If you want to know more about supply chain management and procurement solutions without moving from your office, you can just get teleported on August 28th (11am) to an online event on the subject.
With just your headset, you’ll be able to hear speakers of top level such as:
- Michael Sorensen, Vice President of Worldwide Sales & Marketing for A.T. Kearney Procurement Solutions
- Steve Rogers, former purchasing executive at P&G and co-author of On-Demand Supply Management: World Class Strategies, Practices and Technology
- Larry Giunipero, professor of Supply Chain Management at Florida State University and frequent presenter at ISM conferences.
- Moderator: Frank Quinn, Editorial Director, Supply Chain Management Review
Certainly not ! Even if, a good supply chain requires a smooth flow of goods via various networks, it would be crazy to compare logistics to a long quiet river !!!! UNLESS….. unless we take into account the great challenge of the coming years towards the improvement of multimodal networks such as WATERWAYS.
Much literature exists about the subject on the web, yet, I prefer to pinpoint a few examples I read about during my “long quiet summer break”:
. Sainsbury’s intention to include the River Thames in its distribution network (according to the Financial Times, the company made a 1-week trial in July for the transportation of goods and came to the conclusion that goods could be moved faster by water that on London’s roads: “”The trial proved there are alternatives [to road] for us to be more efficient as a business, environmentally sustainable, and cause less congestion,” said Roger Burnley, Sainsbury’s supply chain director.)
. Auchan France group is the 1rst carrier in France to use the river network for about 60% of its importation of boxes.
. Renault’s decision to use waterways for half of the exportation (Europe excluded) of its boxes from the Rouen platform to Le Havre seaport.
. Monoprix uses waterways for 85% of its “great importation” of goods.
. and many more…
In France, the waterway networks represent about 1/3 of the combined networks (sea, rail, river, road) and traffic on river has been increasing by 50% during the last 10 years, this is quite promising for the years to come.
hum, hum…
I am not yet in Second Life, but I wonder if this wouldn’t be a good idea…. I guess this sounds a bit too virtual for logistics, too close to teleportation !
Anyway, I just read today in the really well-written blog of Mr. Christopher Sciacca (http://supplychainsrock.blogspot.com/) that a Supply Chain Management Association had opened in Second Life.
This is the nice story of a carrier who knows what he wants and how to obtain it.
The DERET group has obtained the approval of the city of Laval and the county council of Mayenne to develop a logistic platform (rail and road) at Argentré (on the eastern side of Laval, in between Rennes and Le Mans) and above all to have two major road constructions:
. a highway exit
. a rail connection
DERET group will use 60ha first. The group is located in Orleans (further east) and is strongly developping itself. more information : http://www.deret.fr/
Good combination of industry and local authorities !
Our brand new Prime Minister, Mr. François Fillon, gave a speech during the LA BAULE WORLD INVESTMENT CONFERENCE last week and addressed the foreign investors with great enthousiasm: “I am eager to give you any opportunities to invest in Europe and particularly in France. We are going to do everything in our power to make you feel comfortable with our legal and regulatory framework….. French people are back at work, a new era has begun. France is ready for action.”
Her name is Nolwenn, she’s been working with us for years now and has just left us for another life and workstyle. too bad.
She is moving East in the Chamonix area, not for work, but in the name of love ! lucky man !
A great commercial, funny and very easy-going, we’ll miss her.
If you hear about any job opportunity in the Chamonix region (commercial, economic development, bilingual assistance…) that could suit her, let us know !
goodby nolwenn, it’s been nice! Hope you’ll find your paradise ! (nolwenn is on the right)
Supported by the British investor Gazeley, Conforama chose Beaulieu sur Layon near Angers to set up a 31 000sq.meters logistic platform. The transport and logistic company is Kuehne + Nagel. the Kuehne + Nagel group is closely involved with Conforama and supports the development of the retailer’s new supply chain strategy.
The building should be ready by mid 2008. The investment is about 14.5 million euros and will help Conforama to distribute the Conforama stores of Western France.
This regional platform is part of the 5 regional platforms of Conforama in France. This is good news for Western France.
More info about Gazeley
More info about Kuehne + Nagel
More info about Conforama, a PPR company, second largest retailer worldwide and no. 1 in France, specialised in furnishing and home appliances.
A very special international conference is taking place this week within Western France, in the sea-side resort LA BAULE. It is the LA BAULE World Investment Conference. The theme for this year is green technologies. Some 500 CEOs of around the world will be here. As far as logistics is concerned, there will be people from Gazeley and Prologis who will talk about environment and logistics platforms.
Applied to logistics, the theme of environment makes me think more precisely about a very special French cluster (or club) I know, called the “club demeter” that is especially focused on environmental issues applied to logistics and that gathers industries, carriers, investors and transporters. The organization and working process of this club is exemplary and I wish this could be extended to our regions.
more info about the club demeter
more info about the LA BAULE WIC
I just came back from the SITL in Paris (International logistics solutions show) where I prospected for the regions of Pays de la Loire and Poitou-Charentes. I was surprised (and happy !) to see that the western part of France is becoming an increasingly interesting region for new investors. The historical line (Lille, Paris, Lyon, Marseille) being crowded, the western part of France offers a good intermediary solution for new investors.
my figures as an FDI advisor ? : 10 meetings with potential investors with projects on a short, medium or long term basis and many, many good contacts. I admit that there was a very good attendance at the show. If the long edition (the SITL mixes every other year a short and a long edition) is as interesting as the short one, 2008 promises to be pretty good.
