Process Improvement 101

Calculating Return on Investment or ROI prior or after your SAP projects can be a formidable task. Formidable because it’s not always clear on HOW SAP will drive down costs, increase sales, increase customer satisfaction or make a Supply Chain more efficient. Below is a check list to help estimate ROI on SAP projects. Will the implementation reduce head count or FTE (Full time employe)? When we implemented a SAP driven weighing system...

Gather the company business experts together to expose business and SAP priorities. Those priorities should be closely linked to what your customers want. Unlike Six Sigma projects, SAP tools can be a total game changer for certain areas of the company. Tools like electronic batch management or quality notifications can bring huge efficiencies if integrated well with your current SAP modules. Educating the user community prior...

My friends Keith and Sean from the company REVEAL recently shared an excellent meal with me in old Montreal. Keith and I were both featured speakers at the Logistics and Supply Chain Management conferences in sunny Orlando (2012) and Fabulous Las Vegas (2013). My speaking engagements were centered on Sales and Operations transformation as well as Supply Chain Optimization.  We also both share the same insights on business fundamentals...

I once mapped out multiple severe bottlenecks and mind-boggling money wasting processes throughout the entire procurement organization in a pharmaceutical company.  The Procurement manager became so upset over our discoveries, he shut done the whole project out of embarrassment and fright of losing his job. That is just one example. The issue at heart is that you don’t need fancy consultants or individuals that believe they have all...

Without a doubt Kaizen. Kaizen When I was at Pratt and Whitney Aircraft Canada more than 14 years ago, our VP of Operations brought in Japanese Kaizen experts that had worked at Toyota in Japan. With the multiple and continuous improvements that this method brought, we gained enormous efficiencies in the supply chain and in some cases reduced engine lead times from 24 to 4 months. That VP, Louis Chenevert went on to become Chairman...

The 2013 Logistics and Supply Chain Management event in Las Vegas gave me a chance to present as well as connect with a number of outstanding people and organizations. Here are the major tips from the week which pertain to our business the most. Presentations regarding master data governance (including CIF – APO core interface) with or without APO were the most popular. Before launching sophisticated tools like APO, make sure you are...