Volatile consumer behaviour and rapidly changing economic conditions are becoming increasing important. What can modern logistics do to respond to these changes? There are two main models of supply change management to choose from: lean supply chain and agile supply chain.

The UK Science and Technology Framework identifies AI as one of the five critical technologies for the UK government’s strategic vision to make the UK a science and technology superpower by 2030. The logistics industry, which deals with huge quantities of structured and unstructured data, is uniquely positioned to make good use of AI across all aspects of the supply chain.

UK companies have to keep up with technological developments if they want to remain competitive. The UK government is aware of this and is supporting businesses through the national agency Innovate UK. The agency’s activities are focused on five strategic themed areas: future economy; growth at scale; global opportunities; innovation ecosystem, and government levers.

Industrial robots have never been more prevalent. There are currently about 3.5 million of them in use across a variety of businesses and industries. In the UK, this is a significant opportunity for mechanical engineers. Find out more here..

Cloud computing is one of the most important elements of digitalisation. Only through this technology can data be accessed by all parties at any time and from any location. But what is this concept, exactly? And what are the benefits and drawbacks? 

In light of climate change and the expectations of customers, most industries are working on achieving a reduced CO₂ footprint. In that respect, the transport sector, dominated by fossil fuels, is in an especially tricky position. How companies can succeed, in spite of the way forward leading towards green logistics, you can find out here.

Behind the buzzword "Green IT" lurks the endeavor to design the digitalization and other aspects of Information Technology in a way that is intended to save on resources. What this principle can bring for companies, and where concrete starting points can be found, you can find out here.

Sustainability is essential in the fight against climate change. The 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations (UN) seek to improve sustainability. As part of the “2030 Agenda”, the Goals call upon us all to act more sustainably on a social, economic, and ecological level. Overview.

Heat pumps are often now installed as heaters in new buildings. However, especially in old buildings, the operation can also have disadvantages. You will learn here how heat pumps work and the costs associated with the purchasing and installation of them.

Teaching young professionals or rather letting them train themselves? Many companies are faced with this dilemma. You can read here a pro and cons analysis with the advantages and disadvantages of on-the-job training.

Everything has its price. The only question is when and how much. Because ordering at the right time saves costs. With predictive analytics, the most favourable moment can be predicted. Here you can find out how the method works and what advantages it offers purchasing.

Procurement is experiencing a fundamental change that shifts its role within any business from straight-forward purchasing to a strategic factor. The requirements buyers have to meet have to be changed accordingly. This means that today they not only need specialist knowledge, but also other skills.
 

Negotiating is one of the most important tasks when it comes to purchasing One of the best-known strategies for negotiating is the "Harvard Concept". The basic idea: Be hard on the issue but soft on the people. Learn more here about the renowned Harvard University project that is a core element of Harvard Law School's program of studies.
 

Corona Crisis or War in Ukraine: Dual Sourcing Can Help Purchasing Departments Through Tough Times If a supplier is lost for good or temporarily, a second supplier acts as a substitute. This makes the supply chain a lot more robust than straight-forward single sourcing. However, taking the dual approach also has its downsides.
 

Make or buy - that's the big question! The so-called Make or Buy Decisions is one of most direction-giving decisions that have to be made concerning the orientation of the company.

Determining what is needed is one of the key functions of materials management. It aims at determining the quantities of materials a company needs to meet its production and sales plans. A lot has to be taken into consideration. In this article, we will tell you all about it.

The order volume and time in procurement can be organised primarily in to fundamental paths: via the ordering point and the ordering intervals process. Both ordering systems are consumption oriented, but are distinctive in terms of their use. The selection of the respective ordering system thus depends greatly on the individual conditions in the company and must be intelligently planned!

Suppliers play a big role in the success of a company. What criteria are important when choosing suppliers and what defines a good supplier? A practical checklist tool is available at the end of this article.

Procurement (the organisation of goods and services) is the number one task of purchasing. It is important that all the required goods and services are in the right place at the right time, in the required quantity and quality. Have you taken everything into account in the procurement process? Below you’ll find a "basic framework" that applies to all steps of the ordering process. Depending on the company structure and specifications, this can be further refined and adjusted.
 

What are the most important KPIs in purchasing and what are their current values? And what has changed compared to previous years? Here we take a look at an important study undertaken annually by a German standards institute.

BSI, EN or ISO: Find out here what the standards are, where the differences lie and why standards and certifications are important.

External suppliers of raw materials and products play an important role for many companies, since this happens at the beginning of the supply chain. In order to guarantee reliable, high-quality and timely deliveries, regular supplier evaluation is worthwhile. This lets you know which suppliers meet the requirements, perform particularly well or have major weaknesses.
 

Supply bottlenecks due to the failure of a supplier, or poor quality on the part of a supplier, endanger production. Supplier management therefore pursues the goal of optimising the processes between client and contractor — including checking the creditworthiness of suppliers. This is what the credit check is for. It analyses the extent to which a supplier can meet its future obligations or how vulnerable it is to insolvency.

Negotiation does not always lead to the desired success. In any negotiation strategy, you should therefore ask yourself before every meeting what the best alternative to your preferred agreement is. Or to put it another way: What is your BATNA? Understanding your BATNA meaning is essential for effective decision-making in negotiations.