2001 | Outsourcing Center

Delivering the Difference

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

If you’re a patient in the emergency room, you definitely want that hospital or trauma center to have all the necessary supplies on hand — from IVs and blood plasma to bandages and syringes. But the hospital can’t keep everything on hand; it’s in the patient care business, not inventory warehousing. So the doctors and nurses rely on medical distributors to be sure they have what’s needed — or can deliver it in a couple of hours for an emergency. Many of them depend on Owens & Minor, Inc. (O&M) and, in outsourcing their supplies process to O&M, they enjoy the added advantage of reduced costs.

Riding a Wave of Success

Chris Pryer, Business Writer

There are certain times when a confluence of events can create an environment like no other. The moon in the seventh sky, or Jupiter aligning with Mars, for instance. In today’s fast-paced and constantly evolving business world, successful companies must be vigilant and nimble in order to respond quickly and take advantage of such favorable conditions when they present themselves. If these companies don’t possess the necessary resources in-house to accomplish their business objectives, they collaborate with another company who does.

Decreasing Delivery Headaches

Jerri L. Ledford, Business Writer

Any company doing business on a global scale knows what a hassle supply chain management can be. Everything from procurement to receiving becomes a difficult task when multiple currencies, customs departments and logistics are considered. And it’s that difficulty that drove Hong Kong-based global logistics management company, United States Consolidation (USC), Ltd., to look to an outsourcing supplier to ease the pain of supply chain management (SCM).

Putting Humpty Dumpty Together

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

In any vendor relationship, you can let the vendor manage you and direct you, but I’m not sure that you will get full satisfaction and have your full expectationss met. Companies have to understand what they are expecting and actually make decisions based on that, advises Vickie Pettee, Manager, Global Compensation and Benefits for Nokia.

My Benefit Source Chips Away at Payroll Administration Costs

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

Outsourcing was the right course for Meadowbrook Golf. The Lakeland, Florida company owns, leases or manages 100 golf courses in 16 states; during the summer the employee roster swells to 3,500. Payroll and tax filing took two days to complete every pay period.

How Outsourcing Helped AT&T Lower Its Energy Costs

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

With supply shortages creating a surge in natural gas prices and deregulation jacking up electricity costs, big power users found their energy costs soaring this year. The bills did go up at AT&T, but not by the magnitude of other corporate users.

Outsourcing a Process Co-Generates Savings

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

It all started with deregulation. Outsourcing the entire process fuels savings.

Supplier Supplies Capital, Engineers to Save Energy and Money

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

Farmland Industries, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is the largest co-op agribusiness cooperative in the U.S. In addition to the brand Farmland Foods, the company makes nitrogen- and phosphate-based fertilizers. Because the company uses a tremendous amount of natural gas, it has its own risk management operation. Its energy traders evaluate the price situation, working with various commodity traders, and then take futures positions in the natural gas commodity market.

Coping with Increased Development Cycles

Jerri L. Ledford, Business Writer

In the world of packaged software, upgrades usually happen about once a year, sometimes less, and those upgrades are usually pretty extensive. But in the world of an application service provider (ASP), one of the benefits of offering a centrally located application is the ability to upgrade more frequently. And because upgrades can be performed without disturbing a user’s systems, they can be done on a more direct, incremental basis.

No Room for So-So Performance

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Neither rain nor snow… You know the adage about the reliability of the U.S. postal system. Today we might transfer that goal concept: Neither viruses, nor bandwidth nor disk space will stop email! — at least not for organizations that depend on it as their primary communication vehicle.

Research & Insight

Year archives: 2001

Delivering the Difference

Riding a Wave of Success

Decreasing Delivery Headaches

Putting Humpty Dumpty Together

My Benefit Source Chips Away at Payroll Administration Costs

How Outsourcing Helped AT&T Lower Its Energy Costs

Outsourcing a Process Co-Generates Savings

Supplier Supplies Capital, Engineers to Save Energy and Money

Coping with Increased Development Cycles

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