Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Forward Thinking

Unilever ranks highest in Gartner's 2016 Supply Chain Top 25

The research firm added a new corporate social responsibility (CSR) scoring component to its annual rankings of supply chain leadership.

The research firm Gartner Inc. has released the findings from its annual Supply Chain Top 25, identifying supply chain leaders and highlighting their best practices. Analysts announced the results May 18 at the Gartner Supply Chain Executive Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

For the first time, Unilever topped the ranking, followed by McDonald's, Amazon, Intel, and a newcomer to the top five, the Swedish fashion retailer H&M. Five new companies made the Supply Chain Top 25 this year, with Schneider Electric, BASF, and BMW joining the list for the first time, and HP and GlaxoSmithKline rejoining after several years. (See below for the full list.)


Some of that movement can be attributed to the addition this year of a corporate social responsibility (CSR) scoring component. The CSR component score assesses each company's commitment to and proficiency in running socially and environmentally responsible supply chains. Points are awarded if companies produce publicly available sustainability reports using accepted standards and if certain expert third parties recognize their exceptional performance in social and environmental responsibility.

In addition to the corporate social responsibility metric, the quantitative part of the Supply Chain Top 25 includes three financial metrics: return on assets (net income/total assets); inventory turns (cost of goods sold/inventory); and revenue growth (change in revenue from prior year). The four components are combined to create a weighted average score. The metrics are supplemented with opinions from a global peer panel and Gartner analysts. More information about the methodology can be found here.

According to Gartner, the results "highlight companies that are not only engaged in supply chain process innovations with exemplary outcomes but that also share what they're doing with the supply chain community at large and provide leadership to others."

Apple and Procter and Gamble (P&G) continued to qualify for the "Masters" category, which applies to companies if their composite score places them in the top five rankings for at least seven out of the past 10 years.

Apple continues to succeed by offering platforms that "ecosystems" of partners build on to meet customers' needs. The big question for Apple and its supply chain is whether it can deliver on the next big innovations to continue the revenue and earnings pace of the last decade, analysts said.

For the majority of its products, P&G is running an end-to-end synchronization program. Every part of the supply chain operates based on the daily cadence of consumption, in some cases triggered by demand at the shelf. The supply chain team brings data and analysis skills to the process with the ultimate goal of increasing the value that each active SKU contributes to the company, Gartner said.

1. Unilever
2. McDonald's
3. Amazon.com
4. Intel
5. H&M
6. Inditex
7. Cisco Systems
8. Samsung Electronics
9. The Coca-Cola Company
10. Nestlé
11. Nike
12. Starbucks
13. Colgate-Palmolive
14. 3M
15. PepsiCo
16. Wal-Mart Stores
17. Hewlett-Packard
18. Schneider Electric
19. L'Oréal
20. BASF
21. Johnson & Johnson
22. BMW
23. GlaxoSmithKline
24. Kimberly-Clark
25. Lenovo

"Masters" category:
Apple
Procter & Gamble

Recent

More Stories

diagram of blue yonder software platforms

Blue Yonder users see supply chains rocked by hack

Grocers and retailers are struggling to get their systems back online just before the winter holiday peak, following a software hack that hit the supply chain software provider Blue Yonder this week.

The ransomware attack is snarling inventory distribution patterns because of its impact on systems such as the employee scheduling system for coffee stalwart Starbucks, according to a published report. Scottsdale, Arizona-based Blue Yonder provides a wide range of supply chain software, including warehouse management system (WMS), transportation management system (TMS), order management and commerce, network and control tower, returns management, and others.

Keep ReadingShow less

Featured

drawing of person using AI

Amazon invests another $4 billion in AI-maker Anthropic

Amazon has deepened its collaboration with the artificial intelligence (AI) developer Anthropic, investing another $4 billion in the San Francisco-based firm and agreeing to establish Amazon Web Services (AWS) as its primary training partner and to collaborate on developing its specialized machine learning (ML) chip called AWS Trainium.

The new funding brings Amazon's total investment in Anthropic to $8 billion, while maintaining the e-commerce giant’s position as a minority investor, according to Anthropic. The partnership was launched in 2023, when Amazon invested its first $4 billion round in the firm.

Keep ReadingShow less
chart of robot adoption in factories

Global robot density in factories has doubled in 7 years

Global robot density in factories has doubled in seven years, according to the “World Robotics 2024 report,” presented by the International Federation of Robotics (IFR).

Specifically, the new global average robot density has reached a record 162 units per 10,000 employees in 2023, which is more than double the mark of 74 units measured seven years ago.

Keep ReadingShow less
person using AI at a laptop

Gartner: GenAI set to impact procurement processes

Progress in generative AI (GenAI) is poised to impact business procurement processes through advancements in three areas—agentic reasoning, multimodality, and AI agents—according to Gartner Inc.

Those functions will redefine how procurement operates and significantly impact the agendas of chief procurement officers (CPOs). And 72% of procurement leaders are already prioritizing the integration of GenAI into their strategies, thus highlighting the recognition of its potential to drive significant improvements in efficiency and effectiveness, Gartner found in a survey conducted in July, 2024, with 258 global respondents.

Keep ReadingShow less
A photo of brown paper packages tied up with shiny red ribbons.

SMEs hopeful ahead of holiday peak

Businesses are cautiously optimistic as peak holiday shipping season draws near, with many anticipating year-over-year sales increases as they continue to battle challenging supply chain conditions.

That’s according to the DHL 2024 Peak Season Shipping Survey, released today by express shipping service provider DHL Express U.S. The company surveyed small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to gauge their holiday business outlook compared to last year and found that a mix of optimism and “strategic caution” prevail ahead of this year’s peak.

Keep ReadingShow less