Disruption

Southwest Airlines and how they could have avoided a disaster

Lessons from Southwest’s Avoidable Crisis

As I enjoyed the season’s festivities with my family, I couldn’t help but notice the sad unraveling of Southwest Airlines and the issues that resulted in more than 15,000 canceled flights in one week, inconveniencing hundreds of thousands of customers (even a bride who missed her own destination wedding (1)). I wondered if, when we say, “Have a Prosperous New Year,” should we really add, “but don’t hurt others as you do”?

resilient supply chains

Guest Post: The Right Way to Build an Agile, Adaptable and Resilient Supply Chain?

It’s common to believe that implementing a new solution will fix supply chain issues. But new software alone isn’t the answer – especially now. While few businesses came through the pandemic unscathed, some fared better. We can learn from their success and use that knowledge to create supply chains that stand up to the harshest economic conditions.

Change just ahead

Distribution Q&A: Lessons Learned from the Pandemic – and Smart Changes to Make

Many distributors struggled in the COVID-19 pandemic. But that is old news. What’s interesting – and important – now is to look at how distributors reacted and adapted to a suddenly (and fundamentally) changed business environment, determine the lessons learned from the unprecedented disruption, and identify the changes required to be ready for the (inevitable) disruptions to come.

Industrial internet of things and innovative manufacturing

Expert Q&A: Rapidly Changing IEM Marketplace Requires New Capabilities

As the industrial equipment manufacturing (IEM) industry rumbles through the remainder of a challenging 2021, headed for a potentially more successful 2022, we asked one of Ultra’s most experienced manufacturing consultants what smart IEM companies need to know to thrive in today’s fast-changing marketplace.

Warehouse worker looking at camera

Outlook for 2021 Manufacturing Jobs Recovery (Video)

In the fourth of a four-video series, economist Dr. Christopher Kuehl and Ultra Senior Consultant Dave Lechleitner discuss the potential for a manufacturing jobs recovery, the persistent skilled labor shortage and ongoing job training challenges.

Business recovery

Are Recovery-Driven Consumer Buying Shifts Ahead? (Video)

In the third of a four-video series, economist Dr. Christopher Kuehl and Ultra Senior Consultant Dave Lechleitner discuss pandemic-driven marketplace changes, the potential for a mid-summer return to services buying and a possible downturn for consumer products (and more).

4 Potential Solutions for the Manufacturing Labor Shortage

Skilled manufacturing jobs continue to go unfilled, despite the ongoing economic recovery from the pandemic downturn, strong job growth overall, rising wages across nearly every vertical and high unemployment in the service sector (and others). The result is production bottlenecks, reduced capacity, unfilled orders, low inventories and lost sales. What…

Global Consumer Goods Organization Improves Business Processes and Prepares for Growth

Global organizations, particularly those dealing in Consumer Goods, often struggle with piecemeal systems, which create inconsistent approaches to business processes and financials.

5 Guidelines for Evaluating ERP Systems for Consumer Packaged Goods Manufacturers

Today’s ERP systems for Consumer Products Manufacturers (CPG) must drive true transformation. In order to compete, consumer goods companies must keep pace with customer demand while managing margins and complying with ever-changing safety and environmental regulations

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