INSIGHTS

Santa’s supply chain is a global marvel, ensuring billions of presents are delivered flawlessly each Christmas Eve. Here’s how Santa leverages supply chain solutions and teamwork to make the magic happen:

At Waypost Advisors, we are fortunate to work with a wide range of manufacturing companies, giving us unique insights into trends and best practices across industries. As 2024 comes to a close, we want to share the key supply chain solutions we’ve observed that could inspire improvements in your ...

The Thanksgiving Turkey Supply Chain – 2024 edition

In this blog, we explore insights from our October 23 webinar on digital transformation. We spoke with data governance and business process fanatic, Leigh Browning, about the essentials for success in any digital transformation journey. If you joined us, this blog recaps key takeaways for your ...

If you saw our recent webinar - The Most Under-Represented Supply Chain Skill: Planning – you know that supply chain planning activities are frequently missing from organizations. Attention is often given to demand and inventory planning while overlooking the benefits of capacity planning.

On August 20th, we had an enlightening discussion on LinkedIn LIVE about the invisible science behind a successful supply chain. Many organizations have not seen how a supply chain planning function can be used to drive cost-savings and efficiencies in production, inventory, and supply chain costs. ...

What if you had access to a realistic, achievable roadmap to improve your supply chain and operations? Waypost Advisors has an approach that works for our clients and addresses their unique realities and business nuances.

In today's fast-paced business environment, it's easy to overlook the importance of robust inventory management. However, neglecting this critical aspect can lead to significant supply chain disruptions, increased costs, and lost revenue opportunities. In this post, we'll explore two real-world ...

As we crest the month of June and the inevitable arrival of the mid-year, it’s time for an urgent call-out to those interested in driving cost-savings activities that result in margin improvements for 2025. If your business has a goal of improving margins in the face of challenged revenue growth or ...

The recent economic summit hosted by Allied Executives in Minneapolis highlighted dynamics within the B2B manufacturing market in the US and made projections about how businesses may be impacted and what they can do to mitigate risks.

For leaders, particularly CFOs, inventory isn't just a collection of items on shelves—it represents a significant financial commitment. This tied-up capital could otherwise generate interest or necessitate borrowing at interest rates. Additionally, it restricts the funds available for other ...

Are you tired of dealing with inventory challenges that result in stockouts and frustrated customers? Has your company ever had to deal with damaged or defective products that had to be returned, causing inconvenience and lost revenue? These are just a few examples of the many challenges that ...

Does your company face constant project delays, skyrocketing costs, and a disengaged workforce from large initiatives, leaving you puzzled about the root cause? The solution might be more straightforward than you think: a dedicated project manager.

Let's talk about indirect spend. At Waypost Advisors, indirect spend is something that's near and dear to our hearts because we know the problems it can cause and the opportunities it can bring. Indirect spend is one of those underrated aspects of business management that tends to fly under the ...

In today's competitive business landscape, staying efficient is essential for success. In order to do so, businesses operating with complex supply chains need to continuously optimize their processes in order to maintain a competitive edge. Supply chain process improvements not only enhance ...

Last year, around this time (the end of the first quarter of 2023), supply chain discussions were dominated by the difficulty of finding affordable warehouse space in the US market. At Waypost Advisors, we were advising against long-term negotiations due to soaring costs and scarcity of space. ...

Effective data management is at the foundation of any successful business operation; however, the importance is even more imperative within the intricacies of supply chain management. There are many benefits to maintaining clean data, such as improved decision-making, increased efficiency, enhanced ...

Successful inventory management requires maintaining a constant equilibrium of supply and demand, cost and revenue, efficiency, and flexibility. Achieving this balance is at the foundation of maximizing operational efficiencies and driving business growth in any supply chain. In this blog, we're ...

In the complex world of supply chain management, hidden costs, especially in inventory planning and management, often go unnoticed. Identifying and addressing these costs is crucial for enhancing efficiency and improving the bottom line. From excess stockpiling leading to increased warehousing ...

In order for businesses to remain successful, they must continuously overcome challenges and strive for improved efficiencies. Integrating advisors into your supply chain strategies can be vital to success in an increasingly competitive market. In this blog, we'll look at the transformative ...

If you haven’t had a moment in the last 6 months where you’ve thought to yourself: “Wow, AI can do that?”, then you haven’t been to enough AI conferences or presentations, and you might be missing the boat. We’re at the dawn of the era of Artificial Intelligence (AI), at least in supply chain. Many ...

In today's volatile supply chain market, understanding the current trends of supply and demand is crucial. In this blog, we'll look at how industry shifts are impacting logistics, shipping rates and what this means for your business.

The truck transportation market in the US has a natural oscillation between supply and demand for trucked shipments, driving freight pricing up or down. This is normal and has happened for decades. In this overview, we'll look at the trucking industry's current trends and future projections that ...

Do you ever feel like you're constantly trying to catch up with your supply chain operations or that no matter what you do, there's always a fire to put out? Managing the various areas within the supply chain system can often feel like walking a tightrope, especially in an environment where every ...

Hi blog readers, Emily here. I couldn’t help but share a story about good practices that can apply to life and work, inspired by this festive time of year and a holiday-cookie-baker-in-training. My daughter and I made holiday cookies over the long Thanksgiving weekend, and I had a sweet reminder of ...

Embarking on a new business journey is exciting, but the road to success often begins with overcoming the challenge of translating aspirations into a concrete plan. Sometimes, the only thing standing between your business and success is knowing how to move forward.

If you are manufacturing company operating on a system, read on to see where you’re likely missing out on opportunities to reduce non-value added work from your human employees, and costing precious time to respond to customers with critical information that drive the customer experience.

Is your logistics network designed to grow alongside your business? How does your team guarantee that you are benefiting from cost-effective transportation while maintaining the service levels you require? In this article, we will explore how you can optimize your transportation and warehousing ...

How do you optimize inventory to ensure you're meeting customer orders without incurring excess working capital costs? How are you using your sales forecast to optimize operations and procurement along with insuring an optimized inventory? Here we provide a framework you can use to explore with ...

How do you know if you are paying a competitive price to your vendors? Do you feel blindsided by price changes? Here we provide an outline of recommendations and questions to ask your procurement team so you can work towards putting the "strategic" back into your sourcing efforts.

Are you responsible for telling the story of how well you're managing your inventory? It can be challenging to determine if you're managing it efficiently because inventory is always in motion. Here are our insights into the narrative to present and the metrics to support it.

Most people are familiar with Lean / Six Sigma continuous improvement activities in manufacturing, but did you know many of those principles apply to supply chain as well?

Not familiar with this supply chain TLA? (Three Letter Acronym) A Request for Proposal is asking a supplier to quote pricing for a good or service. It may be called an RFQ, an RFX, or a Bid. Different names for the same concept.

In today’s rapidly changing landscape with increasing uncertainty and volatility, the effective management of relationships with your suppliers is more important than ever. Positive, mutually beneficial partnerships will ensure that your company is investing money, time, and energy with those ...

There’s no denying the fact that freight and storage are a cost that can be somewhat unpredictable and highly impactful to your margins if not thoughtfully approached.

Global supply chain disruptions and geo-political events have caused a resurgence in interest around re-shoring or near-shoring, defined as transferring business operations (manufacturing) back to or near to the U.S. For ease of reading, we will refer to “re-shoring” to cover both re-shoring, and ...

Maybe you’re not quite big enough to need a full-time supply chain leader or resource, but you’re feeling the pinch of #supplychainproblems that just don’t seem to go away. Or perhaps you’re on a growth trajectory that commands changes to how you’ve always been doing things, or building new ...

Increasing inventories are a common concern we are hearing lately. With the pandemic supply chains issues receding, companies are beginning to experience full warehouses and greater percentages of working capital tied up in inventory.

A great opportunity for cost-savings is to evaluate your distribution network. Especially if you have multiple warehouses, DC’s, or “nodes” in your distribution network, it’s important to ensure that it functions as cost-optimally as possible.

We wanted to share the trends we’re hearing/seeing in the US freight markets, in case it helps to make better decisions for the next 12+ months on your approach to freight and cost management.

In stark contrast to 12 months ago, a glut of inventory may be a dubious honor right now, especially if you’re looking out 12-18 months and starting to sense that demand for your goods is waning due to inflation, fears of recession, or simply ever-shifting consumer trends.

The past 2 years have shown that relying on a single raw materials source is a recipe for disrupted supply chains and an inability to meet customer demand. A robust supply chain is achieved not only by diversity, but also reliability and resilience. An effective procurement and supply chain ...

The past 2 years have shown that relying on a single raw materials source is a recipe for disrupted supply chains and an inability to meet customer demand. A robust supply chain is achieved not only by diversity, but also reliability and resilience. An effective procurement and supply chain ...

The past 2 years have shown that relying on a single raw materials source is a recipe for disrupted supply chains and an inability to meet customer demand. A robust supply chain is achieved not only by diversity, but also reliability and resilience. An effective procurement and supply chain ...

If you’re leading, running, executing, or accountable for the performance of a supply chain and you’re not intimately aware of what your inventories are doing, it’s not too late to get curious.

Why is US Rail Shipping So Hard Right Now? It can be somewhat difficult to find good information about the current market dynamics for US railroads so we leveraged our rail shipper network to tie together first-hand experiences with what we could find in the news and reputable internet searches, as ...

Inventory Strategy May Hold The Secret To Reduced CapEx Needs It’s been a crazy couple of years for manufacturing and supply chain, with near-constant disruptions, predictability has become all-but a thing of the past.

Some of the levers that drive inventory levels and management are easier to pull than others. An Inventory Planning system is certainly helpful because it constantly reviews your positions, effectively driving-out the review cycle time.

Successful and Strategic Supply Chain Management Would you consider your business successful if you could say, “our customers are hungry for more and we make good money serving them!” Most businesses would consider this a great indication of their success. We feel the same way about Supply Chain.

Delayed Customization Strategies: Supply Chain Management and Grocery Lists Did you know that you’re a supply chain strategist in your everyday life?

Over my career I’ve led investments and built partnerships with innovative companies ranging from startups to mid-sized businesses. I’ve typically represented the “strategic partner.” That means I represented the company with the resources but lacked the technology or nimbleness the small company ...

Change can be complicated, yet change is also a constant. Effective leadership through change isn't just tied to a specific event but is something leaders need to deal with on a daily basis. Your ability to lead effectively through significant changes is directly related to how you guide a team ...

Know your Metrics, Know your Business