What does managing supply chain risk really mean? AMR Research analyst John Fontanella talks about the risks that cost-cutting measures, such as global sourcing, contract manufacturing and lean techniques, have created throughout the supply chain. More importantly, he’ll be discussing ways to manage these risks with new technologies that give you greater visibility into the global open market, improve planning, and reduce the likelihood of supply interruptions that could cause a production shutdown. He’ll also discuss how to protect your brand and intellectual property from counterfeits. Finally, there will be time for questions about your most pressing supply chain risks.

Innovative approaches to supply chain design, transformation and operation are becoming a central theme in the brand-building and market share strategies of leading companies. In this informative case study session, Dwight Herlong, Vice President of Supply Chain for T-Mobile USA, Inc. will reveal how this leading wireless communications provider is transforming its supply chain to support its “brand promise” of “helping you stick together with people who make your life come alive.” Central to this charter is a supply chain that helps T-Mobile deliver “Availability,” “Value,” and “Service Quality.” This presentation and discussion will cover how – after a catalytic event disrupted its supply chain operations – T-Mobile crafted its holistic supply chain transformation to set market-leading practices in:

• Business continuity and supply chain optimization
• Distributed Order Management
• Multi-Channel Retail Fulfillment
• Inventory Optimization

Has the proliferation and adoption of sourcing best practices caused too many organizations to implement a one-size-fits-all approach to establishing effective vendor relationships? Do you find your key vendors responding with mediocre results? This discussion will examine this concept and provide actionable advice to executives responsible for establishing and optimizing strategic vendor relationships. We will also focus on how some organizations have differentiated themselves with highly tailored approaches that optimize performance and costs. These approaches will prove extremely effective in restructuring relationships during a recession.
Seating for this luncheon is limited—attendees will be notified by AMR Research prior to the conference.

As mandates to reduce greenhouse gas emissions increase, much of the opportunity to address CO2 emissions rests on the supply chain. By incorporating carbon reduction into their SCM strategy, companies can help reduce their emissions footprint, strengthen their brand image, and develop competitive advantage. IBM will lead a discussion on trends, its research, and its own industry-leading experience.

By incorporating carbon reduction into their SCM strategy, companies can:

• Help reduce their emissions
• Strengthen their brand image
• Develop competitive advantage

Manufacturers today endeavor to link sales, manufacturing operations, supply chain, and finance.  An effective sales and operations planning (S&OP) process can facilitate this alignment as an effective tool to synchronize demand, supply, and finance plans.  This luncheon discussion will describe how Cognos’ sales and operations planning, and sales and operations planning executive review blueprints can facilitate a timely, best-practice S&OP implementation.

This discussion will address the successes manufacturers have realized in utilizing performance management to drive S&OP alignment, and the elements of an effective process.  Explore how blueprints can facilitate both the initial creation of an aligned S&OP plan as well as the regular executive review process.  Ongoing reviews highlight discrepancies in forecast, customer demand, and supply plans as well as variance to financial targets.  Come learn how Cognos Performance Management Solutions can drive aligned plans as well as better financial and customer delivery performance.

Seating for this luncheon is limited. Luncheon attendees will be notified by Cognos prior to the conference.

Today’s supply chains are increasingly complex, with global pressures placing additional burdens on speed and efficiency. Since the supply chain is the lifeblood of your company, you can't forecast and manage it effectively if you can't see what’s happening. That’s why true, real-time demand and supply visibility is critical to optimizing supply chain performance.

Join our luncheon discussion on the best practices Software AG has achieved with leading manufacturing, retail, and logistics customers to improve their supply chain agility and create the “perfect" demand-driven enterprise. The discussion will cover how to use process frameworks to improve order-to-cash, sourcing, and new product introduction, and touch on collaborative approaches for demand response. Also learn how leading companies are leveraging KPI metrics and supplier scorecards to meet customer service-level agreements.

In a complex, rapidly changing global economy, supply chain transformation is a key initiative for many organizations. Today's leading ERP applications have evolved to provide solutions and functionality to enable this transformation. Come learn how Fujitsu employs leading practices embedded in ERP SCM applications with its own proven solution sets, which have been developed across various industry segments. The discussion will focus on the following key topics:

• Complex Inbound/Outbound Logistics Solutions
• Supply Chain Network Design and Optimization
• Sales and Operations Planning
• Contract Manufacturing

Seating for this luncheon is limited—attendees will be notified by Fujitsu prior to the conference.

Join CDC Software’s factory performance benchmark team and Lora Cecere of AMR Research as they unveil a comprehensive study of more than 700 production lines across 100 food and consumer products manufacturers. The study reveals more than $100 million in total performance improvement opportunities as well as common over-reporting of efficiency, which leads to significant gaps between actual and perceived performance levels. The presenters will explain how progressive food and consumer products manufacturers are now empowering their factory floor workers to close these gaps, increase efficiencies, and drive measurable improvements in profitability.

Globalization is seen as a great opportunity for cost reduction and increased margins, but companies struggle with network complexity and increased risk to customer service. In this new, networked global environment, continually exceeding customer service targets requires you to be able to sense and respond faster and smarter to demand and supply dynamics and transition traditional supply chains into “open,” configurable, responsive supply networks. We invite you to join SAP's Luncheon Roundtable for a lively discussion on the next generation of business processes required to support this new level of responsiveness across your business network.