chain control towers

Sean Rollings, Vice President, Product Marketing, E2open - Thursday, March 08, 2012 - 0 Comments

There are a lot of people talking about supply chain control towers lately – but what’s all the hype? And are we all talking about the same thing to begin with? Probably not. It’s easy enough to slap a “control tower” label on a piece of software, but actually delivering a more agile, intelligent control structure is quite a different feat. More »
Tier 1 is just the tip of the iceberg

Phil Kaminsky, Department Chair, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, University of California, Berkeley - Friday, February 10, 2012 - 0 Comments

More and more, we're seeing supply chain technologies and capabilities that we were only able to "theorize" about a few years back. The ability to see and exchange information across multiple tiers of the trading network is one of these game-changing advancements. For industry-leading manufacturers and brand owners, tier-1 suppliers are just the tip of iceberg. More »
Bridging the gap between profitability and social responsibility

Rich Becks, General Manager, High Technology, E2open - Thursday, January 19, 2012 - 0 Comments

Apple controls one of the world’s top supply chains, which has been shrouded in secrecy for years—until now. The beloved consumer electronics company recently revealed the name of 156 companies that represent 97 percent of its supply chain. This is an unusual move for an industry that relies heavily on foreign component suppliers to drive margins, especially for Apple, a notoriously secretive company. More »
A short history of floods, quakes, and volcanic eruptions: Have we learned anything?

Edward Toung, Vice President, Asia Pacific, E2open - Thursday, December 08, 2011 - 0 Comments

2011 was hard-hit by natural disasters—but can we really afford to expect anything less for 2012 and beyond? A quick look at the recent past suggests that disruptions in the macro-environment are pretty much par for the course. And with today’s trading networks sprawling from China to India to Brazil and everywhere in between, it’s about time our supply chain organizations started thinking seriously about what it takes to drive resiliency into the equation. More »
Social media for supply chain innovation?

Michael Schmitt, Senior Vice President, Marketing and Product Management, E2open - Friday, November 18, 2011 - 0 Comments

In a recent article in Logistics Viewpoints, Adrian Gonzalez, director of the Logistics Executive Council at ARC Advisory Group, discusses one of his latest workshops, “Social Media: A Waste of Time or a Catalyst for Supply Chain Innovation?” During his session, he reported that the majority of supply chain executives who participated believe social media will revolutionize the supply chain in ways we can’t imagine today. More »
Thailand floods threaten more than just “business as usual”…Is your supply chain ready?

Andrew Atkinson, Director, Product Marketing, E2open - Thursday, November 03, 2011 - 0 Comments

As I write this, Bangkok is still under several feet of water and several major Japanese auto manufacturers have had to cease production due to a lack of critical parts sourced from Thailand. Whatever else happens, the one thing you can count on is that there will always be some kind of trouble cropping up to disrupt normal business operations... More »