Worldwide climate change is indisputable. Rising temperatures and the risk of destructive weather patterns are becoming increasingly frequent. Consequently, natural disasters such as droughts, wildfires, hurricanes, floods, and tornadoes are having a devastating impact on global and domestic supply chains.Preparing for the inevitability of climate-related business disruptions has become the “new normal” for grocers,...
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IoT-enabled Sensing-as-a-Service solutions offer valuable insights and automated, prescriptive workflows that empower employees to protect supply chain assets in real time. In this post, we examine three supply chain networks that clearly demonstrate the benefits of implementing a digitalized monitoring system: retail food service, laboratory research, and vaccine administration.
Adding sensors and digital intelligence to physical objects was introduced as early as the 1980s. But it wasn’t until 1999 that Proctor & Gamble computer scientist, Kevin Ashton, coined the term “Internet of Things” (IoT). Since then, a multitude of innovative IoT technologies have been adopted by businesses to track products across the supply chain. During the early years, however, most of these technologies were...
With the emergence of new business and customer segments in today’s rapidly changing markets, fragmentation is inevitable, given the proliferation of each segment’s own distinct needs and preferences. In other words, now more than ever, a multitude of customers are choosing among an abundance of products and services provided by an increasing number of vendors.Market fragmentation in itself is not necessarily...
Successful food retailing is a complex operation that starts long before product arrives at the store. For instance, a pivotal point in this process is the transfer of product from transport vehicles to a grocer’s warehouse. Why? Because temperature-sensitive foods deteriorate quickly if not stored promptly in refrigerated areas upon delivery.Of course, the flow of food across the supply chain encompasses a...
The cycle foods travel along the cold and value chain is called the “flow of food.” When the flow of food is subject to federal regulations, commercial and not-for-profit food service operations are legally responsible for the safety of all their food products at each step along the chain: purchasing, transporting, receiving, storing, cooking, holding, cooling, reheating, serving, and delivering. Monitoring...
