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4 Essential Tactics for Supply Chain Risk Management

It’s important for every new product introduction team to consider how to manage against risk in their supply chain, in order to avoid disruption. After you identify your high-level business objectives, I recommend four actionable strategies for supply chain risk mitigation:  Dual/triple source for components where applicable Plan proactively against future scenarios Maintain visibility through […]

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How to Future-Proof Your Supply Chain with Pittsburgh Robotics Network

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a major disruptive force for robotics companies of all sizes and sectors. With shelter-in-place regulations established first in China, then Europe, and now sweeping across North America, robotics manufacturers and OEMs alike are forced to navigate mandatory closures, material shortages, importation road blocks, and remote work scenarios. These roadblocks can […]

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Manufacturing in the U.S., Supply Chain Regionalization and Globalization: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker

As the COVID-19 crisis disrupts the world of manufacturing and supply chain, it challenges our perception of globalization. Governments around the world are acting to reduce dependency on China, with a bill in the United States and Japan providing billions in incentives to move supply chains. What does that mean for manufacturing, and what could […]

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Supply Chain Agility and Resilience: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker

This week we brought together two guests who have not just spent years in the manufacturing and supply chain industries, but who are regularly published as experts in their field. First up was Sarah Barnes-Humphrey, founder and host of podcast and blog “Let’s Talk Supply Chain” (LTSC). With 20 years in logistics and supply chain, Sarah […]

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Supply Chain Trends in Robotics: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker

This week, our focus was on robotics, and our guest was Marco Micheletti, Fresh Consulting’s Director of Automation. Marco has more than twenty years managing engineering teams and driving automation, product development, supply chain and manufacturing for products including the Xbox 360, Nike+ SportWatch GPS, Nike+ Fuelband, Steam Controller, and Steam Valve Index VR Kit. Headlines […]

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Healthcare Supply Chains in a Time of Change: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker

This week, we focused on healthcare supply chains, with two stellar expert guests. First up, sharing her insight into the latest legislative and administrative issues related to the healthcare supply chain, was Lorraine Marchand, life sciences consultant, speaker, writer, and professor. Lorraine was joined by Greg Schulte, Director of Engineering at Mindtribe (Part of Accenture Industry X.0), […]

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Addressing Global Supply Chain Disruptions and Global Health Needs: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker

In this week’s episode, we welcomed two vastly experienced supply chain experts. John Jacobson has held supply chain roles in enterprises and startups, including Cisco and Sonos. John, or JJ to his friends, was joined by Howell Wang connecting live from Shenzhen, China. Thanks for getting up so early, Howell; you’re a star! Howell Wang is CEO of Insight […]

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Predictable Quality in an Unpredictable World

Throughout my career in supply chain operations, I’ve staked my reputation on quality. From building iPods at Apple, where design precision was essential, to rockets at SpaceX, where functional reliability was absolutely critical, I’ve understood the importance of robust quality management systems when it comes to delivering world-class products. Having spent 27 years in the […]

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How Small Disruptions Can Impact the Supply Chain: Notes from the Supply Chain Bunker

The world we live in has been changed dramatically in the last few months, with COVID-19 running rampant globally. We’ve been getting questions from people all across the manufacturing and supply chain spaces, and we think it’s important to make those thoughts and insights available to everyone.  Last week, we kicked off The Supply Chain […]

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The Hidden Costs of Supply Chain Unpredictability: A Recap

Unpredictability and disruption in the supply chain world are often thought about, yet rarely prepared for. With the global spread of COVID-19, manufacturing has changed dramatically over the last few months, and it seems as if there’s no end in sight.  Last week, we hosted a webinar on the Hidden Costs of Supply Chain Unpredictability, […]