The concept of “Lean,” which is essentially a team-based approach to continuous improvement focused on eliminating non-value added activities or “waste” from the viewpoint of the customer, has been ...

The supply chain industry is at a crossroads. Once upon a time, when most products and components were in abundance, a lean supply chain was a miracle of efficiency. Lean principles were used in every ...

There has been a decades-old challenge in the supply chain industry that organizations could have either an agile supply chain or a lean supply chain, but they couldn’t have both at the same time. The ...

Over the past 30 years, the percentage of the U.S. GDP devoted to logistics costs has dropped from 17.9% in 1980 to 8.3% in 2011, which is a testament to how smart companies have gotten at reducing ...

There’s been a long-held concept that a supply chain could be agile or lean, but not both. In last month’s article, we explored how with the right digital transformation, there is no reason why a ...

Many pundits and analysts blamed the current supply chain breakdown on the widespread use of lean and just-in-time manufacturing methodologies. Their claim is that they encourage manufacturers to keep ...

Editor’s Note: Every year, 40 or so students in the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics' (MIT CTL) Master of Supply Chain Management (SCM) program complete one-year thesis research projects. The ...

Welcome to the world of ergonomics, logistics and retailing. Ergonomics can play a vital role in supporting materials management and the retail aspect of the business world. Ergonomics allows an ...

Another wave of lockdowns will renew concerns about supply chains and shortages. As a grower of fresh mushrooms, for decades I experienced the difficulties of filling orders during wild fluctuations ...

Through the Center for Supply Chain Excellence, the Richard A. Chaifetz School of Business at Saint Louis University offers executive education programs that provide every member of the supply chain ...

In 2021, the waves of the pandemic started to quickly unravel supply chains across the world. Manufacturing plants slowed or even closed, ports experienced unprecedented back-ups, and transportation ...