Most businesses define a supply chain as the activity between when a purchase order is placed, received by a vendor, produced, and delivered to a processing factory or warehouse for storage. But does a business make money when a product is delivered to their location? A supply chain includes much more and understanding that Read Insight

Operations professionals have been preaching the Toyota Production System (TPS) with its the elimination of waste in all formats. A famous (infamous?) element of TPS is the concept of Just-In-Time (JIT) inventory with factories and project managers praising the reduction in inventory seen through its practice. As a result, Just in Time inventory has Read Insight

A hidden effect on inventory costs is the Cost of Quality (CoQ). The CoQ reflects the amount of money spent managing malfunctioning product, damaged goods or stock out due to inconsistent supply An example: If you're shipping 1,000 items on a container that you sell on the market for $5 each The container costs Read Insight

A supply chain is not just from a supplier to your warehouse, but rather from a Purchase Order through to Supplier, Delivery of product to a customer and receipt of payment and, hopefully, feedback on the product. Here are a few things to watch for as indications that you supply chain needs a review: Read Insight

Inventory levels are driven by two metrics: Volume and Volatility, which focuses on a team's ability to maximize a customer's fill rate and your revenue. Forsyth Advisor presents how historical data can help set, and manage, inventory levels. Using historical data, a supply chain team should review a group of SKU's while asking the Read Insight

Sourcing internationally carries heightened level of complexities and simpler tactics can get lost. Tracking commodity pricing and currency fluctuations is a meaningful way to manage costs with the added benefit of letting your supplier know you're watching. Pricing on commodities is set by a global market, whether it be steel, plastics, aluminum or agricultural Read Insight

Articles regarding the pending demise of China as a global power require deeper review. Here's what we see at Forsyth. 40 years ago, China attempted to perfect the "Third Way"; Keep authoritarian control while allowing a few to enjoy a "capital-ish" market. As China's less expensive labor & material costs became apparent, companies from Read Insight

For those in the process of scaling up your DTC via Shopify or otherwise, pick and fill rates usually rule the Key Performance Indicator boards. However, stepping back and analyzing your processes may be an effective way to identify inefficiencies. The questions below will help evaluate those processes and partnerships. 1. Is Your Outbound Read Insight

For those partners managing Direct to Consumer (DTC) yourselves, knee deep in FBA (Fulfilled by Amazon) or any intellectually curious supply chain professional (or executive)...basically, anyone....The team at Forsyth Advisors wanted to introduce a possibly rewarding, educational resource that might fit with a company's Team Building exercises.To say that Amazon is ubiquitous would be an Read Insight

The mechanisms that transform your team’s ideas into products that are manufactured in factories around the world, shipped to your warehouses and customers isn’t called a supply CHAIN by accident. It all ties together... The Panama canal, which feeds shipping lanes from Asia to the East and Gulf Coasts, is fed from fresh water; Read Insight