Supply Chain Management

How to make Preventive Maintenance a way of life in SAP APO Support Projects - Part 2

Thu, 24 May 2012 13:32:43 +0000

In the previous blog, I had shared from my experience, the varieties of issues that we come across in a typical support project. Similarly errors can occur in master data area that affects SNP and PPDS planning. Some of typical errors I have seen are:

• In case of change in BOM components / work center in ECC, PPDS PPM gets updated in APO but SNP PPM does not get updated and continues showing consumption of old component;

• Transportation lanes or Means of transport that have expired or going to expire in near future will result in creation of purchase requisitions without any source of supply.
Careful examination of logs of daily CIF jobs can highlight the issues with PPM even before they are caught by the planners. Similarly a periodic query of t-lanes that will expire soon will help in preventing purchase requisitions without source of supply.

Confluence of IT and Business Strategy for a Transformation program

Tue, 22 May 2012 06:32:01 +0000

Emerging business needs and stiff competition are forcing organizations to rethink on the business strategies, often requiring them to identify avenues for improvements and leading them towards what is known as "Transformation". Various reasons for a business transformation would include smart ways of working, effective information sharing, continuous improvement in the operation model, availability of vital information for better decision making etc. These forms key contributors to an effective transformation exercise. For any such program to be successful, it is important that the key contributors are identified and implemented effectively, but how often are we sure of completely meeting our transformation objectives? The answer is, rarely! What did we miss then? Was there a flaw in charting out the transformation ideologies? Or did we lose the business context while implementing the transformation program?

How to make Preventive Maintenance a way of life in SAP APO Support Projects - Part 1

Fri, 18 May 2012 10:51:52 +0000

I started my career as a maintenance engineer in a leading paint manufacturing company in India. The maintenance work that we did was divided into categories such as breakdown maintenance and preventive maintenance. I still remember the words of my first manager- "we should be spending our maximum time doing preventive maintenance so that we don't land ourselves into business critical breakdown maintenance".

My own power Generation plant

Thu, 10 May 2012 23:45:46 +0000

The summer in this part of country is really hot and has this bright sunshine for most of the year. That's why one would see lot of Solar panels on the roof tops or even dedicated solar generation plants (though I don't see if there is any direct co-relation to the high temperatures out here to amount of electricity generated using solar panels). What is it that makes these installations popular these days? The federal government is promoting the use of Green energy and that's where the utilities have come up with the ways to use this opportunity for distributed energy generation. Traditionally utility customers owned and maintained the Solar Panels but various ownership and pricing models have emerged where in the Utility Company owns and maintains the solar equipment which is installed on the customer roof-tops. Some of the utilities have their own solar generation farms with vast number of solar panels spread across a large area. The pace with which the technology is emerging and the clean energy awareness is growing along with the federal government supporting it; day may not be far when every house is a distributed generation station for a utility.

Supply Chain Visibility: The need & qualities of an effective system

Wed, 09 May 2012 11:10:32 +0000

In today's world, supply chains are no longer localized to an organization's four walls. As companies go more global for their demand and supply markets, there comes with it a spider-web of partners and dependencies. The situation gets more complex as partners may have their own processes, systems and work in their own time zones. This easily has a potential to lower the supply chain efficiency due to lack of collaboration between partners and non-availability of timely information. As a result, organizations end up either under stocked (that leads to lost customers) or overstocked (leading to unwanted inventory carrying costs).

Supply Chain Control Tower Readiness- Part Two

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:27:28 +0000

Joint Post by

Gopi Krishnan GR, Practice Manager - Business Application and Services, Retail CPG, Logistics and Life Sciences, Infosys

Arun Kumar, Principal Consultant - Business Application and Services, Retail CPG, Logistics and Life Sciences, Infosys

In part 1 of this interview blog series with Supply Chain Matters, we have already analyzed the readiness of both IT and supply chain functional industries for the need to go for broader visibility, more timely and accurate decision-making, and predictive process capabilities which are more frequently expressed in the context of supply chain control tower (SCCT) capabilities.

In part 2 we have shared our views on the mode of expression of SCCT and our view for the best approach for adopting SCCT. Please read part 2 here.

Supply Chain Control Tower Readiness- Part One

Wed, 02 May 2012 13:17:44 +0000

Joint Post by

Gopi Krishnan GR, Practice Manager - Business Application and Services, Retail CPG, Logistics and Life Sciences, Infosys

Arun Kumar, Principal Consultant - Business Application and Services, Retail CPG, Logistics and Life Sciences, Infosys

With the current scenario of rapidly increasing base of business in terms of geography, customer base, varied suppliers and voracious line of products, the complexity of the global supply chain is becoming more difficult to manage.

In lieu of this, modern organizations are spending a lot to re-define the needs for broader visibility, more timely and accurate decision-making, and predictive process capabilities in their supply chain methods. These needs are more frequently expressed in the context of supply chain control tower (SCCT) capabilities.

We have expressed our views in an interview with Supply Chain Matters and posted it as a 2 part blog series on "Supply Chain Control Towers Readiness". In part 1, we have analyzed the rationale for SCCT in the IT industry as well as supply chain functional areas; and whether the readiness is coming from specific industry sectors. Please read Part 1 here.

Online Grocery Retailing that too in ....India

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:14:25 +0000

We are familiar with the concept of buying online books, electronic goods, gift articles, apparels. Today we are able to browse the products many times, compare products and even call up the customer care executive to help us select the right product. But do we purchase grocery online (excluding the perishables) in India. I don't think so. Even I do the shopping of grocery through supermarket or hypermarket. Do we know any e-retailer who sells grocery online? Will the grocery received online be in good condition? Will the grocery prices online be cheaper than our hypermarket/supermarket? All questions asked do we really need to purchase grocery online when we can get it in a nearby supermarket. Few would also argue that they can get them from local stores available in vicinity.

Best practices for defining Asset Register

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 13:01:14 +0000

During last couple of weeks, I had some discussions with few of my colleagues from our Utility practice. The reason for discussion was an Asset Management consulting assignment where these folks were helping a utility company to define asset management strategies for them.

This client of ours does not have a centralized asset centric repository and information is scattered in multiple applications - leading to substandard processes, data duplication and inconsistent data - to name few of the problems. So, this team's focus is to suggest best practices for Asset Management which may ultimately lead to selecting an enterprise package for managing their assets.

Increase in Operational Efficiency through Voice Technology

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 10:15:29 +0000

One of the biggest time consuming and mundane activities in warehouse management is the pick up of inventory and the appropriate shelving of inventory. Imagine picking up inventory from the warehouse without having any paper lists or even any barcode scanners. Yes, voice technology enables hands and view free inventory pick up, stock put away and inventory management in the warehouses in real time. This enables the warehouse staff to work for long periods without any problems with just wearing lightweight, high-quality headsets. Today, voice technology integrated with a company's ERP systems provides extremely robust headsets that guide warehouse employees through the rows, aisles and bins of the warehouse and make inventory tracking, pick up and put away extremely easy and flexible. Not only this but the devices are so robust that they even contain a noise-cancelling electret microphone and with a sound insulation up to 27 db allows it to be used in very noisy 'pick by voice' environments. Voice technology can also be effectively used in goods receiving and transfers to docks.

Challenges Faced By E-Retailers in India

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 13:47:10 +0000

In my previous blog, I highlighted the factors which helped e-commerce retailing develop in India. Today consumers are powered with loads of choices for selection of the product they are looking for. They are actually able to compare the products, look for availability of the product, get detailed information about the product, check prices at various online websites selling the specific product and also look for attractive offers. Consumers get their choice of goods as well get satisfied with the price they pay. Now from e-retailers perspective, above are the must have in order to be competitive and increase sales. But for e-retailers to survive they also need to maintain healthy profitability month on month by creating awareness among customers to visit their website and convert visits into sales. There are some of the major challenges which e-retailers face in India to be competitive in their business.

Preventing Failed Deliveries...

Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:14:07 +0000

Soaring demand for home delivery is not in dispute, but doing it profitably still remains the elusive golden chalice - much to the frustration of consumers, retailers and carriers alike. The major reason of higher home delivery cost for retailers is the number of orders that are not delivered in first attempt. Failed deliveries have always been a cause for concern but recently it has become more significant due to the increase in the number of people shopping from home. According to IMRG press release, retailers in UK alone loose nearly GBP 1 billion due to failed home deliveries. Of the total number of home delivery orders, about 17% orders are not delivered successfully in the first attempt, simply because there is nobody at home to collect the delivery.

Bricks and Clicks - The New Business Model and Supply Chain Capability for Retail Industry

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:29:26 +0000

Guest Post by

Bob Ferrari, the Executive Editor of the Supply Chain Matters Blog, and a periodic guest blogger on the Infosys Supply Chain Management blog.

The Economist featured an article in its February 25th print edition with the title: Clicks and Bricks. The gist of this article is one that many business and industry analysts have been frequently dwelling upon, namely that retailers are feverishly trying to reinvent themselves for this rapidly changing new age of online shopping and multi-enterprise commerce. The stark message delivered by the Economist was: "To build a profitable online business, retailers must integrate it seamlessly with the bricks-and-mortar operations. Many keep them separate, increasing the risk that they fail to communicate or work together properly".

What does the future hold for brick and mortar stores?

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 09:01:54 +0000

A few months ago, I was looking to buy a laptop to replace my old desktop at home. I researched prices on most Indian online websites for the laptop configuration I wanted. I then walked into some of the stores near my house to compare prices in the stores for similar configuration, but more importantly, to "touch and feel" the product I was about to buy. Having inquired in 4-5 different stores, I returned home and ordered the laptop online. Compared to the stores, the price online was atleast 10% lower and the online retailer also threw in a free laptop bag and free 1 year subscription of an anti-virus software.

Flying Robots in a Warehouse?

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 08:56:22 +0000

Well, this may appear strange but having watched Vijay Kumar and his team's innovation on flying robots in TED - http://www.ted.com/talks/vijay_kumar_robots_that_fly_and_cooperate.html , it struck to me that these little robots can do wonders in warehousing operations. Let see how...