Jul
17
Need to track high value assets through the supply chain? IBM has a thing for that.
Filed Under Blog | Comments Off on Need to track high value assets through the supply chain? IBM has a thing for that.
The Wall Street Journal reports that IBM is rolling out its Blockchain tool beyond it’s established financial market.
Blockchain is a tool that creates an encrypted ledger of transactions. Once an item is added to the ledger it’s extremely difficult to change or remove it. This means it’s ideally positioned for use in monitoring transactional data, such as parts/assets. It records its data in the cloud and doesn’t need a central authority.
Certain industries, such as health care and aviation have a distinct need to for part traceability and tracking.
On 14th July 2016, IBM released a version for test. The WSJ states
While firms such as Nasdaq Inc., Depository Trust & Clearing Corp., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Bank of America Corp. are experimenting with blockchain, only a handful of companies, including Toyota Motor Corp., have explored using it to monitor their supply chains.
The technology has already been used to track high value goods like Diamonds from mine to store.
I’m particularly excited about the opportunities that technology like this offers to industry like aerospace. The need for part traceability, first article inspection reports, source records lends itself nicely to tools such as these and I can see tools like these offering significant efficiency.
Click here to read the piece.
Jul
13
Real face of late deliveries
Filed Under Blog | Comments Off on Real face of late deliveries
Working in supply chain we all know the importance of getting suppliers to deliver on time.
This article over at ft.com brings it home with the wonderful picture of Airbus A320 awaiting engines to be fitted.
I love the quote in the article
“In the old supply chain, not just in France but everywhere, we worked like artisans,” he says. “Now we have to become a manufacturing industry, with automation, robotics and standardisation.”
On time delivery is one of those KPI’s that we learn about early on in working within procurement and it’s still important as it ever was.
Also of interest is the line
Increased volumes of orders and price pressures are beginning to deliver an overdue modernisation of supply chain in the sector
Many of these aerospace companies are huge organisations with relatively long order books. To get a piece of the pie suppliers will not only need to be technically competent but increasingly adept at meeting cost and delivery points in an ever increasing cut-throat market. Quoting the article you don’t want to be the supplier holding up a billion dollar assembly line for a missing component do you?
It’s a good article – go check it out by clicking the link above.