Logistics is generally the detailed organization and implementation of a complex operation. In a general business sense, logistics manages the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of consumption to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. The resources managed in logistics may include tangible goods such as materials, equipment, and supplies, as well as food and other consumable items.
In commerce, a supply chain is a network of facilities that procure raw materials, transform them into intermediate goods and then final products to customers through a distribution system. It refers to the network of organizations, people, activities, information, and resources involved in delivering a product or service to a consumer. Supply chain activities involve the transformation of natural resources, raw materials, and components into a finished product and delivering the same to the end customer. In sophisticated supply chain systems, used products may re-enter the supply chain at any point where residual value is recyclable. Supply chains link value chains. Suppliers in a supply chain are often ranked by "tier", with first-tier suppliers supplying directly to the client, second-tier suppliers supplying to the first tier, and so on.
E-procurement is the business-to-business or business-to-consumer or business-to-government purchase and sale of supplies, work, and services through the Internet as well as other information and networking systems, such as electronic data interchange and enterprise resource planning.
The Mitchell Madison Group (MMG) is a global management consulting firm based in the United States that focuses on improving financial and operating performance for major corporations and private equity portfolio companies. It was founded in 1994 and re-launched in 2003. It is active in corporate performance improvement, strategic sourcing, marketing science, pricing optimization, strategy consulting, and big data analysis.
Oracle Applications comprise the applications software or business software of the Oracle Corporation both in the cloud and on-premises. The term refers to the non-database and non-middleware parts. The suite of applications includes enterprise resource planning, enterprise performance management, supply chain & manufacturing, human capital management, and advertising and customer experience.
Inventory control or stock control can be broadly defined as "the activity of checking a shop's stock". It is the process of ensuring that the right amount of supply is available within a business. However, a more focused definition takes into account the more science-based, methodical practice of not only verifying a business's inventory but also maximising the amount of profit from the least amount of inventory investment without affecting customer satisfaction. Other facets of inventory control include forecasting future demand, supply chain management, production control, financial flexibility, purchasing data, loss prevention and turnover, and customer satisfaction.
The term supply management, also called Procurement, describes the methods and processes of modern corporate or institutional buying. This may be for the purchasing of supplies for internal use referred to as indirect goods and services, purchasing raw materials for the consumption during the manufacturing process, or for the purchasing of goods for inventory to be resold as products in the distribution and retail process.
Materials management is a core supply chain function and includes supply chain planning and supply chain execution capabilities. Specifically, materials management is the capability firms use to plan total material requirements. The material requirements are communicated to procurement and other functions for sourcing. Materials management is also responsible for determining the amount of material to be deployed at each stocking location across the supply chain, establishing material replenishment plans, determining inventory levels to hold for each type of inventory, and communicating information regarding material needs throughout the extended supply chain.
Infor Nexus is an independent business unit of Infor LLC offering a multienterprise supply chain network. The on-demand global supply chain management platform and integrated applications are used worldwide by businesses to manage global direct procurement, supplier networks, global logistics and global trade processes. Founded in 1998 in Oakland, California, it merged with TradeCard in 2013, and in September 2015, GT Nexus was acquired by Infor. Today, Infor Nexus is a business unit of Infor.
Cash flow forecasting is the process of obtaining an estimate or forecast of a company's future financial position; the cash flow forecast is typically based on anticipated payments and receivables. See Financial forecast for general discussion re methodology.
NetSuite Inc. is an American cloud-based enterprise software company that provides products and services tailored for small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) including accounting and financial management, customer relationship management, inventory management, human capital management, payroll, procurement, project management and e-commerce software. NetSuite was founded in 1998 with headquarters in Austin, Texas. The company is widely seen as the first cloud computing software company, with its founding pre-dating that of Salesforce.com by about a month. Oracle Corporation acquired NetSuite for approximately US$9.3 billion in November 2016. The Oracle NetSuite Global Business Unit is managed by Executive Vice President Evan Goldberg as "Oracle’s Cloud ERP for Small and Mid-sized Enterprises with the ability to scale to Fortune 500 firms."
PathGuide Technologies is a privately held software company based in Washington State that develops, markets and implements real time warehouse management systems (WMS). It’s largely known as the company that Dr. David Allais, an expert and inventor in the fields of bar coding and automatic identification and data capture (AIDC), founded. PathGuide’s main product, Latitude Warehouse Management System, makes use of bar code scanning and RF data communications. The company integrates its products with Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Automatic Identification and Data Capture companies like Microsoft, Oracle and Intermec. PathGuide primarily markets to wholesale/industrial distributors.
Dan Sanker is an American businessman, and the President & CEO of CaseStack, LLC, a logistics outsourcing company focused on collaboration and technology he founded in California in 1999. He previously worked in consumer packaged goods at Procter and Gamble and Nabisco, and for corporate finance consulting firms KPMG and Deloitte. Sanker is also a co-founder and Executive Director of the Green Valley Network, a non-profit organization which promotes sustainability technology and received the Annual Southern Innovators Award from the Southern Growth Policies Board.
Avercast, LLC is in the supply chain management industry of inventory forecasting and supply planning software also known as demand management.
Matthew Michalewicz is an Australian entrepreneur and author with experience in the fields of technology, commercialization and supply chain management. He is the co-author of a number of books and publications, some of which have been adapted into courses on problem solving in colleges and universities. He is the co-founder of NuTech Solutions, SolveIT Software, and Complexica, companies that he started with his father Zbigniew Michalewicz. In 2012, SolveIT Software Pty Ltd, was acquired by Schneider Electric.
TradeCard, Inc. was an American software company. Its main product, also called TradeCard, was a SaaS collaboration product that was designed to allow companies to manage their extended supply chains including tracking movement of goods and payments. TradeCard software helped to improve visibility, cash flow and margins for over 10,000 retailers and brands, factories and suppliers, and service providers operating in 78 countries.
Rosslyn Data Technologies is a software company providing procurement and master data management solutions. Its procurement portfolio includes software solutions for Spend Analytics, Supplier Information Management, Supplier Performance Management and Supplier Contract Management. Master Data Management solutions include Data Extraction, Data Cleansing and Data Enrichment; available via a cloud-based data platform.
Farzad Dibachi is a serial entrepreneur and business executive. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Inxeption. Previously, Dibachi founded Noribachi, a custom LED lighting manufacturer specializing in industrial and commercial applications. In addition, he founded other Silicon Valley companies including Niku, later acquired by CA, Inc., and Diba, which he sold to Sun Microsystems. He is also the co-author of the book Just Add Management: Seven Steps to Creating a Productive Workplace and Motivating Your Employees In Challenging Times.
Haven Inc. is a company that automates logistics for ocean freight companies. Based in Singapore, San Francisco and Basel, it manages a freight rate and logistics for large international supply chains. Haven is considered one of the pioneers of the digital revolution in shipping logistics.
Lisa Maria Ellram is the James Evans Rees Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain at the Farmer School of Business.
