Tag Archives: Procurement

Emerging Supply Chain Risks in the Pharma Industry: Why Must This Issue be Addressed?

Logistics accounts for 45–55% share of the value chain of a drug. Tied in with associated complexities around sourcing and manufacturing, supply chain management (effective or otherwise) clearly has a strong bearing on the total cost of a drug. Players … Read More…

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The Key to Establishing Procurement’s Credibility within the Organization

The last two decades have seen a sea change in the Procurement function’s (and the Procurement executive’s) standing within the organization. No longer the proverbial ‘back water’ department, Procurement now occupies an important seat at the executive table—a development that … Read More…

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China and its Influence on the Global Rare Earth Metals Market

“The Middle East has its oil, China has rare earth metals.” —Deng Xiaoping, Chinese President (1992) Take an even a cursory look at any major business media today and China’s influence in the minerals and metals commodity markets is inescapable. … Read More…

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Four key challenges for supply chains in 2011 and beyond

These four challenges are highlighted in this article, along with a high level look into the types of informational tools and techniques that can be leveraged to help manage them effectively. If there is a truism in supply chains, it … Read More…

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6 Key Actions – Aligning supply chains with corporate strategy.

The supply chain and procurement executive(s) has a ‘seat at the executive table’. To illustrate its potential impact from a pure economic perspective, where else in an organization does one executive have the ability to influence and manage the cost … Read More…

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Iceland’s Volcanic Ash Cloud and its Impact on Global Trade: A Primer

The volcanic eruption in Iceland has led to a crisis not only for the European air transportation industry, in particular, – disrupting air travel and air cargo operations across northern Europe – but also global commerce overall. The eruption of … Read More…

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Is There Any Value in Forecasts?

With most companies either in or rapidly approaching their business planning cycles, executives and analysts alike are hard at work trying to predict how the next fiscal year will unfold, making a range of decisions from where best to focus … Read More…

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Making Sense of Supply Chain Risk

The last 12 months has undoubtedly been one of the most turbulent periods in economic history, with industries (and their constituent companies) across the globe experiencing levels of uncertainty that were unfathomable a mere 24 months earlier. In many respects, … Read More…

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Survey: Global Manufacturers Staying Put in China

(click here to view the press release) In the aftermath of the recent recalls of tainted and toxic China-made products, more than a few have speculated that manufacturers who have outsourced production operations there are no doubt rethinking their sourcing … Read More…

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