Newsletter

Procurement Pro Newsletter
Supply Chain Management

Supply Chains Are Healing, But…

So, yes, there is evidence that supply chains are healing. However, although the worst may be over, most goods transported under contracts cost more. Inflation has wreaked havoc on many segments of the chain. Shipping container cost, for example, from Asia to the US West coast, is up more than 15x, while short-term prices for

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Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Health—2023

There’s an inherent disconnect when discussing “health” when systemic crisis is the new norm. In 2022 supply chain woes were rampant–from port blockage, rising inflation, slowing demand, the war in Ukraine, COVID lockdowns, elevated inventory, hurricanes, and even MIA employees. Although there were improvements in some of these issues, disruptions to supply chain operations will

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Supply Chain Management

Can We Really Offset High Materials Costs?

The primary elements that make up a finished product are direct raw materials. They can be any mined materials, like minerals, metals, crude oil, coal, etc. There are also indirect raw materials – anything that supplements the making of finished products from direct materials. The challenges represented by accessing these materials promptly and at a

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Regulation

Chips and Science Act of 2022 – What Could Go Wrong?

Its full name is Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors and Science Act of 2022. The CHIPS Act, as it is more commonly known, was signed into law on August 9, 2022. The Act provides for $280 billion in spending over the next ten years, with $200 billion targeting scientific R&D and commercialization, $52.7 billion

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Supply Chain Management

Continued Pressure on Automotive Supply Chains

According to a recent Reuters article, Global supply chain stress at 18-month low in July, NY Fed’s index at its lowest level since January 2021. However, that is not across the board. A major exception is the automotive industry supply chain. There are few industries as complex as automotive regarding supply chains. Normal supply and

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Supply Chain Management

Can There be Procurement Sanity When the Supply Chain is a Hot Mess?

Over the past few years, supply chains have had virtually everything thrown at them: tariffs, a pandemic, inflation, transportation/logistics nightmares, inability to find staff, and even war. For the most part, these disruptions came out of nowhere, suddenly causing devastating results. This dynamic environment has challenged the post-professional and advanced procurement teams—what is it doing

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Industry Insights

How to Keep Your IT Equipment Cool and Avoid Expensive Disruption

The phrase “up-time” is an oft-repeated phrase for IT professionals, reflecting the fact that a key measure of their success is service availability. Modern climate control systems support “up-time” but to understand why, you first need to consider the impact of poor climate control in order to decide which equipment to employ to take an

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News

Infographic: What’s Influencing B2B Purchasing Decisions?

How can sales organizations discover the insight needed to influence purchasers? By focusing on IT professionals, personal contact, demos, and consultants. Global marketing and communications agency, FINN Partners, unveiled findings from a new survey, that provides some of these deep insights into the factors influencing business-to-business (B2B) purchase decisions. The B2B Buyers Influence Report, created,

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Industry Insights

Is Your Engineering Career Ready for 5G?

Will 5G really create more jobs? Industry experts say “yes.” And if you’re currently an engineer studying telecommunications or enmeshed in the field, it might be time to consider the impact 5G will have on the future of employment. How much of an impact 5G will have on industries as a whole is widely debated.

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Digitalisation

Can Digital Piracy Boost Bottom Line for Manufacturers, Retailers?

Next month, HBO’s popular television series “Game of Thrones” returns, but millions of fans continue to illegally download the program, making it one of the most pirated programs in existence. Surprisingly, digital piracy may actually reduce, or completely eliminate at times, the adverse effect of double marginalization, an economic concept where both manufacturers and retailers

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