California Apparel News

In the past few years, as the economy has taken a dip and the supply chain has become more complicated, a host of blogs have popped up giving sage advice for businesspeople trying to increase profits and reduce risk.

It has also become a new form of social networking for industry professionals who share their trials and tribulations about moving goods from one point to another.

As the world shrinks, these blog sites are becoming more important, offering up information and what to do when an earthquake devastates a region rich in factories or how to find a factory that is socially responsible.

“Within the supply-chain discipline, things are moving pretty fast in terms of events and in terms of activities, sometimes faster than traditional media can pick it up. The importance of a blog is that supply-chain professionals get a chance to see or hear or sense what their peers are talking about or concerned about,” said Bob Ferrari, who posts daily on his “Supply Chain Matters” blog at www.theferrarigroup.com. He takes his years of expertise and provides his views and insights on various topics surrounding the management and deployment of global supply chains. “Also of late, with the economy and the global recession, some of the sources of information where professionals used to get their information, such as industry analysts or other firms, have succumbed to the financial times, either closing down or cutting back.”

Ferrari, whose company is The Ferrari Consulting and Research Group in Reading, Mass., started his blog in February 2008 and has been writing religiously on everything from how the latest typhoons in Taiwan and China have affected the supply chain to RFID (radio frequency identification) technology.

“Certain topics gain a lot of commentary,” Ferrari observed. “Supply-chain risk topics are very hot right now because so many organizations are struggling with that, trying to get their hands around [the issue]. They are thinking about a green supply chain, and technology is always an issue.”

Some of the risks for businesses include product contamination, which seems to be on the rise, and natural disasters, which can turn industries upside down.

Procurers are concerned with reliable and financially viable suppliers and whether they comply with labor laws.Social responsibility and the environment

Another blogger on the supply-chain front is Ron Southard, who started SafeSourcing last year. It’s a company based in Scottsdale, Ariz., geared for retailers who need help in procuring merchandise and want supply-chain advice, focusing on environmental and social-responsibility practices as well as other issues.

Southard said there has been an increased focus on supply-chain management because of the added profit it can generate for businesses if they take cost-effective steps and use the chain wisely. “It is a well-known fact that the supply-chain section hasn’t been the most highly respected profession in retail. Operations, loss prevention and marketing have always gotten more attention,” Southard said. “If you are going to have an impact on your profitability, this is certainly an area that should get attention.”

The company’s blog, published Mondays to Fridays, discusses a number of topics, from how to improve your corporate social responsibility to handling the logistics of shipping products and dealing with U.S. Customs’ 10 + 2 rule.

SafeSourcing has a database with 300,000 suppliers that support the retail community. The company’s Web site, at www.safesourcing.com, also has its own Wiki, named after the online encyclopedia Wikipedia. It defines terms commonly used in the supply-chain industry.

Other supply-chain companies with blog sites include New York–based Panjiva, an information resource tool used by sourcing and supply-chain professionals. Panjiva takes a lot of the work out of looking for a good factory. The company, started in 2007, has a large database of suppliers that are rated by Panjiva and put on a watch list if their shipments decline more than 50 percent to U.S. customers.

The blog, at www.panjiva.com, shares trade data from Panjiva’s research team and analyzes the import activity of various corporations.

Advice OnlineThere are several blog sites out there addressing supply-chain issues. Here are a few:www.atrisk.net The blog discusses supplier risk and how to deal with it. The Web site is associated with Aravo Solutions Inc., a San Francisco company that deals with supplier-information management to solve expensive and complex problems.The Supply-Chain Council (SCC) is a global nonprofit consortium whose methodology, diagnostic and benchmarking tools help organizations make dramatic and rapid improvements in supply-chain processes. SCC has a Forums section, where visitors can discuss and post topics for discussion, at www.supply-chain.org.European Supply Chain Blogs

FDI Logbox This is in France, run by an export customer account-management and logistics company. www.fdi-logbox.comSupply Chain Standard Europe’s strategic supply-chain management resource. www.supplychainstandard.com/Fashion/Default.htmlBusinessGreen.com is a British Web site that publishes the latest news and best-practice advice on how to become more environmentally responsible while still growing the bottom line.