Author: Sime Curkovic

I have asked a lot of SCM managers how they “prepare” to negotiate price increase requests from their suppliers. In particular, I was curious about how and where they get their data from (i.e., CME, COMEX, etc.). Many said their suppliers provide that information. I am not convinced that using data from your suppliers is a form of “Preparation” for the negotiation process.

Surprised by price increases? 70% of current contracts have price increase provisions?! We look at raw material market data from multiple sources, visualize & analyze historical pricing scenarios, & simulate planned purchases & what-if scenarios against forward price curves.  At the WMU ISM supply chain management program we teach our students to track commodity forward price curves. Here’s a quick video (see below) of Net Alpha’s cloud based materialx Decision...
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#1 U.S.A.: world’s most wasteful country, w/ each American producing 1780 lbs of waste/year.

#1 U.S.A.: world’s most wasteful country, w/ each American producing 1780 lbs of waste/year. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/one-year-of-global-waste-visualized/ Oh America, Oh Michigan (worst state) (thank you Canada?). America: 12% of world's trash, 4% of global population. The availability of cheap landfills in Mich attracts trucked-in garbage from out of state & even from Canada. That’s because, under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, waste is considered a commodity, & states & counties cannot restrict...

Watch who rises to the top. Their stock went public in 2004 & I declined to purchase it. I also thought technology was over rated & now I have to coach my students on how not to become a victim of it. Data Mining = Machine Learning = Artificial Intelligence.

Watch who rises to the top. Their stock went public in 2004 & I declined to purchase it. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/most-popular-websites-by-web-traffic/ I also thought technology was over rated & now I have to coach my students on how not to become a victim of it. Data Mining = Machine Learning = Artificial Intelligence. Get ready. Job saving technology: https://lnkd.in/g9Crpn9Thttps://lnkd.in/e6Rmzpwhttps://lnkd.in/eK7yQiRDhttps://lnkd.in/epHAQNDFhttps://lnkd.in/gX8vcRNahttps://lnkd.in/e2TztjYhttps://lnkd.in/gv2KD3uV Moe Tips/advice from this college professor (aka, educated idiot): 1. Read. People that read...

If it could work for Canada, then why not the U.S.? An Action Plan for the Skills & Labor Shortage: 1. Increase Economic Class Immigrants; 2. Increase Employment of Youth & Under-represented Groups; & 3. Invest in Automation & Adv Mfg Technologies.

If it could work for Canada, then why not the U.S.? An Action Plan for the Skills & Labor Shortage: 1. Increase Economic Class Immigrants; 2. Increase Employment of Youth & Under-represented Groups; & 3. Invest in Automation & Adv Mfg Technologies. https://www.visualcapitalist.com/sp/3-ways-to-reduce-manufacturings-skills-and-labor-shortage-in-canada/ Speaking of Canada, how about the Great Lakes region?FYI: If the region surrounding the Great Lakes was its own country, it would be the 3rd largest economy in the...

Was 2021 Really the End of IBM’s AS/400? Nope. Why is AS/400 still used? Four reasons to stick with a classic.

Was 2021 Really the End of IBM's AS/400? Nope. Why is AS/400 still used? Four reasons to stick with a classic. https://lnkd.in/gUg8T4Mg. I am still surprised by how many orgs out there still use AS/400. We make our students take an ERP class & we use SAP (around 1/2 the orgs that recruit our students use SAP). But AS/400 is still around & some students say they use AS/400 more than SAP...

I like pictures. USA scores #14 on happiness. In general, the richest countries report being the most happy. But why isn’t the richest country (the U.S.) the most happy? #1 USA: Total private wealth held is $68 Trillion.

I like pictures. USA scores #14 on happiness. In general, the richest countries report being the most happy. But why isn’t the richest country (the U.S.) the most happy? #1 USA: Total private wealth held is $68 Trillion. The US is the largest wealth market in the world, accounting for 32% of total global wealth & 36% of the world's millionaires. Is that even possible?... https://www.visualcapitalist.com/relationship-between-wealth-and-happiness-by-country/ The US also experienced the...

Time Magazine just called Detroit one of the world’s greatest places.

Time Magazine just called Detroit one of the world’s greatest places. https://www.mlive.com/life/2022/07/heres-why-time-magazine-just-called-detroit-one-of-the-worlds-greatest-places.html Also, Detroit Ranked #1 Emerging Startup Ecosystem (globally?!). Detroit’s top ranking marks a 13-spot jump from the previous year, solidifying the city’s growth in early-stage funding and investor activity, number of scale-ups and unicorns in the ecosystem, IP commercialization and ability to retain talent. According to the report, Detroit also ranked first in GSER’s list of Top 10...

America ranks as one of the best countries to start a business in (Top 5-10 usually), but it does vary by state. I was going to guess Texas #1 & Florida #2 (not NC).

America ranks as one of the best countries to start a business in (Top 5-10 usually), but it does vary by state. I was going to guess Texas #1 & Florida #2 (not NC). https://www.visualcapitalist.com/ranked-americas-best-states-to-do-business-in/ I still need to pitch my region (Great Lakes)…We are already the 3rd largest economic region in the world (GDP > $6T). The impact of the Chips Act on MI will be a curious thing.…1/3 of...

At WMU, Business Analytics is in its own STEM category. The WMU Business Analytics degree was already a STEM major & now has its own CIP code. Business Analytics Major at WMU:

At WMU, Business Analytics is in its own STEM category: https://lnkd.in/g8KAs_Wb. The WMU Business Analytics degree was already a STEM major & now has its own CIP code. Business Analytics Major at WMU: https://lnkd.in/gGxyZsBW. https://mibiz.com/sections/talent/the-right-place-launches-10-year-plan-to-grow-tech-sector-in-greater-grand-rapids BUSINESS ANALYTICS MAJOR COURSEWORKRequired coursesCIS 2640—Applied Analytics FoundationsCIS 2650—Programming for Data AnalyticsCIS 3640—Visual AnalyticsCIS 4610—Database for Business AnalyticsCIS 4640—Business Data MiningCIS 5650—Big Data Analytics Electives (three required) CIS 2600—Object-Oriented Programming for BusinessCYIS 3110—Cybersecurity Data AnalyticsCIS 3620—Practical Project...

Another rankings list, this time for European companies. I have several European students. They will of course ask how Gartner decides this. I will tell them it’s complicated & no one appears to really know the exact details.

Another rankings list, this time for European companies. I have several European students. They will of course ask how Gartner decides this. I will tell them it’s complicated & no one appears to really know the exact details. I think I understand the basics, but here is a great read on just how complicated it is (from 2021): https://lnkd.in/gdhsiRxq. Who is leading supply chain excellence in Europe? Gartner report: https://gtnr.it/3AGxYB3 Side note:...