As October draws to a close, I am again pleased to report that Supply Chain Matters has surpassed new milestones in recognition and loyal readership among supply chain management and other professionals.

Blogs have become a new alternative for knowledge and insight, where readers return for timely and insightful analysis and opinion above the drone of daily news. In the area of supply chain management, there are but a select handful of quality sites where practioners can turn to for a balanced viewpoint, and that was the primary reason that I launched this site. This has all been borne out from this blog’s continued attraction.  Thus far, this site has experienced:

• Over 4300 visits in October, over1900 of which are from new visitors
• Over 54,000 monthly hits
• An October average of over 150 visits per day and 1900 hits from other sites
• Close to 12,000 bookmarks established

I again extend my personal thanks to all my loyal readers for your continued support.

We have incorporated a select number of site sponsorship opportunities that affords innovative supply chain technology, services, and other providers the ability to acknowledge their sponsorship of leading-edge thought leadership. Sponsorship of Supply Chain Matters can serve as an effective means to identify your company or organization as a sponsor of leading-edge thought leadership, as well as leverage brand awareness, lead generation and viral marketing strategies. This is especially important in prioritizing limited marketing budgets for 2009. There are several flexible plans of gold, silver, bronze, or interim sponsorship, and the most premium gold sponsor slot is also currently still available.

To initiate an inquiry process you will note that on the top right hand side of this site, under the Pages column, there is a Sponsorship Request link.  Simply fill out the interest form with a bit of important contact information indicating your interest in potential sponsorship, and I will personally follow-up with you. You can also email your interest to supplychaininfo@theferrarigroup.com.

Bob Ferrari

Last week, Wal-Mart, one of the world’s most influential global retailers indicated that it will set new quality standards for it suppliers amid the recent food safety contamination incidents occurring in China.  I for one applaud this effort from Wal-Mart.

A news report picked-up by many media outlets quotes Mike Duke, the vice-chairmen of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. international division, as indicating that the retailer has been working on this heightened quality initiative for over three years, but the increasing number of incidents concerning the quality or safety of Chinese made products have made transparency in the supply chain “even more important”. The story further outlines that Wal-Mart has had to deal with the effects of previous incidents in 2007 relative to pet food and pet food treats, the scandal involving the recall of toys manufactured for Mattel Inc., and a recent incident involving faulty safety pegs within infant cribs, that were also manufactured in China.  The thrust of these revised standards is to insure that suppliers to Wal-Mart take complete responsibility for quality up and down the supply chain.

Taking full-responsibility for the transparency of quality throughout the supply chain is no easy task, especially for firms that are new to the global sourcing experience.  The need for clearly identifying potential supply risks, insuring early-warning mechanisms and mitigation strategies will occupy executives of all types.  But as many a large and smaller supplier has learned in the past, ignoring a Wal-Mart directive can prove to be very costly. Further, Wal-Mart bound products have a tremendous presence within and across China’s existing supply chains, and this directive, when enforced, will surely also have far-reaching implications.

I have been in the process of designing a workshop that dives into this rather timely topic of supply chain risk management, and specifically how companies can overcome challenges impeding the development of an effective supply chain risk management strategy, as well developing a framework to address management and mitigation of these risks.  The specifics to workshop scheduling and availability will be made available over the coming weeks. If you or your company has specific interest, you can send an email to scminfo@theferrarigroup.com . Please indicate your name, company, and email address and we will contact you directly with the specifics when they become available.

Bob Ferrari