tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-133949802008-07-17T17:22:38.099+02:00Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comBlogger111125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-35870148981345375932008-07-13T15:27:00.002+02:002008-07-13T15:27:00.870+02:00

If you are an avid reader of my blog, and I hope you are, you may recall an article I posted back at the end of 2006 ago on a company called Cargolifter. Simply put the company as a 3PL that uses a blimp to ship cargo. The idea is brilliant. It's eco-friendly, eliminates border issues and traffic for that matter. The post actually generated the post comments every for any of my post with 12

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-69390302201049614172008-07-06T10:37:00.001+02:002008-07-06T10:37:00.233+02:00

In an effort to trim costs the milk industry in the USA is introducing a more efficient milk jug. The basic difference, it is stackable without the use of plastic milk crates and its square so more can fit on a pallet. All good things. Of course some nitwits are having challenges pouring the milk. For them, stores like Sam's Club are offering demonstrations on how to use the new jug. How sad is

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-28473288230205526592008-06-26T13:07:00.003+02:002008-06-26T13:18:05.742+02:00

While I was reading up on the latest news I clicked on a banner ad for probably the first time since I started using the internet in 1993. It grabbed my attention because it offers consumers the ability to build their own laptop. And I don't mean, simply going to a website and choosing the RAM and hard drive and having it shipped all assembled. I mean, you get a bunch of parts and you need to

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-45776506596405876542008-06-23T10:09:00.002+02:002008-06-23T10:09:29.439+02:00

Another example of Hollywood using the supply chain for cinematic inspiration. While it contains a love story as well, "Outsourced", is about a Seattle-based US company that sends its customer fulfillment center to India leaving the manager of the center to go to India to train his replacements. While there are some funny bits and pieces to the story, it is a story that we hear about often.

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-7746458855308964412008-06-10T16:45:00.003+02:002008-06-17T23:38:44.454+02:00

It's not often that I get to talk about customer fulfillment on my blog. It's obviously a critical part of the supply chain because any screw up in the fulfillment process could leave a lasting impression on the customer. Or as in the case with me, it could turn the customer into a loyal client. Which brings me to BMW. As many of you know I picked up my new BMW last Saturday in Munich at BMW

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-68044003958674129402008-06-04T10:36:00.002+02:002008-06-17T23:39:18.072+02:00

Last week AMR Research published its heavily touted and highly competitive Top 25 Supply Chain listing. Being personally involved in IBM's effort to be #1 on the list I know the time and effort that goes into both the development of this report and the final count. Based on the peer scores of all of the players the report certainly has gained in popularity since 2004. In the past year, AMR has

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-71181448721095727642008-05-27T14:25:00.004+02:002008-05-29T09:13:34.484+02:00

Supply chain security should be as strategic for a Chief Supply Chain Officer/Vice President, Supply Chain, as reducing costs and driving value for the company. There I said it and I believe it. For any supply chain executive that is committing to anything less is selling his/her company short. Speaking of security, the GAO published a new report today on C-TPAT and its flaws. Frankly, I'm

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-45189347601196276042008-05-22T09:09:00.005+02:002008-05-22T09:09:00.980+02:00

Great article and video in the Wall Street Journal about a cargo boat that tipped over carrying nearly 5,000 brand new Mazda cars worth $100 million. Instead of reselling them for cheap Mazda decided to scrap them all and cut them up into little pieces. The pieces will then be shipped back to Asia and recycled and perhaps made into cars again. Almost an end to end supply chain right before

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-72402343557373787952008-05-13T09:49:00.002+02:002008-05-13T09:59:49.684+02:00

On April 16 I posted an article about the new BMW I had purchased after finally giving up on shipping my Mini Cooper to Europe from New York. When I purchased the car I was pleasently surprised to learn that on a regular basis I could inquire about the manufacturing status of my new ride. Last week it went into production, later in the week it was painted and as of today it's finished and ready

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-49352157037193424992008-04-28T08:48:00.003+02:002008-04-28T08:54:56.642+02:00

Internally at IBM we recently hosted a green innovation video contest where employees submitted ideas that IBM could bring to market to reduce waste. As a participant I rated a few of the videos and came across this one that has a significant supply chain angle. It's no surprise that cargo ships are gas guzzlers. They make a Hummer look like a Prius, which is why shippers need to squeeze as

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-4984431516549399142008-04-16T14:36:00.004+02:002008-04-16T14:57:44.852+02:00

If you have been following the drama unfold on my blog you read about the ups and downs of my attempt to ship my beloved Mini Cooper from New York to Austria. In the end I sold it for $7500, money of which I recently put to use to buy a new BMW 1 Series, like the one to the left, actually exactly like it. Unlike in the US, where we have massive new car lots and you point and pick your new

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-33725685853126339902008-03-31T12:06:00.003+02:002008-03-31T12:50:10.873+02:00

My dad never outgrew his comics, even to this day, he is a huge fan of Superman. Which made me a fan and thinking back Superman had an arch nemesis called Bizarro Superman, who would do the opposite of everything superman would do. After reading the NY Times article last week with the headline "Supplier Under Scrutiny on Arms for Afghans" I think I discovered the bizzaro supply chain. One of

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-24230270609297659982008-03-11T11:06:00.004+01:002008-03-11T11:32:51.204+01:00

For the past several weekends I have been spending countless hours at IKEA as I furnish my new flat in Vienna, Austria. IKEA has four locations in the region, not to mention one in Brno, so its very convenient. As I assemble everything from tables to chairs to desks I am somehow drawn to the "Made in" stickers that are located on each product. I don't know if there is a such thing as "supply

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-81515505221982095352008-02-29T11:45:00.002+01:002008-02-29T11:49:26.410+01:00

It's not too often that I link to articles, but when the New York Times features a cover story on supply chains, it's got to be something worth sharing. If you can handle reading about blood and pigs intestines, take a read of this article that tries to trace the supply chain of a medical drug that uses the intestines of pigs. Oink! Twists in Chain of Supplies for Blood Drug

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-66033981584459113072008-02-19T11:22:00.004+01:002008-02-19T11:32:57.268+01:00

Working at IBM, or any job for that matter, has its pluses and minuses. One of the pluses for me is the access I have to IBM's $5 billion research organization. At the pound of a few digits on the phone I can speak with some of the smartest people in the world. Last week I discovered that some of these geniuses are have developed a tool that IBM is testing within its own supply chain to help

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-18307423159954270472008-02-01T14:29:00.000+01:002008-02-01T14:46:05.889+01:00

Just in time for the Super Bowl, which is also apparently the busiest day of the year for pizza makers, Domino's Pizza has created the Pizza Tracker. Domino's is a US based pizza chain and to help improve customer service they are starting with logistics - ahh the delicious smell of the supply chain. It works quite simply. Once you place your order the tracker follows your pizza from prep to

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-19947917411995729432008-01-22T14:46:00.000+01:002008-01-22T15:01:27.919+01:00

I'm not ashamed to be an Apple fanatic. I have five old original Macintosh Classics back in the US and the original iPod. So I was of course tuned in to Macworld last week waiting for the latest and greatest. Skipping over all of the announcements and neat new products, yes, I am ordering a Macbook Air, Apple also announced that its new laptop will be shipped using less packaging material. Now

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-39640291963208649932008-01-07T14:09:00.000+01:002008-01-07T17:30:55.333+01:00

Back in October, when I was hopeful, ignorant and optimistic I blogged about shipping my 2002 Mini Cooper to Europe from the US. I had a shipper lined up I had the paperwork ready to go and I was all set to transfer the funds - when reality set in. Here is the collapse of my dream in order: 1. The shipper doesn't take credit cards, so I had to wire transfer the funds. With a price of $1300

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-7055225926231837472007-12-19T11:58:00.000+01:002007-12-19T12:07:45.589+01:00

The Economist Intelligence Unit, a side business, but totally separate, division of Economist Magazine, has just published a really good report called Global Supply Chains: Understanding risks and rewards. If you think supply chains are just logistics or just procurement, read this report and it will give the the broader picture. It was sponsored by Oracle, but I certainly didn't read any bias.

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-60320898148371015562007-12-11T14:07:00.000+01:002007-12-11T14:34:01.051+01:00

I recently came across the following photos that illustrate how IBM shipped its mainframes to clients in various parts of Italy between 1951-1960. Photo #1 : Obviously, this was shot in Venice, Italy. I'm not sure what type of mainframes are in the two crates (I am guessing an IBM 650), which weighed nearly 2,000 pounds and rented for $3200 per month. Just a little risky putting two of them on

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-23403935649915852722007-11-30T12:19:00.000+01:002007-11-30T12:36:54.557+01:00

I'm a real history buff and a big fan of the History Channel, which recently added some of its programs to iTunes. On my trip from Brno to Vienna yesterday I watched a show about the secret underground logistics network that can be found right underneath Grand Central Terminal in New York City. During WWII all of the trains on the east coast of the US were powered by diesel generators that were

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-26669495567954640942007-11-12T15:27:00.000+01:002007-11-21T15:20:19.083+01:00

If you read my blog regularly you know that I am a "tree hugger" i.e., environmentalist. I personally recycle just about everything, which is why I am proud that the company I work for, IBM, is one of the winners of the 2007 SmartWay Excellence Award. This award is sponsored by the EPA's SmartWay Transport Partnership, which recognizes partners’ special achievements that significantly reduce

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-73286750724514474042007-10-25T23:14:00.000+02:002007-10-31T15:13:39.041+01:00

A few months back I posted about a show on the history channel called Ice Road Truckers. The premise was simple. The show followed 5 truckers shipping cargo to diamond minds located just south of the Arctic Circle in Canada. Well after about 20 episodes the season has wrapped up and the final run illustrated some serious logistics in action. In total, they trucked 10,922 loads in 72 days. In

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-80254016828882351722007-10-09T17:02:00.000+02:002007-10-09T17:41:06.086+02:00

I've had the great opportunity to work with hundreds of reporters over the years that cover supply chains. All of them, well the ones that are good, have their unique little ways about them. Bob Malone is one of them. His unique way is that he is a great story teller. He provides all the glitz, color and smells to actually make you feel like you were there. You may be saying, "Duh, Chris,

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13394980.post-87012953274205206662007-10-01T15:58:00.001+02:002007-10-03T13:00:58.536+02:00

Last week I was in New York and in this post I had hoped to enthusiastically share my experience of shipping my 2002 Mini Cooper from New Jersey to Germany. Why ship, instead of sell? Good question. Well I was one of the first 1000 owners of a Mini in the US, so I have a certain bond to my Mini. Also, I lived in New York City, so it only has about 30,000 miles on it, which is really low

Christopher Sciaccahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00780044156231457785noreply@blogger.com