Category: Logistics and Supply Chain

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Job Search in the “Latest” New Normal – Know Your Options

Cutters Cigar Bar

This was a good week.  It was not a good week because I recruited a new consultant, which I did.  It was not because I accomplished all of my planned tasks, but I did.  And, it was not a good week because I had several very productive meetings.  All these activities are noteworthy of course, but it was my ability to mix these activities with my favorite personal pastimes that made the week so enjoyable.  Yes, I accomplished quite a bit and had a lot of fun in the process.

The high point of my week was my meeting with Walt.  I was introduced to him, three weeks ago by Dave, a mutual friend.  Dave reached out to me to see if I would be interested in talking with him as he needed help with his job search.  I have great confidence in Dave’s recommendations, so I invited him to make the introductions.  Shortly after that, Walt and I were having a telephone conversation.

Our first conversation was relatively brief.  I learned that he had a background in the food distribution segment with experience in business development and as a category manager. Walt advised me that he had been terminated within the past two weeks, having been furloughed by the pandemic.  He did not have a current resume to share, at that time, but promised to send a copy when it was ready.  He said that it has been a long time since he has had to look for a job.  Actually, this may be the first time he has been in a job search since he began his career.  I also learned that he is a cigar aficionado, familiar with my favorite cigar bar.  We ended the conversation with my commitment to follow up after I review his resume.

We met mid-afternoon, Thursday at the cigar bar.  After making our cigar and beverage selections we found seats at a table in a private meeting room.  We made a toast and got down to business.  He handed me his resume as he began to recap his background.  Walt is an extrovert.  He is friendly, engaging, and interesting.  We are about the same age and have much in common.  Our meeting was off to a great start.  He laid out his history as a Category Manager and Business Development Professional in the food distribution industry segment.  He explained that he was furloughed at the beginning of the lockdown, then recently terminated.

We spent the better part of two hours together.  I noted that he is better off than most job seekers.  He has a severance package including a non-compete clause.  He has a solid network and excellent references.  Already, he has reached out to make them aware of his situation so they can be helpful.  He admitted that he is not savvy about networking groups or how to find them. He said he is open to new opportunities.

When Walt finished presenting his background he asked for my advice.  I commended him on his positive outlook and his willingness to consider new opportunities.  We discussed the obvious difficulty in the foodservice segment; however, I foresee opportunities helping his prior customers with their purchasing and supply chain issues.  We also discussed pursuing opportunities in non-food distribution.  I told him that many are finding success by taking freelance consulting projects as a bridge strategy to find full-time employment.  Finally, I suggested that his search should include smaller companies with upside potential.

His resume, hot off the presses, was prepared by an HR professional, not a professional resume writer.  Although it is well organized and easy to read, it is bland and lacks a call to action.  It does not reflect the contributions he has made to his employers and his positioning statement lacks clarity.   I can help him with that issue.

His final question was about my program.  Could I be helpful, and how I was paid for my services?  I explained how the three parts of my business, (New Century Dynamics Executive Search, ITB Partners, and Executive Career Coaching) operated and how each could be helpful to him.

At the end of our conversation I agreed to the following deliverables:

  • Help him plug into the market via networking groups.
  • Review his resume and LinkedIn Profile – make recommendations.
  • Provide clearer background information about our capabilities.
  • Make Strategic Introductions to my network.

Walt is hitting the market at a difficult time.  The economy is coming out of recession, it is the middle of summer, and his industry segment is under pressure.  As a Baby Boomer,  he has demographic challenges. On the plus side, he has a solid skill stack and a positive mindset.  His severance package is a plus.  He has a good network and great references.  Most importantly, he is coach-able and open to new opportunities.  Walt will adapt to the realities of this market as he has a better understanding of his options.  I am confident that it won’t be long until he will be gainfully employed.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

Jim Weber – Managing Partner, ITB Partners

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

Jim Weber – Managing Partner,  ITB Partners

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ITB Partners Announces the Opening of its Company Store: www.shopitbpartners.com

Many thanks to Ron Weinstock, of Weinstock Marketing and ITB Partners for facilitating this Partnership.

What is a Company Store?

A company store is an on-line, fully integrated e-commerce site that gives you complete control over your branded merchandise program.

This is not a new concept as many printers have expanded their services, providing companies an outsourced solution for the logistical management of marketing collateral and branded products.  A dedicated company store provides employees, dealers, franchisees, agents and even consumers the ability to easily purchase branded merchandise.  “The more people who see our logo, the greater the likelihood they will call ITB Partners to resolve their problems.”

“Symphonix Solutions will handle everything for us, from acquiring and warehousing the merchandise for our store to maintaining the web-portal and executing order fulfillment.” 

 

SYMPHONIX SOLUTIONS CLIENT BRAND MANAGEMENT PLATFORM IS CALLED  “ONBOARD”

From this customized web portal, you can oversee brochures, displays, promotional products and digital brand assets, control and track projects, costs, create reports control inventory and send direct response emails.

At Symphonix Solutions, we have a variety of solutions to make it easy for our clients.

The ITB Partners’ Portal is

www.shopitbpartners.com

 

To learn more about Symphonix Solutions and how we can help promote your brand and your client’s brand, contact Michelle Mehnert at mmehnert@symphonixsolutions.com.

 

 Contacts:

Symphonix Solutions

PRINT  MARKETING  TECHNOLOGY  FULFILLMENT

9825 Marina Blvd, Suite 100

Boca Raton, FL 33428

Michelle Mehnert <mmehnert@symphonixsolutions.com>

Rob Finkelstein <rfinkelstein@symphonixsolutions.com>

Boca Raton: 561-826-3242

Charlotte: 704-372-7888

info@symphonixsolutions.com

 

Symphonix Solutions

 

Since 2008, Symphonix Solutions has been helping clients manage their marketing and sales materials providing customized solutions that improve the production, distribution, and control of their assets.  “Our proprietary technology provides each client with a customized portal to track inventory, costs, and delivery from anywhere in the world.”

“Our clients want the best quality, cost-effective, easy solutions, and Symphonix delivers.” With the highest level of service and a dedicated team you can trust, Symphonix partners with the best provider network to produce the best results from people who care about your projects and consistently deliver because they love what they do.

 

Symphonic Solutions stands ready to help you and your clients with their printing needs as well!

 

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Ethical Issues of the Market for Organ Transplants

Contributed by Faith Johnson

There are approximately 114,000 people wait-listed for an organ transplant in the United States.  Another person is added to the list every 10 minutes.  When one considers an aging population in a co-morbid state, it’s understandable that 20 people die waiting for a suitable organ transplant every day (American Transplant Foundation, 2019).  Is everyone in need of an organ transplant treated fairly?  Can money or social position move one up the list?  There are ethical ways to get closer to the top of the list.  In the United States, medical necessity, location, and compatibility can improve one’s position. If a potential recipient feels they aren’t moving up fast enough there are options, some more legal than others.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified 91 countries where kidney transplants are performed.  In 2005, 66,000 were performed globally (The State of the International Organ Trade, 2019).  The selection of who received these organs varies based on their national situation, availability of organs, health care cost, and technical capacity.  While most think of organ donation as coming from a deceased (brain dead) person, many come from live donors facilitated by a medical doctor.  Some of these live donors sold their organs.  Web sites offer transplant packages ranging in price from $70,000 to $160,000 (The State of the International Organ Trade, 2019).

Twenty-five percent of live donors are not biologically related.  About 6,000 of these donations occur every year (American Transplant Foundation, 2019).  Buying and selling human organs for transplant, known as Transplant Tourism, is illegal in the United and most other countries.  However, due to growing demand, an international black market is thriving to provide organs from both live and deceased donors.  Up to eight lives can be saved through a deceased donor, and more than 100 lives enhanced through tissue donation (American Transplant Foundation, 2019).  So, it is easy to see how profitable it can be for those who work as brokers in a somewhat subversive industry.

The American legal and health care structure is designed to protect donors through articles such as informed consent or a Living Will, where a person can put their final wishes in writing to be carried out by family members or an Executor   Outside the protection of the United States, the situation is questionable.  Many of these donor transactions are carried out by medical doctors who supposedly have the best interest of the patient in mind.  At times, they work with facilitators in the recipient’s country of origin.  As cited in The State of the International Organ Trade, the Taiwanese Department of Health revealed that 58% of 118 patients interviewed said their transplant surgery was facilitated by their doctor.  There are other notations of donors and recipients from different countries going to a third or neutral country to have the procedure performed.  In 2005, approximately 12,000 kidney and liver transplant procedures were performed in China with organs harvested from executed prisoners.  There wasn’t any notation of consent being part of the process (The State of the International Organ Trade, 2019).

Transplant tourism is a global issue that will require a global solution.  Collaboration and legislation among the participating countries to identify and monitor transplants are needed.  Seven countries including the United States have been identified in a report by Organs Watch as organ-importing countries.  The other countries identified are Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia (The State of the International Organ Trade, 2019).  The Human Organ Transplantation Act of 1994 was put in place to ban organ trade.  We need international human rights Legislation including monitoring by governments of any country that allows organ importing to be part of the legal defense.   Amendments should be made to the Affordable Care Act to allow employers to exempt coverage to employees who have been organ recipients, domestically or internationally, that were non-compliant with benefit plan requirements.  Also, Medicare and Medicaid would not provide coverage for these organ recipients so they would not qualify for disability benefits.  International deceased or incarcerated donors should have legal protection to ensure that they or their families are aware of their organ contribution.  Tighter controls are needed to reign in private transplants of questionable origin.

The world is filled with health dilemmas, including transplants.  A shortage of compatible organs has added another layer of complexity to the equation.  As the co-morbid state of an aging population continues to grow, so will the deficit of organs needed to bring better health to those in need.  A communication campaign to raise awareness of the benefit of organ donorship is long overdue.   If more people allowed their organs to be harvested at the time of death, a shift in the supply of viable organs may occur.  One might see it as the recently deceased living on for years to come through the gift of their organs.  A larger supply of organs available legally, coupled with tighter controls and Legislative compliance, could bring about a positive shift in organ transplantation.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

Jim Weber, Managing Partner

ITB PARTNERS

Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com

Author of: Fighting Alligators, Job Search Strategy For The New Normal

 

 

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Demystifying Blockchain and the 3 Supply Chains

By Antony Francis  antony.francis@lakehillpartners.com

April 11, 2109

 

About 20 years ago, I produced a diagram showing that there are 3 interconnected supply chains: The Physical, the Informational and the Financial. All three, of course, interconnected and feeding off each other.

 

This interconnection is important. The quicker you get information into the transaction set from physical activities, the quicker you get an ASN and the quicker you get a POD and can invoice your customer. Time is money.

 

There was also much talk about Global Inventory Visibility. We dreamt of the ability to know what was inside each box on a pallet, but the private batch processed networks and lack of internet-driven transactions made this a pipe dream. I remember discussing with a client in the late ’90s whether we could know within seconds at the UK HQ whether an item had been sold in a store in Tokyo and immediately pulse out a replenishment shipment that same day. Of course, today we would say: “no brainer, we can!”; back then, the lack of inter-connected systems and batch processing of file exchanges made this a dream scenario.

 

So, where does Blockchain come into the picture? Firstly, it is important to define what we mean by Blockchain. There are two pieces to Blockchain when it relates to supply chains. One is the distributed on-line ledger that enables one to track the work-flow process from PO to an approved A/P transaction on the buy-side and a sales invoice into A/R on the sell side.

 

A recent article described Blockchain as an open, distributed ledger that can record transactions between two parties efficiently, securely and in a verifiable and permanent way.

 

Some of the key elements of Blockchain were explained by Iansiti and Lakhani in a recent Harvard Business Review piece:

  • Users of a Blockchain have access to all the data so that no one person has control over the information
  • Each record is linked to the ones before it, once entered any alteration would create a snowball effect in the blockchain. Algorithms are employed to ensure the accuracy of the data.
  • There is no need for a centralized entity, for example, a bank, individual transactions can be executed directly.
  • Each user has a password to access the blockchain, each user can share their personal information or remain anonymous. (Ed. I differ with this last point because, in my opinion, and as explained above, we need a full audit trail on each transaction).

 

So, let’s focus on the transactional work-flow process side initially, the Distributed Ledger. Transparency is becoming increasingly important for retailers; more and more people want to know how and where goods are made. This goes hand in hand with ethics and sustainability. For retailers to understand if they are operating in the most sustainable way, if the products they buy are made in the factory they believe it to be, they need to know information about the supply chain. Blockchain can help with this type of data tracking. When transactions occur along the supply chain, a digital record occurs at each step, thus providing a full audit trail.

 

Consider how business works today. Keeping ongoing records of transactions is a core and necessary function of any business. Those records track past actions and performance and guide planning for the future. They must, however, operate as an event manager and keep a fully detailed history of who made changes and when. Many organizations have no master ledger of all their activities; instead, records are distributed across internal units and functions. The problem is reconciling transactions across individual and private ledgers takes a lot of time and is prone to error.

 

In a blockchain system, the ledger is replicated in many identical databases, each hosted and maintained by an interested party. When changes are entered in one copy, all the other copies are simultaneously updated. So as transactions occur, records of the value and assets exchanged are permanently entered in all ledgers. There is no need for third-party intermediaries to verify or transfer ownership.

 

“Smart contracts” may be the most transformative blockchain application. These automate transaction approvals as negotiated conditions are met. For example, a smart contract might send a payment to a supplier as soon as a shipment is delivered, and the 3-way match is completed. If the product had a GPS beacon, it would automatically log a location update that, in turn, would trigger receiving data. Some IoT devices can even record if there was a change in temperature or shock damage.

 

When the Internet cloud emerged and started achieving widespread use, technologies like XML were predicted to replace EDI. Rumors of the death of EDI have been greatly exaggerated. The short answer is that EDI works. Companies have invested in it over many years. It may well have been moderately painful to get it up and running, but now it works. Even today, a certain set of core EDI messages (around the buy-sell-ship-pay transaction lifecycle) have and continue to enjoy widespread adoption and are almost universally required by major retailers and manufacturers. It is very prevalent in the Freight Forwarder community. The good news is that Blockchain feeds of all of these data sources.

 

Consider the situation today with B2B networks: Suppose a given supply chain process involves a buyer, seller, and third-party logistics provider. Today, information flows between these entities are typically one-way and point-to-point, either through EDI or XML-based messages or other mechanisms, such as API-based interactions. It is often the case that a buyer and seller might exchange certain messages, but an intermediary logistics service provider doesn’t see those messages. Or a seller and logistics provider might exchange certain messages not exchanged with the buyer. Events representing the exchange of B2B documents, for example, could be recorded on a blockchain and made visible to all participants in a supply chain process. In addition, blockchain could record supplemental events, such as those provided by IoT and smart devices, providing a more detailed synthesized record of all information flows. The actual exchange of B2B documents that occurs today can continue to operate as is, and a blockchain could simply provide a shared visibility “overlay.”

 

Such platforms will save the global shipping industry billions of dollars a year by replacing the current EDI and paper-based systems, which can leave containers in receiving yards for weeks. What if tariff codes, classification data, origin information, import and export certificates, customs values, clearance status, and all further required information about goods were available for all involved parties to access and complete through one unique ID, anywhere and anytime, and protected against manipulation thus delivering the same significance as certificates, seals, and signatures?

 

Permissioning inside blockchain gives you the confidence that you can control your information and grant access only to those you want to grant access to.

 

Lakehill Partners has a long history of systems integration and business process redesign. Let us help you manage the way forward.

 

For more information on this subject, please contact Antony Francis at antony.francis@lakehillpartners.com.

 

Thank you for visiting our blog.

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner

ITB PARTNERS

Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com

Author of: Fighting Alligators, Job Search Strategy For The New Normal

 

 

Posted on

Challenges of Omni-channel Logistics

By Antony Francis , Lakehill Partners

March 17, 2019

Let’s begin with an overview of what omni-channel means. Whether it be B2B or B2C, buyers and consumers expect to be able to source and purchase goods in any combination of methods whether online or in brick & mortar stores and then be able to return them in any way they choose.

This is where omnichannel logistics comes to solve this no-exhaustive list of methods:

  • Online purchase delivered to the buyer’s home or place of business, either via an e-retailer (e.g. Amazon) and either fulfilled directly by the e-tailer (e.g. FBA – Fulfilled by Amazon) or by the manufacturer/seller.
  • Online order sent to a store for local pickup or local delivery from a store.
  • Ability to search availability either in a DC or a local store. This is important when dealing with out-of-stock or back-ordered items.
  • Online order and in-store purchase return management. Customer choice is all important.

Increasingly, customers expectation of arrival times has changed such that same day delivery is becoming an almost standard feature. But at what cost to serve? Last mile delivery networks are challenged to reduce these delivery times without increasing rates to their customers.

Omni-channel logistics is designed to manage inventory flow across all sales channels. It, therefore, comes with its own unique set of challenges. Many of these are not new to the logistics space. They have been known for years. Indeed, one of the principal barriers to eliminating these issues has been technology. With today’s connected systems and the use of distributed ledger technology, we are getting closer to resolution.

Now, let’s look at 5 of the top omni-channel logistics challenges that businesses face:

  1. Lack of visibility in the supply chain.
  2. Poorly executed processes.
  3. Solving transportation conundrum.
  4. Returns Management and Reverse Logistics.
  5. Insource operations or outsource to a 3PL

 

  1. Lack of visibility in the supply chain.

Two key challenges are inventory visibility and visibility once in transit. In short, it means picking and packing the right product and delivering it when expected.

A well-developed Inventory Management System which views stores as mini-warehouses with the same visibility to contact and selection should be coupled to the Order Management System that is fed from various Order Entry points (online or other). Each of these systems has key metrics and dashboards built into them to alert to execution status at any time.

We are always dealing with three supply chain (physical, informational and financial). Once, these were mutually exclusive. That is no longer the case today. Knowing the cost to serve is as important for a business as pick accuracy or fulfill rates as operational metrics.

Once the shipment has left the dock, it is all important to be able to alert a customer when an issue arises in transit and allow interception in-transit and re-routing capabilities. Many TMS products integrate these features including shipment status, GPS, temperature, humidity and shock sensors, etc. It is also important to know which product is in which box when a pallet or multi-piece shipment arrives.

For international shipments, it is critical to integrate freight forwarder systems into the shipment status tracking, in the event of delays in customs clearance.

  1. Poorly executed processes.

A killer for supply chain operations is manual processes that come from legacy systems that have yet to be connected to an updated technology platform. One of the enduring areas is inventory control which often still rely on physical count process engendering slow update and inaccurate counts. As companies grow and restructure or acquire other operations, the integration of these platforms is often painfully slow. The key to solving this supply chain breakdown is to consolidate these processes, rather than let them function in silos.

 

  1. Solving transportation conundrum.

There are many ways to get a product to the customer’s doorstep, whether from a DC or a store. The challenge is to find the most effective and efficient transportation solution to keep customers happy without driving up the landed product costs. Selecting the right shipping method for the right customer situation is essential to omni-channel logistics. This is especially true for returns. They may not require the same speed as used for the forward side.

  1. Returns Management and Reverse Logistics.

The return process for any product should be just as seamless as its initial delivery. In this new omni-channel landscape, customers expect to be able to return products they’ve purchased online in-store or by mail. Companies that don’t offer this ease of return are unlikely to generate repeat business. Implementing sound reverse logistics infrastructure is imperative to good customer service within the omni-channel logistics framework.

  1. Insource operations or outsource to a 3PL

Although digital transformation has been the focus attention from analysts and technology companies alike, businesses must take care not to overlook the physical transformation. The method of flowing truckloads of products from large DCs to stores has become outdated. Businesses must update their supply chain and distribution networks to compete in this new market, in which the speed of delivery and inventory reduction are paramount. Leading enterprises are testing out new distribution strategies that eliminate DCs to become more agile and to better align with customer expectations for faster deliveries.

In fact, the companies that do omni-channel best sell orders online without ever taking physical possession of the product. E-commerce and order management systems are synced in such a way that online shopping cart orders trigger a PO directly with the vendor. This, in turn, places a PO on an OEM and triggers a chain of events with the outbound freight forwarder, the carrier, and the inbound forwarder and then an outsourced or in-house party within the business’s supply chain carries out fulfillment. All these operators’ systems need to be fully integrated.

Omni-channel logistics is all about providing consumers with a seamless shopping experience. This experience is only attainable when businesses leverage their e-commerce capabilities in a way that acknowledges the reality of running both a brick-and-mortar storefront and distribution center network.

More and more companies are relying on their 3PL/4PL partners to run the back-office operations, allowing them to focus on the core competencies of designing, producing, marketing and selling products. Leave the rest to the experts.

A successful 3PL is an operations manager, a strategic consultant and an IT provider all in one. This combination of capabilities is especially valuable when it comes to inventory optimization and omni-channel fulfillment. A 3PL’s core competency around fulfillment operations — such as knowing which metrics to use and how to measure them to drive continuous improvement — can help companies both large and small close the capability gap.

Summary

The right 3PL partner can use its retail and shipping industry knowledge and supply chain experience, as well as a diverse set of OMS/WMS/TMS capabilities and integration strategies to address the challenges listed above.

Lakehill Partners has a long history of systems integration and business process redesign. Let us help you manage the way forward.

For more information on this subject, please contact Antony Francis at antony.francis@lakehillpartners.com.

Thank you for visiting our blog.

I hope you enjoyed our point of view and would like to receive regular posts directly to your email inbox.  Toward this end, put your contact information on my mailing list.

Your feedback helps me continue to publish articles that you want to read.  Your input is very important to me so; please leave a comment.

 

Jim Weber, Managing Partner

ITB PARTNERS

Jim.Weber@itbpartners.com

Author of: Fighting Alligators, Job Search Strategy For The New Normal