by Janice Marquardt | Jul 1, 2025 | Processes, Savings
A few months ago, I had the immense privilege of working with the team at Iowa State University’s Center for Industrial Research and Service (CIRAS) to assess the supply chains at eight small Iowa-based manufacturers. The lessons we learned and their common threads...
by Janice Marquardt | May 27, 2025 | Contracts, Processes
I frequently see companies early in their supply chain maturity journey using blanket purchase orders almost like a “light contract.” At first I found this somewhat odd, but for a company with a small supply chain, it makes sense. Blanket orders don’t require nearly...
by Janice Marquardt | May 13, 2025 | e-Auctions, Processes
Inevitably when you write a book, there are pieces you find you left out. It’s like DaVinci said – “Art is never finished, only abandoned.” Only in this case, a book is never finished, but at some point your publisher says, “It’s done now, leave it!” So as we...
by Janice Marquardt | May 6, 2025 | Creative Solutions, Definitions, Processes
A large part of many corporate jobs is presenting data. Typically presented in chart form, data is intended to help others (especially management) make decisions, plan for the future, and understand the current state. This is especially true in a supply chain team,...
by Janice Marquardt | Apr 22, 2025 | e-Auctions, Processes
The what-about-ism in e-auctions runs strong, and nowhere does it run stronger than the question “What about if an e-auction becomes a race to the bottom?” In the early 2000s, e-auctions often did become a race to the bottom. There was no Request for Proposal (RFP)...
by Janice Marquardt | Apr 15, 2025 | e-Auctions, Processes
“The 80/20 rule always applies” is a phrase I’ve lived with so long I don’t even know where I heard it first. But I’ve definitely repeated it – to my teams, to clients, to my poor family who are no longer at all interested (if they ever were). But what is it,...
