menu icon
close

Sales Productivity Starts with Supply Chain

A professional woman wearing a white blouse and blue skirt is smiling warmly and shaking hands with someone, likely in a business meeting or interview setting. The background shows an office environment with glass walls and modern furniture.

Salespeople’s core business is to sell – to develop the company’s (profitable) sales. It’s not the job of salespeople to draw up sales forecasts, to ask for this or that level of stock, to worry about the availability of this or that component, to deal with out-of-stock situations, or to catch up with their customers. … Read more

Good Resolutions of Supply Chain Success in 2025

The image shows a festive "Happy New Year" decoration in red, a glass of whiskey with ice, and three yellow sticky notes with New Year resolutions written on them: "Start Hobby," "Get Healthy," and "Find Love."

Good resolutions, you know, those things you decided to do at the beginning of last year that… what was it again? Ah yes, but no, this year it’s different because the few good business resolutions that follow to steer your flows are now easy to put into practice! I’ll Protect and Accelerate the Flow If … Read more

The Best Workshop Management Practices Revealed

A person using a laptop, interacting with a digital dashboard displaying customer feedback metrics such as star ratings, customer satisfaction scores, and reviews.

You’re familiar with comparative tests: when you’re looking for the latest fashionable technological gadget to fall for, you browse comparative tests and user reviews! To help you select the best approach for workshop management, we’ve submitted several alternative practices to our not-at-all-independent lab! MRP MRP is undoubtedly the most widely used approach for generating production … Read more

Optimizing Production Scheduling and Supply Chain

Two young boys are engaged in an arm-wrestling match, smiling with determination. One is wearing a red shirt, and the other is wearing a green shirt. They are seated at a table, clasping hands tightly.

“Ah, if only production would do as they’re told,” sighed one of our customers, a supply chain director, recently. I spent thirty years on factory management committees, so I can testify to traditional quibbling. “I can’t do my production because we’re out of your supply components.” “I can’t deliver to my customers because you haven’t … Read more

The hype dictatorship

In all fields, and the supply chain is no exception, propaganda has an enormous influence. We are subjected to it in our social life, in our consumer incentives, in the political influences to which we are exposed. The Internet and social networks are a formidable gas pedal. I invite you to explore Google Trends, to … Read more

The Five Focusing Steps in Practice: 5 – Repeat

A circular diagram illustrating the five focusing steps of the Theory of Constraints: 1) Identify, 2) Exploit, 3) Subordinate, 4) Elevate, and 5) Repeat, arranged sequentially in a continuous loop with arrows connecting each step.

Are you familiar with the “five focusing steps”? This approach is at the heart of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), the school of thought initiated by Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of the bestseller “The Goal.” If you have 1 identified your constraints, 2 optimized their use, 3 subordinated other resources to these constraints, and 4 … Read more

The Five Focusing Steps in Practice: 4 – Elevate

This image is a circular diagram that illustrates the five steps of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) methodology. At the center is a black circle labeled "TOC Theory of Constraints," surrounded by blue sections that outline each step in sequence. The first step is "Identify," followed by "Exploit," "Subordinate," "Elevate," and finally "Repeat." These sections are connected by orange and gray arrows, representing the continuous cycle of improvement.

Are you familiar with the “five focusing steps”? This approach is at the heart of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), the school of thought initiated by Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of the bestseller “The Goal.” Having identified our constraints, optimized their use, and subordinated other resources to these constraints, we are now equipped with a … Read more

The Five Focusing Steps in Practice: 3 – Subortinate

A circular Theory of Constraints (TOC) diagram shows five steps—Identify, Exploit, Subordinate, Elevate, and Repeat—flowing clockwise, with icons representing each stage to emphasize continuous improvement.

Are you familiar with the “five focusing steps”? This approach is at the heart of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), the school of thought initiated by Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of the bestseller “The Goal.” Having identified our major constraint and optimized its exploitation, we are now going to subordinate the company’s other resources to … Read more

The Five Focusing Steps in Practice: “1 – Identify”

This image represents the five-step process of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), displayed in a circular diagram. The central circle reads "TOC Theory of Constraints." Around it, five sequential steps are labeled: 1) Identify, 2) Exploit, 3) Subordinate, 4) Elevate, and 5) Repeat, with arrows linking each step to the next in a continuous loop. The design uses a blue and orange color scheme.

Are you familiar with the “five focusing steps”? This approach is at the heart of the Theory of Constraints (TOC), the school of thought initiated by Dr. Eli Goldratt, author of the bestseller The Goal. The “Five Focusing Steps” are a counterpart to Deming’s PDCA – Plan Do Check Act: they are five steps for … Read more

Improving On-Time Delivery with Time Buffers

A rabbit and a turtle are on a paved road, seemingly engaged in a race. The rabbit is mid-hop, while the turtle moves steadily on all fours. The background is blurred, suggesting an outdoor setting, possibly along a forest or park path.

There’s no point in running… In your production resources, in your production orders, among your suppliers, you have hares and tortoises. The trick is to get there on time (yes, I know, that’s not the original moral). This is what is measured by the most important supply chain performance indicator for the supply chain: the … Read more

Trust, the Winning Asset in the Supply Chain

The image depicts two trapeze artists mid-air against a sunset background, with one reaching out to catch the other in an act of trust and synchronization.

A chain, or network, is a system that brings together players with different motivations. A supply chain comprises suppliers and customers. Both want to maximize their profits, which can be antagonistic – sellers and buyers negotiate this on a daily basis. A company comprises a set of functions whose performance is measured on indicators that … Read more

Optimize Supply Chain Flow, Not Just Inventories

A row of pipes releasing streams of water into a reservoir, illustrating a water filtration or supply system.

Numerous software solutions, and not the least, are available to optimize inventories. Just Google “inventory optimization” and you’ll see a wide range of tools aimed at tackling stock management. In fact, if we take a closer look, a stock can’t be optimized, let’s see why. First of all, you need to understand what stock is … Read more