According to Burton White (Vice President of the Industry Supply Chains at Chainalytics), for retailers and e-commerce firms, developing an effective and efficient supply chain strategy is challenging. To make last-mile delivery as their core supply chain strategy, they have to provide right inventory at the right time at the right place in the right form.
Some tips to be considered while developing a supply chain strategy are:

• Never lose sight of what actually matters to the customer
• Explore innovative approaches, like to bundle product shipments.
• Explore non-traditional distribution capabilities.
• Optimize transportation solutions to meet last-mile demands.
• Consider the inventory’s form, function and placement within your supply chain.
• Focus on returns management efficiency.

Read more at: http://www.industryweek.com/last-mile

According to Larry Fast (president of Pathways to Manufacturing Excellence), inventory remains a key area where we want to improve processes and eliminate waste. In the manufacturing industry, we basically have three types of inventory (raw material, WIP and finished goods). If we have an excess inventory it means that processing issues are hidden. CI (continuous improvement) strategy in an organization generally reduces their average cycle time by 70.4%, reduce scrap by 50%. Read more at: http://www.industryweek.com/ask-expert-lean-leadership/are-you-overlooking-inventory-focus-process-improvement-and-waste-reducti