Scenario planning was first pioneered by Shell in the 1970’s and since then has been promoted by consultancies worldwide as a powerful tool to help companies prepare for every eventuality. Here, we discuss the effectiveness of this approach and wh...
From a company perspective, while dealing with flows of goods, supply chain is the mastery of optionality when facing variability. This episode focuses on what the term ‘Supply Chain’ means, and what are the organisational implications of this def...
In another of our remote episodes of LokadTV we tackle the all-important topic of ERP systems, a class of enterprise software that supports the routine operations of a company. We learn more about how they work and how companies can choose the cor...
Arthur Conan Doyle’s iconic character Sherlock Holmes famously said ‘it is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data’. We certainly agree, as data is the foundation of any optimization process. Here, we discuss what companies that collect ...
Supply chains have historically been built with forecasting at their centre, with the actual decision making process left to the intuition and experience of senior staff. We explore the alternative approach of putting ‘decisions first’, and how th...
A forecasting competition based on Walmart store data ended June 2020. Lokad ranked 6th out of 909 teams. In this episode, we have a closer look at this unusual sporting event, and what it takes to win such a competition. We are joined by Rafael d...
Market analysts and consultants can be a useful aid in assessing the multitude of different supply chain software. However, too frequently, those 'experts' hide behind weak and irrational methodologies, instead of providing opinionated insights wh...
Open-to-Buy is a budgeting and planning process that is commonly used in the fashion industry to drive purchasing decisions. Here, we discuss why this approach is so popular and discuss whether modern technology can provide alternative approaches ...
With a product's success so often relying upon the latest trends, the ability to capture initial demand and detect new crazes is becoming increasingly sought after. Here we discover whether the rise of social media means that forecasting these tre...
When relational databases emerged in the 70’s they provided a breakthrough for companies to turn their supply chain digital, decades before the 'digitalization' buzzword. However, event sourcing has now emerged as a more manageable, more reliable ...
With Brexit, the Corona Virus and the Iceland volcanic eruption, we can say that our recent history is littered with systemic events that have caused disruption on a massive scale. For this episode of LokadTV, we discuss whether these rogue events...
A competent and capable network of suppliers is a critical ingredient of the supply chain performance. In this episode, we are joined by Muddassir Ahmed (Regional Planning & Operations Manager at Bridgestone) to discuss how both parties can extrac...
In any small company the management team has to take on the responsibility for all aspects of the business. This naturally includes the burden of inventory optimization, where the choice ranges between investing in costly enterprise software to ta...
With flexible working conditions and a desire to work with the latest tech stack, it seems that modern day candidates are demanding more than ever from employers. For this episode of LokadTV, we're joined by Radu Palamariu, the Managing Director o...
The nature of the hard luxury market means that despite a growing online presence, the vast majority of purchases are still made in store. With sales reaching as low as one or two units per year, it can often be challenging to know what to display...
From demand to supply, and almost everything in between, there is a huge amount of uncertainty within supply chains. Traditionally, this can be managed using buffer stock, but there are often events that occur which can trip up even the most exper...
Today, creating new technologies, making effective use of them and bringing them to the market is essential in the global race for competitiveness. However not all industries place equal importance on investment in technology, with fashion arguabl...
As humans, trust is a complex emotion that can often take years to build. It's also a highly important factor in business, which can impact on everything from speed of innovation to the perceived wealth of a nation. For this episode of LokadTV, we...
John Gardner once famously said that "excellence is doing ordinary things, extraordinarily well". However, when you consider that many of the largest supply chains have been around for well over a century, it is no small surprise that often they r...
Ever since Jeff Bezos revealed plans for Amazon Prime Air, back in 2013, there has been a lot of hype surrounding the possibility of using drones for deliveries. For this episode of LokadTV, we are joined by Emmanuel de Maistre to discuss the nume...
The convergence of a range of evolving technologies such as blockchain, Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things have ushered in a new concept known as the "Bionic Supply Chain". In this episode of LokadTV, we are delighted to be joine...
Microsoft Excel is a staple in the supply chain industry, used by everyone from the smallest retailers to the largest multinationals. Despite this, over the last decade many CIOs have made it their main aim to get rid of it in favour of more moder...
Demand Sensing is a forecasting method that combines the latest mathematical techniques and real-time information to create an accurate forecast of demand. It is also yet another buzzword in the Supply Chain industry. In this episode of LokadTV,...
Finding the equilibrium between costs and the amount of cash coming in is a constant battle for any modern day company that provides goods or services. This daily struggle can be captured with a concept called ‘The Supply Chain Triangle’. In today...