Daily Archives: November 23, 2009

New and Upcoming Events from the #1 Supply Chain Resource Site

The Sourcing Innovation Resource Site, always immediately accessible from the link under the “Free Resources” section of the sidebar, continues to add new content on a weekly, and often daily, basis.

The following is a short selection of upcoming webinars, conferences, and seminars that you might want to check out in the coming weeks:

Date & Time Webcast
2009-Nov-24

10:00 GMT+01:00/CET/WEDT

Apparel prototyping cycle
  

Sponsor: Lectra

2009-Nov-24

15:00 GMT/WET

Creating Your Own Economic Stimulus Package: Recapturing Profit with Effective Inventory Management and Purchasing
  

Sponsor: IHS Global Insight

2009-Nov-25

9:00 GMT-05:00/CDT/EST

The Real Truth About Cloud, SaaS
  

Sponsor: Gartner

Dates Conference Sponsor
2009-Dec-8 to
  

2009-Dec-9

Sapience
  

Cambridge, MA, USA (North-America)

Rimini Street
2009-Dec-8 to
  

2009-Dec-9

SaaS World Tokyo
  

Akasaka, Japan (Australasia)

IDG Japan
2009-Dec-8 to
  

2009-Dec-10

Power-Gen
  

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA (North-America)

PennWell
2009-Dec-10 to
  

2009-Dec-10

IQNavigator Supplier Summit
  

Denver, Colorado, USA (North-America)

IQNavigator
2009-Dec-13 to
  

2009-Dec-16

Winter Simulation Conference
  

Austin, Texas, USA (North-America)

Winter Simulation Conference
2009-Dec-14 to
  

2009-Dec-15

SWIFT Operations Forum Europe – Operational Realities and Innovation
  

Brussels, Belgium (Europe)

SWIFT
2009-Dec-15 to
  

2009-Dec-16

SWIFT Premium Services Forum EMEA 2009
  

Brussels, Belgium (Europe)

SWIFT
Dates Seminar Sponsor
2009-Nov-24 to
  

2009-Nov-24

Domestic and Export Controls Seminar: Avert Border Blunders
  

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (North-America)

Foreign Affairs & International Trade Canada
2009-Nov-26 to
  

2009-Nov-26

Best Practice Risk Management in the Semiconductor/High Tech Industry
  

Kirchheim-Teck, Germany (Europe)

BristleCone
2009-Dec-1 to
  

2009-Dec-1

The procurement of specialist contract & temporary workers
  

London, England, UK (Europe)

CIPS
2009-Dec-2 to
  

2009-Dec-2

Public sector smarter energy campaign roadshow
  

Birmingham, England, UK (North-America)

OGC

They are all readily searchable from the comprehensive Site-Search page. So don’t forget to review the resource site on a weekly basis. You just might find what you didn’t even know you were looking for!

And continue to keep a sharp eye out for new additions!

A Lesson from the Leaders: Sustainability is the Key to Savings

Today’s post is from Tim Albinson, CEO of Aravo and blogmaster of 2Sustain.

Still wondering if sustainability can translate into savings for your company?

If so, then you need to spend a few minutes with “Designed to Matter“, the Procter & Gamble Company’s 2009 Sustainability Overview.

Sustainability is at the core of P&G’s business model, and the report is chock-full of examples of how the company is benefiting from its commitment to social and environmental initiatives. Consider this: since 2002, P&G has reduced (per unit of production) water consumption by 52%, energy usage by 48%, CO2 emissions by 52%, and waste disposal by 53%.

The company is looking specifically at its supply chain, too, and has decided to transition from multi-modal to “intermodal” transportation — a strategy that focuses on boats and trains, rather than trucks and planes. In North America, P&G’s use of intermodal transport has increased 30%, saving 11 million liters of diesel fuel and reducing overall miles by 12% since F07-08 — all while delivering the same volume of product.

I could go on, but I think you get the idea. P&G uses sustainability to reduce the environmental footprint of its products and operations, to make a meaningful difference in the lives of its employees, customers, and external partners — and to build long-term capabilities, improve its operations, and create significant savings.

Of course, a quick search will uncover leaders in every sector that are also reporting savings from their sustainability efforts Walmart, Coca-Cola, Ascent Healthcare Solutions, Marriott, Timberland, just to name a few. In fact, a new report from Siemens and McGraw-Hill Construction shows that, even during the worst recession in 60 years, corporations across the U.S. continued to accelerate sustainability efforts and increase efficiencies as part of their overall business plans.

Research like this confirms what I have been seeing for quite some time now: leaders of the world’s largest and most influential organizations are firmly committed to sustainability as a strategic imperative. Why? Because these leaders understand that sustainability is consistent with their profit missions.

As David Bent says, when it comes to sustainability, “the more you look, the more you find”. Social and environmental initiatives offer tremendous opportunities for business benefits. Start looking, and you’ll find — just as P&G and others have — that sustainability can easily translate into innovation, competitive advantage, efficiencies and savings.

Thanks, Tim.

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