Mergers & Acquisitions: Impacts on Supply Chain Management
Although the pace of M&A activity has slowed during the current economic downturn,
companies with sufficient cash reserves or secure financing will still take advantage of
opportunistic acquisitions at bargain prices. This White Paper focuses on the three key
elements that must be carefully designed, planned and executed in order to maximize
the benefits of the M&A activity across the Supply Chain.
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Lean Principles and IT Demand Management
IT spending level is typically based on historical or competitive benchmark
levels. Given the current global economic climate many IT organizations
face frozen budgets and cost-cutting efforts and this puts a squeeze
on many innovative initiatives in the backlog. The only way for folks to
get more done for less will be to plan and prioritize the IT portfolio
based on strategic fit, business value, risk, and complexity.
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The What’s and How’s of ETL Architecture
This paper is basically a high level description of a highly technical subject -
Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) Architecture. It is written for IT management and professionals to address and explain an area which often has been overlooked.
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Managing Third Party Risk
Some sources of risk that may not be top-of-mind include your service providers,
web hosting services, contractors, outsourcers, supply-chain nodes, consulting
services, and travel services—any number of outside entities having custody
of or access to your sensitive information. If your extended enterprise includes
these third parties, you need a way to manage this risk.
Take the white paper (4.5MB)
IT Asset Rationalization & Shared Services Management
Given the current global economic climate, companies are
trying to run off the extra fat from everywhere.
This includes IT budgets being squeezed and IT roles being switched to
keep-the-lights running roles (operations instead of innovation). In this kind
of ecosystem, it is no wonder that more and more IT initiatives are focused
on bottom-line, and less focused on innovative top-line growth.
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Reducing the Excess: Using Vendor-Managed Inventory to Improve Productivity Without Sacrificing Customer Service
In this white paper, we discuss several aspects of vendor-managed inventory,
including the business drivers behind its increasing popularity, risks associated
with VMI, and implementation considerations. In addition, we provide a case
study of a VMI system recently implemented at a major auto parts distribution
company for use with its customers (auto dealers). After reading this white paper,
you will have a greater understanding of the “what,” “why,” and “how” behind
VMI, and will be able to determine if VMI is right for your organization.
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SAP Supply Chain Execution Solutions: IM, WM AND EWM - Which Solution is Right for You?
There are currently three options available for
the SAP user who wants to optimize warehouse processes, including inventory
management (IM), warehouse management (WM) and the latest development,
extended warehouse management (EWM). This white paper describes those three options to help you determine which
option best meets your organization needs.
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Process Automation for the Procurement of Direct Materials
This paper will present an analysis of a plan-driven procurement process for direct
materials. This analysis includes not only the activities and steps in such a process,
but also the data sets associated with each activity. Automation of this process will be
explored to highlight where an organization can find process improvements that lead to
positive impact on the bottom line. Several recent studies are referenced to identify the
benefits companies have obtained by automating the plan-driven direct procurement
process. Purchasing executives can use this information to analyze their own direct
material procurement processes to determine what benefits might be obtained.
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Turning Brown into Green: Achieving Effective Business Process Improvement Using CIBER’s Brown Paper Methodology
Businesses do not launch software and business improvement projects
because they have nothing better to do. They undertake them with the
objective of creating incremental business value. The objective may be
increasing productivity, improving customer service, gaining competitive
advantage, reducing costs, or all of the above. Improve and align business
processes with the organization’s vision, goals, and objectives and the desired
results will follow.
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Business Intelligence Best Practices: Transforming Data into Information
The introduction of information technology systems decades ago helped organizations worldwide benefit from more efficient operations and greater productivity. Over the
years, companies have acquired volumes of data in these applications, but much of this data is trapped in multiple, disparate systems which cannot easily communicate. As a result, firms must expend considerable effort to tap into the full potential of these data assets to strategically maneuver the business in a rapidly changing and competitive marketplace. The latest evolution in IT is “business intelligence,” which promises to help businesses better tap into and leverage their data assets. But what, exactly, is BI? How can it help? How is it implemented? And what can it do for your company? Essentially a primer on BI, this paper describes BI, how it can help you, and best practices to consider when launching or refining a business intelligence initiative.
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Achieving Best Practice Performance In Automotive Parts Distribution
Globalization and structural issues have caused the automotive
market to become more competitive than ever,
with pressure to deliver increasing levels of service at
lower costs. The companies that establish themselves as
dominant players in this market will have a streamlined
supply chain that can deliver extraordinary customer
service levels. Additionally, the flexibility to handle a
variety of value added processes as easily as standard
processes will be a requirement for success.
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RFID: An Introduction and Analysis of Gen 2 and SAP Auto ID Infrastructure
Implementing RFID systems presents many challenges
and requires careful planning and understanding
of several different technologies. This white paper
introduces RFID systems, RFID components, and the
new EPC™ Class 1 Gen 2 specification, and discusses
advantages of Gen 2 over Gen 1 protocols. The final
part of the paper discusses implementing RFID using
SAP Auto ID Infrastructure (AII) and integrating RFID to
the SAP R/3 back end.
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Warehouse Slotting Systems: Top 10 Most Frequently Asked Questions When Choosing a Slotting Package
As a supply chain systems integrator, CIBER is often asked about the benefits of
warehouse slotting and slotting packages available (both integrated and stand
alone) in the current marketplace. This white paper will address several of
the most common questions posed regarding Warehouse Management System
(WMS) slotting and slotting packages, and will provide answers based on CIBER’s
16+ years of implementing, integrating and supporting WMS and warehouse
slotting packages.
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Conquering the Challenge of Global SAP Implementations: SAP Rollout Strategies and Best Practices
Implementing SAP on a global scale presents many challenges and
issues that require careful planning and preparation. This whitepaper
provides strategies and best practices on how to proactively manage
challenges that arise for an international SAP project. It also evaluates
various approaches to template development plans and rollout
strategies. This whitepaper is a hands-on guide, based on real-life
lessons learned, that IT and business leaders can use to achieve
successful international SAP implementations.
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Using a Consultant in Warehouse Management Systems Software Selection: Prudent Choice or Waste of Money?
This white paper provides the business rationale for considering a
consultant to help you with your WMS software selection. It also provides practical
and tangible steps to develop a beneficial relationship with a consultant—from
building a framework of responsibilities, to defining your costs, timelines, and
deliverables to negotiating a contract and measuring results.
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Best-of-breed Warehouse Management Systems vs. ERP Applications: Is the Gap Narrowing?
This paper describes the strengths and weaknesses of best-of-breed and ERP
providers and potential future trends in the WMS space. This paper provides the
specific functionality, technology, and risk criteria you should consider to help you
select the best WMS solution for your organization.
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The Five Key Ways Transportation Management Systems Can Rapidly Reduce Costs by up to 30 Percent
Maintaining competitive advantage in today's demanding business environment requires continual process improvement
and cost reduction. Many companies focus on transportation in an effort to control supply chain costs and help ensure
timely shipments. Recently, however, effective transportation management has become more complex due to several
industry trends.
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Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) in Supply Chain: Roadmap for the Future
RFID technology is one of the hottest topics for retailers, manufacturers, and other industries where added visibility and control over items in the supply chain can provide competitive advantage. In our white paper, we introduce the concept, explain how it works, and offer some ideas for how to put it to work in your organization.
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Selecting a Warehouse Management System: Strategies and Tactics
Learn how to leverage supply chain software to reduce costs, improve profitability and drive bottom-line results across your supply chain processes.
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An article by CIBER’s Mike Krabbe was the cover story for the December 2007 issue of ’Industrial Engineer’ magazine.
CIBER implements vendor-managed inventory distribution model and establishes long-term support methodology for MOPAR, the aftermarket parts division of Chrysler.
CIBER has completed a seven-month mobile supply chain management (MSCM) project for Gainesville-based 
CIBER has been selected by Brooklyn-based 
CIBER and technical resources from 
Advantages of a Collaborative Retail Inventory Management Solution
Learn about the CIBER difference at ProMat 2011