Reasonable goals, sustainable benefits
By Michael A. Levans, Chief Editor -- Logistics Management, 6/1/2006
I'd like to begin this month by thanking each of the 80-plus logistics and supply chain managers who took the time to enter our 2006 Best Practices in Logistics Management contest. Understanding just how busy you are these days, I was simply blown away by the depth and detail of this year's entries—truly sensational.
The submissions clearly indicate the pride you take in your work, and they provide further evidence of the commitment you've made to promoting education through peer experience. Thanks to the increase in the number of submissions and the surge of click-throughs from these stories at www.logisticsmgmt.com, I can safely say that our Best Practices Awards program has become one of the most eagerly awaited events on our editorial calendar.
After weeks of reading, rereading, and thoughtful evaluation, the editorial staffs of Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review found that three entries kept showing up at the top of our individual lists: 2006 Gold Award winner Chet Brown and his team at American Identity; Silver Award winners Erik Snyder and Scott Barnhart at Diageo; and Bronze Award winner Steve Monson of Vulcan Threaded Products. We share their stories starting on Page 27.
Although the winners achieved different benefits from their best practices implementations, they all took nearly identical steps to get there.
First, they took time to gain a thorough understanding of the problem; second, they developed a strategic plan that took into account both people and process; third, they set goals that were reasonable; and fourth, they achieved benefits that are sustainable over time. "We don't throw money and technology at an issue and think we're going to solve it," says Gold Winner Chet Brown. "We take an applied view of technology to solve real business problems."
It was tough to boil down the list to the three winners featured in this issue. In fact, there were three other logistics managers whose entries made it to the final round: Bruce Beier from DaimlerChrysler; Richard Malanga of wireless component maker TESSCO; and Tim Meester at Toys 'R' Us. You'll be reading about how Richard streamlined his company's China logistics operation in our July issue, and I can almost guarantee that we'll be sharing Bruce's and Tim's "supply chain revolution" stories over the coming months.
If nothing else, reading the winners' stories should prompt you to call your logistics team together for a frank conversation about how things are going. Once you pull away from the daily grind—even if just for an hour or two—and make an honest assessment of your operations, you may be surprised by the problems you find. We hope the examples set by our 2006 Best Practices Award winners inspire you to find effective, sustainable solutions.
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