Worley Blog

ENCOURAGING NEWS FOR THE SUPPLY CHAIN

Posted on: June 25th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

June 23 marked the release of the 26th Annual State of Logistics Report. Authored by Rosalyn Wilson, and sponsored by CSCMP and Penske Logistics, this report has been the “gospel” for costs, developments, and predictions in the supply chain industry for a quarter of a century. The new report shows a total logistics cost for […]

TRANSPORTATION – THE TAIL THAT WAGS THE DOG

Posted on: June 10th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

Fifty years ago, when you wanted to expand your distribution network and build a new distribution center, you didn’t call an industrial real estate broker; you called a railroad.  Most large companies shipped their product – whether it was boxes of cereal or rolls of carpet – by rail, which meant they needed access to […]

WANTED: RELATIONSHIP MANAGERS

Posted on: May 29th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

In the course of my consulting practice, I sometimes get involved in consulting assignments and litigation that involve the breakdown of an outsourcing arrangement. Although there can be any number of causes, it seems that many of these disputes result from a deterioration of the relationship itself. The flawed relationships then lead to poor cost […]

THE REST OF THE STORY

Posted on: May 12th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

On May 6, 2015, former U.S. House Speaker Jim Wright died at the age of 92. To those who remember Jim Wright it may be because he was the first House speaker in history to be driven from office. After 34 years in Congress, he resigned on April 30, 1989, in the middle of his […]

SOUTH OF THE BORDER IS GETTING HOT

Posted on: April 28th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

Several months ago, we wrote about the trends in “near-shoring”, particularly from Asia to Mexico. As wage rates increase in Asia and political and human rights issues continue to be problematic, more firms are considering production and/or distribution closer to the U.S. Mexico has emerged as the country of choice for many. While wage rates […]

IT’S THAT TIME AGAIN

Posted on: April 14th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

In only six weeks, the 10 month extension of last year’s proposed Grow America Act will expire. Rather than approve the White House’s $302 billion four year bill, Congress simply extended the existing legislation until May 31 of this year. Now once again, it is decision time – a decision Congress has avoided over 25 […]

THE SEVEN DEADLY SINS OF SUPPLY CHAIN CRISIS MANAGEMENT

Posted on: March 31st, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

The government has announced that the recession we experienced for several years is officially over; but there still is considerable doubt in the minds of some supply chain managers that it is in fact behind us. In a number of firms layoffs have continued, and unemployment in some areas is higher than we would like.  […]

RISK AND PERSPECTIVE

Posted on: March 19th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

The presence of risk in the supply chain is not new by any means. In fact, there is some degree of uncertainty in everything we do, either personally or professionally. Lately however, there has been an increasing amount of emphasis placed on risk in the supply chain. In the past month I have seen three […]

A STRATEGY – NOT A COMMODITY

Posted on: March 4th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

In one of his brushes with re-engineering, Dilbert pleaded, “If you let me keep my job, I’ll do the work of ten people. Specifically, it would be the ten people in our strategic planning group. They don’t do much.” When it comes to strategic planning for logistics outsourcing, Dilbert probably could do the work of […]

THE LOST ART OF CONVERSATION

Posted on: February 18th, 2015 by Clifford F. Lynch

As I was considering subjects for this piece, I received an E Mail announcing a seminar scheduled for next month on the use of blogs, social networking sites, gated communities and microsites in consulting. Once again I was moved to ask myself the question, “Doesn’t anyone talk anymore?” I wrote on this subject some ten […]