We’re giving away, to one of our LinkedIn company page followers, a mini library of books in supply chain, logistics and management. We’ve chosen a series of books that our consulting team believe are key texts for all supply chain and logistics professionals looking to develop their understanding in the field. Just follow our LinkedIn company page for a chance to win!
Supply chains, and supply chain thinking, are continuously evolving and all professionals in the field need to try and stay ahead of the curve. As supply chain consultants, we take continuing professional development seriously and, as part of that development, we stay tuned to influential, informative and thought-leading texts that are published.
There are, of course, a plethora of supply chain books available, so we asked our consulting team to each recommend a text that they believed was a cornerstone of continuing professional development in the supply chain, logistics and management fields. We’ve chosen five key texts and decided to give them all away to one of our LinkedIn company page followers.
All you need to do to have a chance of winning these books is follow the Paul Trudgian Ltd LinkedIn page. That’s it!
The winner will be randomly selected from our LinkedIn followers on Friday 28th July and will be notified via a LinkedIn message along with an announcement on our LinkedIn company page.
Our team have chosen a range of books, from current developments in Material Requirements Planning to reference texts on logistics. Here are the books our consulting team have selected for this giveaway:
Demand Planning | Demand Driven Material: Requirements Planning (DDMRP)
Carol Ptak, Chad Smith
The term ‘thought-leader’ is overused, but not when it comes to Carol Ptak (if you get a chance to join one of her webinars we highly recommend it). This book is not a zeitgeist, it’s not a ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ concept. This book demonstrates the application of common sense to the complexities of modern manufacturing when it needs to meet heightened demand expectations.
In the 1950s the manufacturing world was transformed by the concept of ‘Material Requirements Planning’ (MRP). Fast forward several decades later, MRP is becoming outdated and is failing to keep up with the complexity of world supply chains. Here, the original concept is brought right up-to-date with a new method for supply chain planning, ‘Demand Driven Material Requirements Planning’ (DDMRP).
In today’s complex supply chains, putting in place the DDMRP method can increase efficiency in the management of materials and inventory, using a holistic method of inventory optimisation across the whole supply chain. DDMRP uses a “Position, Protect and Pull” methodology which will allow businesses to better adapt to market requirements and allow faster and more informed decisions to be made at the planning level.
Inventory Management | Advanced Methods for Managing Inventory Within Business Systems
Geoff Relph, Catherine Milner
The book covers the challenges faced by those seeking to manage inventory effectively and goes on to describe issues with, what they term “traditional thinking”. Almost half of the book is dedicated to the introduction of the k-curve method and application (an approach that combines EOQ with a portfolio pareto analysis).
In our opinion this is an excellent reference book for any professional tasked with optimising inventory held within their business. It is our experience that, despite the evolution of MRP systems functionality, appropriate inventory optimisation algorithms are often still missing from business systems and consequently there is still a requirement to undertake inventory optimisation outside of the system environment. This book will help you gain an understanding of all that is required to manage inventory effectively.
Business Management | Start with Why
Simon Sinek
Okay, we know, this isn’t a book about supply chain or logistics. However, both supply chain and logistics are simply a function of a business, they don’t operate in isolation and this book helps us all understand the drivers of a successful business.
So, what makes some people and some businesses more successful than others? This best-selling book takes an analytical look at pioneering leaders from Steve Jobs to Martin Luther King Jr, exploring what inspired them and what drove them on to greatness.
Sinek explains the framework he believes is needed in all businesses to enable them to move on from the ‘what?’ and the ‘how?’ to the ‘why?’. It is the fundamental questions of why businesses do what they do that the author believes will unlock their potential creativity and success. Learn how to become an inspirational leader and unlock the potential of your business.
Logistics Management | The Handbook of Logistics and Distribution Management
Alan Rushton, Phil Croucher, Dr Peter Baker
Logistics is a huge field – from transport planning and warehouse design through to freight procurement and customs management. This practical handbook is a great introduction to the fundamentals of logistics and distribution, covering all aspects of the supply chain from beginning to end, providing an indispensable reference book for all supply chain and logistics professionals.
The 5th edition is updated to include the most recent developments in logistics, including new chapters in reverse logistics, multichannel fulfilment and humanitarian logistics.
Sales & Operations Planning | Enterprise Sales and Operations Planning
George Palmatier, Colleen Crum
There is often some argument over which function in a business should own S&OP – finance, commercial, dedicated S&OP department or supply chain. In our experience the control and management of an S&OP process sits best with supply chain due to the need to cover capacity and demand planning.
This book features a fictional company and, written in the style of a case narrative, illustrates the human elements that are crucial to the successful implementation of S&OP. It shows clearly how the S&OP process brings together sales, marketing and operations and puts it into context in a practical common-sense way that is easy to digest.
Learn how S&OP can enhance business performance, including quality and profits, inventory management and on-time deliveries. Explore how to successfully implement the S&OP process through the engagement of stakeholders across all the business functions. Gain insights into how businesses have synchronised resources with supply and demand to improve profits.
All you need to do to have a chance of winning these books is follow the Paul Trudgian Ltd LinkedIn page. That’s it!
If you’re keen to read more about supply chain and logistics why not go across to our supply chain insight blog. Our latest blog posts include:
Warehouse Location – How Do You Decide Where to Locate a Warehouse?
Supply Chain Network Design: Linking Strategy to Operational Efficiency
