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Distribution centers are arguably the backbone of supply chain operations. This rings true to Will Quinn, Supply Chain leader and Global Director of Strategy, Infor WMS. “Experienced distribution professionals understand that leadership in this context is about managing teams and setting the tone for a culture of continuous improvement and teamwork,” he states. Quinn shares an article on trainingmag.com highlighting the most effective leadership principles, strategies, and best practices that can transform distribution center operations into well-oiled machines.

1. Lead by example. “Leaders should be visible on the floor, working alongside their teams and demonstrating the behaviors they expect from their employees. Walking the floor to see your people’s challenges shows you care about them vs. hiding in your office. This instills a sense of teamwork and fosters respect and trust between leaders and their teams.”
2. Foster a culture of continuous improvement.  “Encourage your team to think critically about processes and operations; empower them to suggest and implement improvements. Embrace a culture where change is seen as an opportunity for growth, not a disruption.”
3. Invest in employee development and future leaders. “Mentorship and leadership development help groom talented employees for greater responsibility.”
4. Prioritize safety. “Regular safety training and establishing a safety-first culture are essential.”
5. Set clear expectations and goals. “When everyone understands what they are working toward, measuring progress and ensuring alignment with organizational objectives becomes easier.”
6. Data-driven decision-making. “Use key performance indicators (KPIs) to track performance and identify improvement areas. Data-driven insights enable leaders to optimize operations and allocate resources efficiently. Moving your ERP to the cloud is a significant first step in harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to facilitate data-driven decision-making. Although you might not possess the authority to alter your ERP system, you can maximize its capabilities. In my experience, ERP systems often go underutilized because users typically receive insufficient training on their diverse functions. Invest time exploring the various menus and functionalities to discover how to fully leverage its potential.”
7. Encourage teamwork and collaboration. “Encourage cooperation between different functional areas to eliminate silos and promote a holistic view of operations. Cross-functional teams can help identify and resolve issues more effectively.”
8. Recognize and reward achievements. “Acknowledge and celebrate outstanding performance with awards, bonuses, and public acknowledgments. This fosters a positive and motivated work environment.”
9. Adaptability and flexibility. “Distribution centers often face unexpected challenges, such as surges in demand or supply chain disruptions. Influential leaders can quickly pivot to address changing circumstances. Encourage your team to be flexible in their approach to problem-solving. Build your schedule to reflect normal fluctuations.”
10. Lead with empathy. “A leader truly cares about their people and leads with empathy. They understand their team members’ challenges and are there to support and guide them. Taking the time to listen and empathize with your employees builds trust and loyalty.”

Quinn concludes that effective leadership in distribution centers goes beyond managing operations and involves creating a culture of continuous improvement, fostering teamwork, and prioritizing employee development and safety. “By adhering to these key principles and strategies, distribution professionals can enhance their facilities’ efficiency, accuracy, and overall success.”

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Infor was listed as the only vendor named as a Leader in all four of the following IDC MarketScape reports – IDC MarketScape: Asia/Pacific SaaS and Cloud-Enabled SMB/Midmarket Segment ERP 2024 Vendor Assessment; IDC MarketScape: Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Small Business ERP Applications 2024 Vendor Assessment; IDC MarketScape: Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Large Enterprise ERP 2023–2024 Vendor Assessment; and IDC MarketScape: Worldwide SaaS and Cloud-Enabled Medium-Sized Business ERP Applications 2024 Vendor Assessment. Per the press release, the IDC MarketScape reports evaluate vendors based on a comprehensive and rigorous framework relative to the criteria and one another, and key strategy criteria included both qualitative and quantitative data resulting in a single graphical illustration of each vendor’s position within a given market. Infor was recognized for its cloud-platform, its ability to scale, and overall industry expertise. Mickey North Rizza, group VP, IDC’s Enterprise Software, said “The digital world has reshaped businesses’ of all sizes focus on moving to the cloud to improve their speed, scale, agility, market share, and competitive advantage. This requires adapting new ERP technologies that enable speed and scale by reducing process steps and clicks, automating every workflow possible, embedding finance to collect and make payments, and helping improve overall decision velocity.” Further, Infor cloud ERP solutions deliver industry-specific capabilities without extensive customizations or integrations by combining the Infor cloud platform built on infrastructure services from Amazon Web Services® (AWS®) and Infor OS. By migrating critical business applications to the cloud, organizations experience automatic upgrades that deliver the latest advances in enterprise functionality.

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In today’s ever-growing digital landscape it is imperative that businesses equip themselves with the essential tools and insights that can help navigate the complex terrain of digital transformation. Ekaterina Dudakova, News Analyst at ERP Today, shares an article that explores these opportunities through a session with Thomas Iseler, global strategic partnerships advisor at Data Migration International (DMI), about his views on the transformation possibilities in retrospect of the SAP Adoption Catalyst event held in the spring of this year. When asked about the key takeaway customers should note from the Catalyst event, Iseler focused specifically on data. Oftentimes, Dudakova notes, customers tend to not think about data as first and foremost matter, but rather leave it as a “difficult and painful” topic that “you deal with when you have to”. Iseler explained that this tends to happen because of how much is at stake when it comes to dealing with data: downtime planning is a topic that is seen as particularly difficult because it involves business interruption with users deciding which data they want. He adds, “During that process, it is common that ‘you will never get a straight answer. It will change five million times and it’s probably always more data than [end users] really need'”. There is a different approach to this where DMI unveiled at the Catalyst event the JiVS Information Management Platform (JiVS IMP) – an SAP-certified solution for S/4HANA migration, aimed to help companies halve their migration workloads, slash operating costs and bolster security measures. At the event, it was explained that JiVS IMP is an end-to-end information management platform that ‘divides and conquers’ customers’ data, separating operational and historical data to reduce the burden on the live systems. “The platform cleans, sorts and refines the data to preserve its quality,” adds Iseler “This way, the historical data and documents are stored in JiVS IMP and can be accessed from both inside and outside SAP. Moreover, Dudakova states that as the cloud gradually overtakes ERP (enterprise resource planning) technology, it is vital to consider how digital transformation will affect your data. “With a solution like DMI’s JiVS IMP,” she concludes, “you can be confident that your data will be stored safely and your cloud migration journey is smooth and efficient.”

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