Articles Index

Introduction to Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS)
Oracle E-Business Suite (EBS) version 12 is an internet enabled product that can be managed from a single site. A company can operate a single data center with a single database, similar to other ERP products. This release was launched in February 2007 and contains a number of product lines which users can implement for their business. Oracle EBS includes the company’s ERP solution as well as supply chain management (SCM) and customer relationship management (CRM) applications.

Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics
management software have an increasing number of software companies competing for their business. For business owners who feel that products from Oracle, SAP and JDA are too complex and too expensive for their businesses, Microsoft has a range of products under the Microsoft Dynamics umbrella that are more applicable for small and medium businesses.

Small Business Guide to Manufacturing
Small businesses are often not associated with manufacturing, however in the US small manufacturers can be found in all fifty states. Organizations such as the American Small Manufacturers Coalition (ASMC) exist to promote small manufacturers and to lobby government to assist with legislation and federal programs. This article examines some of the manufacturing processes that are used by small businesses.

Introduction to Panjiva.com
For purchasing professionals across all industries, pressure is being exerted to source more material, at high qualities, in shorter lead times with fewer resources. This has led to buyers searching in all corners of the world to find suppliers who can fulfill their requirements. Buyers now have a new tool which they can use to help them with their endeavors, called Panjiva.

Reducing Waste in the Supply Chain
Businesses are examining every area of their supply chain to reduce costs. Reducing waste has become a key component of any cost reduction program that is implemented. There are a number of processes that can be used in order to reduce waste in a company’s supply chain. This article shows some of the processes that can be adopted to reduce waste in the supply chain.

Lean Supply Chain Management
Lean supply chain management should be considered by businesses who want to streamline their processes by eliminating waste and non-value added activities. Companies have a number of areas in their supply chain where waste can be identified as time, costs or inventory. To create a leaner supply chain companies must examine each area of the supply chain. Lean supply chain management can improve the company’s competitiveness as well as improve the company’s overall profitability.

Making Your Warehouse Green
Warehouses are busy places. Goods are constantly on the move; inbound and outbound deliveries have to be dealt with as well as the movements of items from location to location. Many companies are looking to warehouse operations are an area where they can make environmentally sound decisions. Companies are concentrating on three areas to help them in this endeavor; reduce, reuse and recycle. This article will show you where you can help your company make your warehouse green.

Implementing a Warehouse Management System (WMS)
Warehouse Management Systems (WMS) have been available for decades and initially allowed simple storage location functionality. Today WMS systems can be standalone or part of an ERP system and can include complex technology such as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and voice recognition. However the basic principle of a WMS has remained the same, which is to provide information to allow efficient control of the movement of materials within the warehouse

Green Supply Chain Best Practices
Trend towards developing a green supply chain is popular but most companies are wondering how this can be achieved and where to start. Businesses have been concentrating on improving supply chain visibility, refining efficiency and minimizing cost. Despite the focus being moving towards a green supply chain the goals of visibility, efficiency and cost reduction do not have to be discarded. Firms who have implemented green supply chains can offer a number of best practices that will help others.

Tactical Supply Chain Management
Tactical supply chain decisions focus on adopting measures that will produce cost benefits for a company. Tactical decisions are made within the construct of the wider reaching strategic supply chain decisions that are made by company management.

Strategic Supply Chain Management
The strategic supply chain processes that management has to decide upon will cover the breadth of the supply chain. These include product development, customers, manufacturing, suppliers and logistics.

Introduction to the Green Supply Chain
The public have become more aware of environmental issues and consumers are asking companies about their environmental policies. This article examines how some companies have found that starting to create a green supply chain can add to the bottom line.

Introduction to Ariba
Ariba is the leading provider of Spend Management solutions that offers procurement departments the opportunity to manage, monitor and analyze purchasing expenditure. Ariba offers suppliers the ability to create catalogs that can be accessed by its customers on its Supplier Networ. Founded in 1996, Ariba has over 160,000 suppliers with a monthly spend of over $8 billion.

Warehouse Best Practices
Companies are constantly trying to find ways to improve performance and warehouse operations is area where supply chain managers can focus to gain maximum efficiency for minimum cost. To get the most out of the operation, a number of best practices can be adopted to improve productivity and overall customer satisfaction. Although best practices vary from industry to industry and by the products shipped there are a number of best practices that can be applied to most companies.

Introduction to Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management can be simple or complex, but all supply chains contain similar elements and are managed in a similar way. This article will give you a introduction to these concepts. Firstly, you will learn about the elements that define a company's supply chain. Secondly, you will discover the three levels of management that are required to efficiently operate the supply chain.

Case Study in Purchasing Rationalization
A major American chemical company had completed a year of supply chain reengineering and decided upon a number of best practices that should be implemented. One element of the reengineering was that they decided upon creating a shared service function at their headquarters which rationalized the purchasing and accounts functions.

Introduction to SAP
SAP ERP Operations solution has become the software backbone that contributes to companies ability to achieve efficiency in the supply chain.

Creating a Logistics Strategy
The supply chain constantly changes and that will affect any logistics organization. To adapt to the flexibility of the supply chain, companies should develop and implement a formal logistics strategy.

Operational Supply Chain Management
Operational supply chain decisions are made hundreds of times each day in a company. These are the decisions that are made at business locations that affect how products are developed, sold, moved and manufactured.