Research & Insight

Supply Chain

The Big Picture

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Solutions for Public and Private eMarketplaces “Major multinational companies will buy software solutions,” says James Hatcher, vice president of business development for ECNet. “But when you go to the supplier base, only 10 percent of them will buy software. So what do you do with the rest of the guys? An eMarketplace needs to scale …

Twilight Time

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

The rumormongers and journalists who quickly pen sensational bad-news headlines would have you believe that Exchanges and B2B Marketplaces (last year’s newest Internet darlings) all failed and died practically overnight. They pronounce judgments on why it happened: the hype made businesses adapt the model before it was proven; many companies were not willing or able yet to handle the internal processes that go with the technology of such an extended, networked enterprise; buyers didn’t venture beyond their already established list of suppliers, and even that the procurement folks didn’t coordinate with the planning/administrative folks in many companies.

SRM Alliances

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Supply and demand. This mission-critical component of business has shifted from price and availability to collaboration. Meta Group predicts the SRM market will be $32 billion by 2003. SRM tools enable supply planning so that there is instant visibility across the extended supply chain, allowing companies to drive inventory out; with collaboration, order management becomes a match between demand and capacity.

ASP in Brazil

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

When Brasilia, Brazil’s capital, was built, one of the city architects suggested planting grass everywhere instead of paving sidewalks. People could walk wherever they wanted. Where natural paths emerged, the concrete would follow.

Aligning Interests

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

Whiteside, the founder and CEO of netASPx Inc., an application service provider (ASP) based in Herndon, Virginia, says software vendors have to select one of three paths to incorporate the ASP method into their business model.

High-Quality Impermanent Solutions

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

Even a Fortune 500 company can fail. All it takes is a decision to invest dollars, time and people in the latest and greatest technological wonder. Sure, an Internet-driven world demands that executives quickly take advantage of innovations that technology promises will give them a competitive edge. But they can reap the benefits without incurring the risks or investment.

Driving Change

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

The MG sport car is its history. The MG Salute car is its future. The M.G. Rover Group decided to outsource so it could introduce its new models faster.

The Future of Contract Manufacturing

Outsourcing Center, Kathleen Goolsby, Senior Writer

The Future of Contract Manufacturing In the food business over the last decade, innovation and new product introduction has been the key driver. Brand names no longer command the same premium they used to. Steinberg points to recent market shares for new candy bars, snack foods and specialty cereals that have come and gone as evidence that new product life cycles often are very short. This means the innovation engine has to be cranked up pretty high, he says. So most food companies have invested heavily in plants, equipment and process technology over the last decade. According to Steinberg, a growing number of food companies now have too much specialized and inflexible technology that often was designed to make a product that may not be as competitive now as it once was. To become competitive, many consistently over the last decade have been asked to take money out of the supply chain. Profitability has come from continuous cost cutting, rather than top-line growth. Innovation, after all, is difficult; and i

Outsourcing Grows as Economy Slows

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

With the threat of Y2K glitches, many companies delayed outsourcing commitments during the final half of 1999. But companies returned to outsourcing in 2000. Megadeals lit up the landscape, says Bob Pryor, vice president of Cap Gemini Ernst & Young (CGEY) and head of its Global Operate – Americas outsourcing business in the U.S…

Outsourcing Now Has Ebusiness Component

Outsourcing Center, Beth Ellyn Rosenthal, Senior Writer

When buyers decide to outsource today, you can bet ebusiness considerations are part of the contract. Paul Cofoni, president of the technology management group at Computer Science Corporation (CSC), says he rarely sees an outsourcing proposal that doesn’t have a substantial ecommerce component. Companies want to create a business-to-business (B2B) exchange, use ebusiness to enhance their supply chain management, or simply make it easier for their clients to have access to them…

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