Departmental news

Today’s publication of a new report by the Groceries Code Adjudicator has found that Tesco ‘seriously breached’ a legally-binding code to protect grocery producers. Tesco opted to prioritise their own finances over the equitable treatment of their suppliers.  

Tesco’s over-focus on operating margin is the potential root cause of many of the issues highlighted in the report. It demonstrates the danger of pursuing a financial metric in isolation. With UK boards (both Executive and Non-executive) dominated by leaders with financial and commercial backgrounds, it is not surprising that FTSE listed companies are biased towards financial measures and fail to understand the longer term impact on the broader supply chain. Of greater concern is the impact that such commercially biased leadership has on the culture of the whole organisation, and the broader industry. Suppliers in the broader retail sector express concern that the ‘Tesco-buyer’ phenomena is becoming increasingly prevalent and potentially undermining the supply chain.

WMG’s Professor of Operations and Supply Chain, Jan Godsell will be chairing The Manufacturing A Leader’s Conference (TMALC) from 25-26 November 2015 at the ICC in Birmingham. The prestigious two-day event will bring together leading figures from the community to discuss and debate the key issues in British manufacturing.

The conference will explore topics including circular economy, productivity and innovation. Professor Godsell will also be joined by WMG’s Dr Donato Masi who will be presenting ‘Adapting and Innovating Supply Chain.’ Other speakers include Callum Bentley, Editor at The Manufacturer, Barry Naisbitt from Santander, David Johnson from Meggitt and David Landsman from Tata.

Lasers, poetry, business figures, politicians and leading researchers will all feature in an inaugural Global Supply Chain Debate entitled ‘Putting the UK at the Heart of Global Supply Chains’ created and hosted by WMG, at the University of Warwick, on 10-11 November 2015.

The two day conference and debate will bring together senior professionals from a range of backgrounds to discuss and debate perspectives, and the role that the UK can play. The two-day conference will be a mixture of workshops, and scene setting covering topics including: ‘The Role of the Supply Chain in Enabling Next Generation Innovation’, ‘Insights from the Wright Review of UK Manufacturing Supply Chains’, and ‘The Strategic Importance of Supply Chains to Boeing.’

Professor Jan Godsell, of WMG at the University of Warwick, has been appointed to advise the UK government on manufacturing policy as a member of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skill’s (BIS) Manufacturing Advisory Group (MAG).

Commenting on the appointment Professor Godsell said:

I am delighted to join the Manufacturing Advisory Group . It is great to see that BIS recognise the importance of taking a broader supply chain perspective when considering the role of manufacturing as part of the global economy. We really need to ensure that the UK is at the heart of the network of global supply chains.”

Professor Lord Bhattacharyya said:

This is wonderful news for Professor Godsell who is one of the leading experts in supply chains. WMG has been advising companies and policy makers on manufacturing for many years and this appointment shows that we continue to be a leader in this area.”

The MAG meets throughout the year and comprises members of trade and employment organisations, including the Confederation of British Industry and the Trades Union Congress, as well as manufacturers, including Siemens, Mondelez and GKN.

Neil Carmichael MP has joined forces with Gloucestershire suppliers to launch a national research study at the Frocester George Inn which is playing a key role in the study.

The study led by researchers from WMG at the University of Warwick is examining the importance of supply chains. The research team chose the local Inn as a core part of the study because it uses so many local suppliers and is a perfect example of the chain reaction in the supply chain that occurs within the local economy when a new business flourishes.

In addition to serving local beers, the Frocester Inn sources many local ingredients for its menu, including local Cheese, meat products from Frocester Fayre and fruit and vegetables from Bramleys Cirencester. But their recent refurbishment has also benefited many other local businesses including phone contractors and builders, a local window cleaner and linen company.

Poor inventory management can increase costs and damage cash flows according to Geoff Relph and Catherine Milner, associate lecturers at WMG, and co-authors of a new book entitled Inventory Management.

Readers are taken through a step-by-step journey, enabling managers to take control of their inventory systems and ensure operations run smoothly; it examines how it should work and how to control and balance it, as well as focusing on KPIs that have been proven to significantly improve performance.

In addition the book features interesting case studies to illustrate best practice, looking at inventory management in diverse areas such as supermarkets and aerospace.

Inventory Management, published by Kogan Page, is available now from www.koganpage.com/inventory-management

Supermarket price war 'hitting food supply firms’: It doesn’t need to be like that

 There is an unfortunate inevitability that the difficulties faced by the supermarkets resulting in the increased intensity of the price war are being passed onto their suppliers. However, if the boards of the supermarkets were to truly understand the principles of good supply chain management they would realize that there was another, and better way. In the words of the 1980s band Erasure, It doesn’t need to be like that.

WMG, at the University of Warwick, is spearheading a national research study to highlight the crucial role supply chains play within the British economy.

As pressure mounts for the UK to hit its already downgraded 2015 GDP growth forecasts, the importance of maximising Britain’s industrial output has once again come into focus, with supply chains forming a fundamental part of this process.

The online study, which is being led by WMG Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Strategy, Janet Godsell, launches today, Tuesday 7^th July 2015, at www.mychainreaction.co.uk and has been designed to uncover our knowledge and understanding of what a supply chain is, and how we as individuals are an integral part of supply chains up and down the country.

WMG, at the University of Warwick and M-Aerotech have signed a memorandum of understanding in the area of supply chain industrialisation.

The collaboration will cover both research and education. The focus will be specifically on developing research opportunities, academic support programmes and training work placements. It will allow for both to work on new technologies to benefit the aerospace industry.

The MoU was signed at the Langkawi International Maritime and Air Defence Show.

The 2nd annual WMG Doctoral Research and Innovation Conference, entitled ‘Innovation through Collaboration’, is an excellent opportunity to showcase research from both academia and industry across themes in design, materials, manufacturing, systems and business transformation.

Organised by doctoral students, the conference will be held in the International Digital Laboratory on 30th June - 1st July, with an evening social event on the 30th.

Papers and poster presentations will take place across a wide variety of topics and awards will be presented in each theme.

Abstracts should be submitted online by 31st March.