Energy Cost Reduction: 06/16/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Energy cost reduction is a hot topic, affected by worldwide demand for cleaner energy and the need to reduce costs in business operations. In this podcast, Tompkins Associates' CEO Jim Tompkins talks to the co-founder, President and CEO of American Energy Mike Moore about the importance of managing energy costs and usage. Mike and Jim discuss specific issues firms face when reducing energy costs, including the effects of energy management, the role of rebate programs, and an inside look at future greenhouse emission legislation possibilites.
Outsourcing Logistics Cost Reduction: 06/02/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Some logistics outsourcing partnerships succeed with excellent results and lower operational costs, while others fail and create major expenses to fix. CEO Jim Tompkins and global logistics expert Valerie Bonebrake go over the reasons for these outcomes and the ingredients for success. Taking cost into account, Valerie also explains when to outsource and how to choose a good partner.
Supply Chain IT Cost Reduction: 05/19/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: With the weakened economy's effects, companies looking to upgrade or change their supply chain IT should understand the pressure vendors are under and allow for no compromises in comparing what's available. IT expert Matt Wilkerson and CEO Jim Tompkins talk about the possibilities in this podcast. Learn how companies in today's environment can work with vendors to increase their competitive advantage, the latest trends in solution usage in today's market, and about cost reduction opportunities in the areas of demand planning, transportation planning and global trade management.
Inventory Cost Reduction: 05/05/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Both a liability and an asset, inventory needs to be balanced so that an appropriate level of customer service is met while keeping down the cost it creates. In this podcast, CEO Jim Tompkins and inventory expert Ralph Cox find ways to reduce inventory and address its costs, both in up-front capital and other necessary investments into storage and other needs. They also examine how to reduce costs within three aspects of inventory: safety stock, cycle stock, and stocking policy.
Material Handling Systems Cost Reduction: 04/21/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: If your material handling equipment is between five and ten years old, you most likely have an extra five to ten percent of capacity -- or more -- waiting to be tapped. Extra capacity can be found, which is especially important to reduce costs and capture that trapped capital in your systems. The reasons why efficiency drops in the first place, as well as specific ways to audit your systems and operations, are explored in this podcast by host Jim Tompkins and guest Paul Faber, MHE systems and implementation expert. Included is a real-life case study which illustrates what can be done to bring down costs with little up-front capital investment.
Distribution Operations Cost Reduction: 04/07/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: In the distribution center, volume and growth can obscure a multitude of inefficiencies. Now is the time to correct the bad habits and rushed decisions of yesterday, especially in the DC, where there is great potential for higher efficiency and cost savings. In this podcast, CEO Jim Tompkins and distribution expert Brian Hudock explore how to find cost reduction in space utilization, labor, materials, energy and equipment, and by applying best practices.
Transportation Cost Reduction: 03/17/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: How do you avoid cost reduction in transportation that cuts the wrong things and ignores tactics and strategy? Getting this balance right to reduce transportation costs is a hot issue, especially considering the volatility of the market. Vice president of transportation services Don Anderson joins CEO Jim Tompkins to discuss the opportunities in taking an aggressive approach, working within the framework of your existing strategies, deploying your resources in a way that produces success momentum, and adding resources both externally and internally. Among these strategies, Don includes a case study where a multi-million dollar cost savings was found.
Asian Sourcing Cost Reduction: 03/03/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Companies can find cost reduction in their Asian sourcing operations, as the global economic meltdown is creating unique stresses and opportunities for China, its industries, and its Western buyers. Steve Ganster, managing director of Technomic Asia, and Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins Associates, explain in this podcast how a Western buyer can look to China for low-hanging fruit and more long-term cost reduction with the right response to the conditions currently in place.
Supply Chain Cost Reduction as a Strategy: 02/17/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: In this installment of the Global Supply Chain Podcast, CEO Jim Tompkins ushers in a new ongoing series on cost reduction. With this introductory podcast, Jim outlines the specific ways a company can intelligently and aggressively reduce costs while enabling future growth. A strategy is needed for cost reduction, instead of a blind 'cut, cut, cut' reaction that will only make things worse in the long run. He also encourages business leaders to remember that although the economic situation is tough right now, change and renewal are all a part of the natural circle of life.
The 'Sell' Component of the Global Supply Chain: 02/03/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: What does a supply chain have to do with selling? Isn't that the role of merchandising, marketing, retailing, and customer service? CEO Jim Tompkins hears that question a lot and asked Ralph Cox, an expert on the topic, to talk to him about the answer in this podcast. Not only do supply chains fill a crucial role in the planning and execution of the sell component of business, they are a key part of keeping customers satisfied and even delighted.
The 'Store' Component of the Global Supply Chain: 1/20/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: There is much more to the store component of the supply chain than pallets going in and orders going out of the distribution center. In this podcast, Brian Hudock talks to CEO Jim Tompkins about the implications of storage, including considerations about inventory, the needs of the customer, and even the entire distribution network design.
Transportation:
The 'Move' Component of the Global Supply Chain: 1/6/2009 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: A global supply chain by definition can't be global without transportation, making the 'move' component essential to get right. Jim's guest for this podcast focusing on transportation and related assets is Don Anderson, Vice President of Transportation Services. Don explains some of the surprising aspects of transportation and other 'move' services that are often overlooked by executives, as well as ways to reduce costs in this area while improving service levels and the impact of volatile fuel costs on a transportation strategy.
Manufacturing:
The 'Make' Component of the Global Supply Chain: 12/16/2008 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: How do you compete with the trend of outsourcing manufacturing to low-cost countries? It can be as simple as increasing productivity. The best way to evaluate productivity and other benchmarks of competitive improvements is to measure, because you cannot improve what you cannot measure. Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins Associates, invites Hans-Georg Scheibe, a CEO of ROI Management Consulting, based in Germany, to discuss thoughts on lean manufacturing, the importance of increased productivity, how to measure the right goals and more manufacturing issues.
The 'Buy' Component of the Global Supply Chain: 12/2/2008 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Out of the five components of the supply chain -- from buy-make-move-store and sell -- the one cornerstone that will affect the success of all the others is 'buy'. In this podcast, CEO Jim Tompkins and Steve Ganster, CEO of Technomic Asia, discuss the important questions to ask and the planning needed to create a buying strategy that ensures quality, low cost, speed-to-market, consistency and safety. Jim and Steve touch on keeping the relationship between buyer and supplier strong, assessing China as a place to buy, and analyzing how buying decisions are being made today.
Supply Chains In The Global Economic Downturn: 11/18/2008 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: As everyone wrings their hands over the global economic uncertainty affecting virtually every business in every country, Jim Tompkins sat down with global supply chain expert Gene Tyndall to discuss what business leaders can do to cut supply chain costs while continuing to serve customer needs. There is no doubt that we live in challenging times. But far from endorsing a 'wait and see' approach, Jim and Gene suggest that now is the time to act, and in this podcast they discuss how the supply chain can be the place to create competitive advantage.
Supply Chain Partnerships And Supplier Relationship Management In Asia: 11/4/2008 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: When it comes to buyer-supplier relationships, cultural misinterpretations and miscommunication between West and East can be dismal, with disastrous effects on the supply chain. Misunderstandings originate from both sides of the ocean, creating costly and unexpected challenges that could have been avoided. In this podcast, CEO Jim Tompkins interviews Steve Ganster, CEO of Technomic Asia, based in Shanghai, China, who helps explain what is missing and how Supplier Relationship Management can fill the gaps for a solid partnership.
The Rest of the Supply Chain Assessment Story: 10/21/2008
Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: The supply chain story isn't over until it is improved by benchmarking processes against the best practices in the industry. CEO Jim Tompkins examines how he defines benchmarking and best practices and what makes them not only worthwhile, but essential. Jim interviews the executive director of the Supply Chain Consortium, an organization with nearly 200 member companies who use the consortium's tools to identify gaps and needed initatives in their operations.
Identify the Correct Supply Chain Opportunities: 10/07/2008 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Stuck in London's Heathrow airport, his flight canceled, with a to-do list 40 items long, CEO Jim Tompkins began to think about how his situation -- constant change, chaos all around, no time to finish everything and no way of prioritizing -- symbolizes how executives and supply chain leaders feel in today's globalized business environment. Jim interviews his business partner of 30 years, supply chain expert John Spain, about how this pressure can be best dealt with, while answering the question: "Where is the best place to spend your time and energy in the global supply chain?"
Globalization: Separating Facts from Fiction
- 9/16/2008
Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Jim Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins Associates, noticed that there seemed to be more misinformation available than truth about globalization and business in China. In this podcast, he touches on three reasons why manufacturing won't return to the US, the impact of fuel costs on transportation in a supply chain, quality and recalls, and other myths.
Having a Great Global Supply Chain - 9/02/2008 Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Two possibilities can exist for a company's global supply chain: It can either be the key to victory in the marketplace or the Achille's heel of the organization. Listen to the podcast for Jim Tompkins' tips on creating a strong global supply chain.
Stop Debating Globalization: It's a reality - 8/13/08
Click here for listening options and transcript Summary: Independent of a company's size, the greater your involvement in globalization and its market, the greater your profitability.
