Hospitals rely heavily on their supply chain, just as any other retailer does. However, the chances of little Timmy slipping into a coma are pretty low if a supplier misses a delivery of the latest Happy Meal toys to your local McDonald's. Chances increase, however, if he orders the McRib. Gross.
My Dad and I met for lunch recently, and he showed me plans for a custom potting bench he had already designed and built for my mother. Before I get too far, I should say that it is a beautiful piece and received rave reviews from the ladies at bridge club (nice work Pop). He wants to market the product online and was looking for pointers from a trusted Xennial on website design, marketing and distribution so he could determine whether or not a larger market existed for the beloved potting bench (i.e. beyond bridge club). I don't know where my Dad's project will land, but it got me thinking about how DIY could revolutionize our idea of traditional manufacturing.
If you are Amazon, a major brick and mortar retailer or retail focused real estate developer, this post is your wake up call. In 2012 Jack Ma, founder of Alibaba made an aggressive $16 million (100 million RMB) wager on the future of Chinese retail with Wang Jianlin, head of Dalian Wanda Group, a leading privately-held conglomerate (major retail developer) based in China.
Despite the hype, Blockchain is not a "silver bullet" answer to all the problems supply chain faces today. Instead, I think the value of Blockchain will be fully realized after a cumulative progression of new technologies and market disruptions (e.g. 3D printing, AI, big data, IoT) lay a more stable foundation for Blockchain to gain acceptance. This …
Continue reading "Blockchain 101: Supply Chain Risks and Rewards"
The Concept of the Hyperloop seemed farfetched in 1963 when The Jetsons first aired. However, we are quickly approaching an inflection point between conventional transit systems and futuristic transit capability and design and Hyperloop could put us at George and Judy Jetson's front door.
Earlier this year, I made some predictions in Innovate or Die: 5 Omni-channel Strategies Amazon is Trying to Outrun. As a part of those predictions, I talked a little bit about the "barbell effect" and how there would be a dichotomy between luxury/high-end, customized, boutique firms that offered a unique customer experience for a premium and hyper-local/convenience …
Continue reading "LUXLOCK: The Internet of Product (IoP) and “The Barbell Effect” in Action."
Consumers and businesses alike are making decisions with a heavier focus on how long it will take for the product to get from A to B. In fact, companies are beginning to rely on 3D printing to stay competitive in certain markets. This seems like a "no-brainer" when you compare a typical supply chain model to the simplistic way 3D parts are produced.
Product based companies looking to gain a competitive advantage are beginning to transform the "traditional" supply chain process. Some companies are further ahead than others, and we could talk about Amazon at length, but I'm talking about a shift in the traditional model, industry average and the status quo.
"We've got a long way to go and a short time to get there..."
While Amazon is a force to be reckoned with and their game changing innovations have raised the standard in omni-channel retail, it is only a matter of time before the large retailers close the gap and begin to stifle Amazon's current growth rate. Amazon hasn't won any prizes yet, and knows it.
The Logistics Broker 
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