Supply Chain Strategies

Manufacturing Insights' Supply Chain Strategies advisory service arms manufacturing companies with the specific knowledge necessary to globally deploy extended value networks and supporting business processes. These business process investments drive interest in research that helps manufacturers and retailers make more insightful and informed decisions on the deployment of global supply chain strategies and supporting technology applications. Forward-looking research, combined with fact-based analysis of successful global supply chain strategies, provides clients with practical ways to improve service levels and performance while minimizing cost.

Approach

This advisory service develops unique analysis and comprehensive data through Manufacturing Insights' proprietary research projects, along with ongoing communications with industry experts, manufacturing executives and practitioners, and product and service vendors.

To ensure relevance, our analysts work with subscribers to identify and prioritize specific topics to be covered in research reports. Our analysts are also available to provide individualized advice for manufacturing executives and vendors to help them make better-informed decisions.

Topics Addressed

Throughout the year, this service will address the following topics:

• Trends and predictions for global supply chains
• Global supply chain strategies and the unique perspectives of risk and benefit
• Emerging supply chain technologies and their impact on business process and innovation
• Business, organizational, and infrastructure technology priorities for each geographic region
• Successful customer and supplier relationships - how to measure best practices

Key Questions Answered

Our research addresses the following issues that are critical to your success:

• What are the key goals, risks, and benefits of a global supply chain strategy?
• What are the unique perspectives for supply chain business processes within each geographical region, including emerging regions of design and manufacturing?
• What defines successful customer and supplier relationships?
• What supply chain technology tools and applications have the most value for your particular business and supply chain strategies?

Who Should Subscribe

The Supply Chain Strategies advisory service is ideally suited to support the needs of CIOs, senior IT managers, and IT support groups supporting manufacturing and supply chain programs and initiatives, as well as marketing executives and directors of product marketing supporting manufacturing and supply chain technology. Technology providers will find this service valuable in gaining insight into the key challenges facing manufacturers and Manufacturing Insights' recommended actions for solving them.

Return on Research Investment

• Strategies for consistent process implementation and enhanced collaboration to ensure better planning and execution enabled by faster decision making
• Recommendations for aligning processes and key performance indicators with the organization's strategic goals
• Cases studies that validate or challenge planned approaches to process improvement initiatives
• Business benefit and process review of new supply chain technology implementations
• Guidance for measuring derived benefits from key process improvement programs
• Insight into the challenges and pain points facing manufacturers and the implications for supply chain service and software providers
• Experienced analysts with a unique perspective on the interaction between supply chain and IT, particularly as it relates to strategic alignment and prioritization

Standard Subscription Deliverables

Manufacturing Insights values building client relationships and strives to foster a partnership with each client through continuous analyst interaction; concise delivery of current, timely, and relevant research; as well as custom research when needed. Each advisory service delivers strategic research covering business and technology issues. A summary of the basic service deliverables available to subscribers includes the following:

• Analyst inquiry time specific to the advisory service area
• 24 x 7 research access via manufacturing-insights.com
• Discounted admission to specific Manufacturing Insights or IDC conferences
• Complimentary forum invitations (Webcasts, telebriefings, industry briefings)
• Dedicated client service representatives

Lead Analyst

The Supply Chain Strategies advisory service is led by Simon Ellis, practice director. Ellis specializes in advising clients on LCS, RFID, data synchronization, Lean, Six Sigma, and more. A senior executive with 20+ years' experience, he most recently served as the supply chain strategy director/futurist for Unilever North America, a $12 billion division of Unilever, the maker of such well-known brands as Dove, Lipton Tea, All, Hellmann's, and Knorr. Ellis, a thought leader in the industry, led the implementation of new technologies at Unilever, including the North American RFID and e-Catalog initiatives.

Related Offerings

Related offerings to our industry-specific research practices include IT Spending Guides - segmented regional and country-level analysis by solution area; Go-To-Market Services (GMS) - a modular set of deliverables to assist clients in extending their market reach, validating their market strategy, and producing more responsive customer-centric marketing campaigns; Global IT Advisor (GITA) - a flexible, cross-disciplinary research service providing granularity in market information and analysis across a wide range of technology areas; and IT Management Service (ITMS) - a best-practices research service covering IT governance, portfolio management, vendor procurement, and more. In addition, Manufacturing Insights experts are available for individualized consulting engagements to address specific challenges or to customize the results of our syndicated research offerings.