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Securing the supply chain

A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Increasingly that weakness may not be a physical, but the point in the chain most vulnerable to a cyber-attack. …

Humanitarian logistics

‘We have received things like tuna fish and mayonnaise. What good are those things for us? We need grains, salt and sugar.’ Nepal, Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat (May, 2015). …

Why are Aldi and Lidl currently so successful?

A low cost business model that maintains strategic alignment is arguable at the centre of Aldi’s and Lidl’s success. In September 2015 continuing strong sales saw Aldi and Lidl achieve …

The supply chain behind Christmas

As you sit down to enjoy your Christmas dinner, spare a thought for those who work in seasonal supply chains who have already started planning Christmas for the following year. …

Re-thinking construction supply chains

Whilst some construction activities are a one-off, many publicly funded construction activities are repetitive in nature and benefit from an injection of supply chain thinking. Construction was not an area …

Planning & personality

How do others see you? Do they see you as someone who likes a planned or orderly way of life, or someone who prefers flexibility and spontaneity? We are all …

Planning for supply chain flexibility

A world where turbulence is the new normal, requires a different way of thinking about supply chain design. Reflecting on the way that the global environment has changed over the …

When one size does not fit all

Picking up on the questions posed in the previous step. Over the years there has been a surprisingly consistent response from the classes I teach, regardless of their background (e.g. …

Demand driven supply chains

Demand for products and services ultimately drives supply chains. As the demand pattern for products varies, so does the supply chain Take a simple example like grocery shopping. Depending on …

The planning process

Planning is essential to ensure that our ‘wishes’ become reality at a price we can afford, as a ‘goal without a plan is just a wish’. One of the things …

Week 1 summary

Please return here at the start of Week 2 for the round-up video for Week 1. Week 1, focused on the topic of ‘Just the tip of the iceberg: What …

Week 1 summary

Thank you for completing the first week of the course. I hope you found it informative and it has achieved its objective of starting to get you to think about …