The choice between a vertical or horizontal supply chain depends on a company's strategy, resources, and industry. Companies seeking greater control and integration might opt for a vertical supply chain, while those looking for flexibility, specialization, and reduced capital investment might favor a horizontal supply chain. Many modern companies, particularly large ones, often use a combination of both, depending on their product lines and business models - however it’s always worth remembering the grass isn’t always greener on the other side!

Mentorship or being mentored is intangible and immeasurable but it has enormous benefits to both people and organizations.  I’ve been phenomenally lucky in my career to be mentored by some incredible people and be able to pay forward to others on different stages of their career.

When done effectively, S&OP (Sales and Operations Planning) creates a shared understanding across functions such as sales, marketing, operations, finance, and supply chain, enabling businesses to meet customer demand while controlling costs and maintaining efficiency. The truth is that, for many organizations, this critical foundation of Supply Chain is performative only, ineffective or in some cases ignored altogether - I argue that the fundamental reason behind this is that successful S&OP is a result of cross-functional collaboration and an ability to agree on Mission Consensus.

It is a universally accepted truth that modern Supply Chains depend on accurate and timely information to function, whether it’s internally with systems or externally between partners and organizations.  That communication has evolved over the years and many organizations are finding themselves at a crossroads between sticking with tried, tested and still widely used technology (EDI) and the new, more dynamic upstart (API).  Both serve similar functions—enabling electronic communication between systems—but they differ significantly in their design, capabilities, and use cases.

As you progress in your career you would probably like to think that trial and error is a thing of the past and certainly not a suitable method for moving a business forward - you would mostly be right with that assessment too, however the philosophy of using failure to succeed cannot be overlooked or underrated…

One thing I love about O2C is it shows Supply Chain as the enabler of Sales and Revenue Recognition – we are taking the metaphorical baton and passing it along – it also clearly demonstrates the chain concept itself being woven through a whole business…

Saturday 22nd of April was Earth Day and images such as this were plastered all over Social Media by corporations desperate to show their Green credentials. In this article I’m looking at what Sustainable Supply Chain Management (SSCM) is, how it is a critical part of Supply Chain Design and integral to every modern business….

It’s been three years since we did our first day of remote work - how has that changed us and what does it mean for the future?

Many times I have seen the presumption that Canada is simply a smaller version of the US, indeed the greatest adjustment I had to make when taking on my Toronto based position was ensuring that I didn’t fall into that very trap. It’s an easy mistake to make…

Supply Chains are doing exactly what they are built to do - finding solutions and displaying resilience. I’m enormously proud of how resilient Dyson’s Supply Chain has been through a globally tumultuous year and I’m excited heading into Q4 watching our goods go out in volume over the peak holiday season

Three years at Dyson, already? Feels like a big enough number to write something here about. I love the number three anyway, so in celebration of three years at Dyson, here are three things that I have learned…

It has been an…eventful few months. Back in March (or what feels like a decade ago) everything changed in the US, and our already lighting fast pace at Dyson somehow managed to go up a few notches more to deal with the events created and permeated by the Coronavirus Pandemic…

I tore my ACL and my recovery showed that the values we work to and live to are not just applicable in Supply Chain…

That wonder, of seeing the unknown, is something we are very quick to make ordinary, to forget about and devalue. Plastic is so ubiquitous, it is everywhere in every part of daily life, that we don’t even acknowledge it, we don’t question how it is made. If you look around you now, even ignoring the computer, phone or tablet you're reading this on there will be man-made synthetic material within sight. This has been consciously made and fashioned, yet its very prevalence means we don't question how it was fashioned, the thought, research and countless hours that have gone into being able to produce it.