Tag Archives: lean

Is Dynamic Supply Chain Alignment the way of the future?

Dynamic Supply Chain Alignment. That is the magic formula that runs like a red thread through John Gattorna‘s latest book, where he demonstrates how there are four types of supply chains, based on four types of customer behavior.  This is a well-written and excellently illustrated book, which I will take a closer look at, chapter by chapter, in order to answer the question: Is Dynamic Supply Chain Alignment the ultimate formula for streamlining your supply chain for the utmost performance?

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Supply chain flexibility – a complete literature review?

Someone had to come up with this, it was just a matter of time, and it is no suprise that this article comes from India, one of the major providers of global outsourcing for many industries. In an article reviewing some 100 references,  Babu & More (2008) Perspectives, practices and future of supply chain flexibility, the focus is on anything supply chain flexibility, really anything that relates to supply chain flexibility. And honestly, I must say, they don’t leave much ground uncovered.

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Lean + Agile = LeAgile: a happy marriage?

Opposites attract and in the supply chain world, “lean” and “agile” appear to be opposites. Both management strategies have their advantages and disadvantages, and the question is, is it possible for them to exist side by side, or even fuse?  In their 2006 article A taxonomy for selecting global supply chain strategies, Christopher, Peck and Towill describe a fusion of Lean and Agile, termed LeAgile.

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Lean logistics = risky logistics?

A posting on Evolving Excellence called Long is not Lean caught my attention the other day. The author was lamenting over an article in Logistics Management that talked at length about the Downside of Lean Logistics and how lean means a supply chain that is more prone to risks and disruptions. Naturally, since Evolving Excellence is all about “Thoughts on Lean Enterprise Leadership”, of course they stood up for lean and defended it vigorously, and thinking about it, I have to agree that it is true, a lean supply chain is not necessarily a risky supply chain.

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