Rules For Success

After 7 years, my SAP position was eliminated last year at a Pharmaceutical Company.  I knew it was coming but it still managed to irritate me.  I had been instrumental in setting up an almost 20 Million Dollar cost savings project. I had resurrected SAP value engineering to provide additional benefits for the President (but Finance did “not have time”)…etc.  But if Finance decides to cut a position, it cuts no matter what. Then...

If you want to stand out, don’t be different. Be outstanding. – Meredith West In my last article I wrote about tough lessons learned while attaining World Class S&OP (Sales and Operations) certification. The most comments I received pertained to “It’s the people and their decisions that will make a project hell” It’s beneficial if you go back and read the article before going on. How DO we take a politically saturated, finger...

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...

This is a picture of one of my work out rooms I’m finally using every day. When work begins to consume your life you tend to focus less on health, friends and inner spirituality.  In my case my health could have been better the last few years. I was staying up late, writing articles for this website as well as My Life Changes. The main KEY ingredient I was missing was exercise. Exercise reduces anxiety, keeps weight under control,...

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...

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...