Ultriva Blog

Laboratory Equipment Manufacturer Collaborates More Effectively with Suppliers Through Ultriva by Upland

Posted by Susan Taylor on 4/4/16 9:48 AM

Ultriva by Upland recently completed a comprehensive lean solution for a leading laboratory equipment manufacturing company which designs, manufactures, and sells scientific equipment and instruments to customers worldwide. It has approximately 39,000 employees globally and supplies customers within hospitals, research facilities, labs, and pharmaceutical companies.

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Topics: supply chain, collaboration, inventory, ekanban, Supplier Collaboration, pull

The Cloud Can Make Supply Chain Smarter

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 1/5/15 12:15 PM

Not much has changed with Supply Chain Management in the last two decades. MRP and ERP forecasts still rule the roost. When Supply Chain initiatives are undertaken, they usually involve improving the forecast. 

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Topics: supply chain, Cloud, collaboration

A Genius Approach: Built-in Engineering Rules Prevents Problems

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 9/22/14 10:01 AM

Albert Einstein said intellectuals solve problems, geniuses prevent them. Built-in engineering rules allow customers to define rules on any event or action that occurs in the supply chain. 

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Topics: supply chain, collaboration, Ultriva

Inventory Velocity in Consumer Packaged Goods Environment

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 8/18/14 10:33 AM

Living in a world of speed, immediate accessibility, and instant gratification, consumer packaged goods (CPG) manufacturers have to procure raw materials, build components, assemble finished goods and physically ship them across the world. Challenged with shorter lead times and exploding finished goods SKUs, selling goods and procuring materials globally increase pressure to do more with less.

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Topics: collaboration, inventory, lean manufacturing

Reducing Supply Chain Costs Starts With Supply Chain Visibility

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 7/21/14 8:36 PM

Everyone in the manufacturing industry wants to reduce inventory costs; easier said than done and there is no magic bullet. Simultaneously there is little appetite for inventory reduction solutions with a big price tag. The closest any manufacturer can get to the magic is supply chain visibility.

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Topics: supply chain, manufacturing, collaboration

Adopting Cloud-Based Supply Chain Technology

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 7/7/14 10:14 PM

Recently, Supply Chain Brain (SCB) published, “A Forecast for the Cloud in Supply Chain and Logistics.” Tom Boike, VP of supplier management with UPS, offered his perspective regarding the impact of cloud technology on the supply chain and logistics industry. 

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Topics: supply chain, Cloud, collaboration

Global Manufacturing Report Highlights Supply Chain Visibility Challenges

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 6/23/14 2:00 PM

Recently, Forbes and KPMG International released a survey on manufacturing entitled ‘The 2014 Global Manufacturing Outlook: Performance in the Crosshairs.” The report is based on interviews with 460 senior manufacturing executives around the world. 

The report contained four key findings: 

  • Manufacturers plan to invest in enhancing processes which increase profits
  • Organizations will increase R&D spending, including outside collaborations and leveraging technology
  • Supply Chain visibility remains a challenge.
  • Manufacturers want to achieve a globally integrated supply chain and share real-time information with suppliers
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Topics: supply chain, manufacturing, collaboration

MRP/ERP Systems Failing Supply Chain Planners

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 6/6/14 11:51 AM

Integrating Supply Chain Execution Solutions for Real-Time Visibility to Leverage MRP/ERP Investments 

During the last decade, I have personally visited over 150 manufacturing facilities worldwide to help manufacturing companies collaborate with suppliers and gain true supply chain visibility. Due to all this first-hand knowledge, it was a surprise to read Lora Cecere’s recent Forbes magazine article titled Bumps, Cracks and Opportunities reporting that large manufacturing companies, having spent a fortune on MRP systems (in this case SAP and JDA), still use spread sheets and other patches to get through the day. Cecere reports she has dealt with nine companies in one week alone who had to augment MRP forecasts. She shares how companies explained that they start using spread sheets after the forecast goes awry, and that many of the companies with whom she is working are not even using the costly MRP systems for supply chain planning.

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Topics: supply chain, Cloud, collaboration

How eKanban Simplifies Supply Chain Collaboration

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 5/11/14 6:22 AM

A cost-effective supply chain collaboration between manufacturer and suppliers is paramount.  Without that constraint addressed, all other benefits are pointless. Let us stipulate that cost-effective collaboration starts with electronic Kanban, or eKanban. 

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Topics: supply chain, kanban, collaboration

Proof of Concept: Multi-National Companies Tiptoe into Demand Driven Supply Chain

Posted by Narayan Laksham on 3/10/14 8:47 PM

Once a technology solution has been tested and vetted by a multi-national, multi-plant operation, it is rolled out enterprise-wide.  There are many reasons why this approach, tiptoeing into solutions with obvious bottom-line improvements, takes time.

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Topics: supply chain, collaboration, lean manufacturing, end-to-end pull, E2E Pull

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