As Industry 4.0 has transformed manufacturing, a new kind of participant has emerged: the “reborn in digital” company. These are manufacturers that were forged during the digital age (within the past 10 to 15 years), and built their companies with Industry 4.0 tools and technologies embe

Supply chain interruption is not uncommon. Natural disasters, human errors, political unrest and climate change have always impacted procurement. Typically, these issues have been localized. When faced with an earthquake in Japan, businesses could reroute their supply chains to another factory in In

This has been a devastating year thus far in terms of natural disasters, with virtually every region of the U.S. feeling the effects of some type of weather-related catastrophe. These disasters are also wreaking havoc on business, and organizations in virtually every sector are trying their best to

Help wanted notices and sign-on bonuses are more prevalent than ever, particularly among blue-collar and service industry workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job openings rose to a record 9.3 million in April, 2021, an unprecedented number that has remained stagnant in the followin

Global supply chain management was already a major factor for U.S. restaurant brands before 2020, a year like no other. As businesses balanced the impact of COVID-19 on their operations, employees and customers, they also had to contend with unprecedented supply chain issues, including disrupti

The digital integration of supply chains that historically have relied on manual processes is key to integrating modern-day business functions, both within the organization and externally with customers, suppliers, and partners.Digital integration delivers a superior customer experience for products

Over the past year, the global supply chain has experienced a drastic increase in demand for goods, causing many delays and additional costs across industries. What’s more, international shipping costs are expected to keep rising during the coming year, with year-over-year increases in the 300

With the increased adoption of digital technologies, artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the way organizations make decisions and automate tasks. Global evolution of the technology has pushed financial consultants and businesses around the world to adopt AI to promote innovation-driven b

Across the globe, businesses of all sizes and across all industries are undergoing some form of I.T. transformation. In fact, companies have accelerated the digitization of their internal and external business operations by three to four years since a pandemic upended the world. While COVID-19 can b

“Uncertainty is the only certainty there is,” mathematician John Allen Paulos once wrote. The procurement and supply chain management industries are no exception, but next-generation technology provides trends worth watching. With time, the supply chain has shifted from the back-off

By 2025, e-commerce will expand by an additional $1.4 trillion — and account for half of growth in the global retail sector, according to market research group Euromonitor International. In addition, the United States Environmental Protection Agency reports that the transportation sector is th

Across every industry, global supply chain shortages have impacted business. Labor problems, congested ports, increased demand and a lack of supply mean prices are rising in every industry. Lumber prices are returning to earth after quadrupling year-over-year in May, but remain about twice what we p

Money flows into and out of financial institutions daily, and it’s no secret that some of those funds stem from illicit transactions in the supply chain. It’s an unfortunate and often-ignored reality that human and wildlife trafficking are common across the globe, and extend to different

Even prior to onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring of 2020, the American workforce was experiencing an ongoing labor shortage. According to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, the U.S. economy had some 7.6 million unfulfilled jobs, with only 6.5 million people actively looking for work as of

When we think of modern manufacturing, some might picture a shiny factory floor with robotic assembly lines and state-of-the-art technology. More often, however, the reality is a mix of equipment and machinery built years to decades ago — and still running perfectly well. What does digita

Given the challenges set in motion by COVID-19, organizations within the chemical manufacturing industry have become even more vulnerable to disruption than they were prior to the pandemic. Between the current economic situation and the instability of supply chains, the industry is under a great dea

Computer code is the foundation for every piece of technology, from smartphones to robots and the networks that connect them. In today's digital world, that also makes code part of the foundation for many — if not most — businesses and services.  Hackers recognize this fact and

There’s a cost to making supply chains sustainable — but there are big opportunities for profit as well.Just ask any of the numerous venture capital firms that have sprung up in recent years to support startups dedicated to creating “green” supply chains and address the threa

Inflation is a constant concern for both consumers and consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers, but it’s especially problematic in 2021.With the Consumer Price Index up 5.4% in June — the largest increase since August 2008 — few enterprises will be able to escape the economic c

The European Union recently released plans to accelerate its already ambitious legislation to be carbon neutral by 2050. While the initial target was a cut of 40% compared to 1990 levels, the EU is now looking to raise the bar to 55% by 2035 instead. The legislation, titled Fit for 55, will represen