Published Articles
Featured articles on logistics, supply chain management, and supply chain strategies
Control Towers are Getting Smarter… Much Smarter
While many supply chain control towers are little more than visibility tools, advanced control towers built on real-time networks include intelligent planning and autonomous execution systems with prescriptive analytics and autonomous agents. They provide a complete supply chain management system that embodies real-time visibility, decision making, and execution capabilities across the end-to-end supply chain.
Omnichannel is Everything – How the Pandemic has Made Direct-to-consumer a Priority and is Upending the Old Supply Chain Model
The events of 2020 demonstrated that to succeed, maximize resilience, and ensure business continuity, companies need to utilize every available channel – e-commerce, direct-to-consumer, retail stores, distributors, and marketplaces like Amazon. That way if one channel is disrupted, whether by natural or man-made causes, the show will go on. In this environment, enterprise and functional silos, coupled with batch processes, won’t do. Companies will need to rely even more on supply chain networks to consolidate demand across every channel, have a view into every point of supply, and to optimize and collaborate more effectively.
3 Tech Capabilities to Stay Competitive in the Next Normal
As businesses continue their march toward digitization, companies must deploy strategies that provide the right foundation to compete. A key component of success as a true digital champion is the ability to deliver the highest customer service levels at the least landed cost. Here are three vital tech capabilities to help you do just that.
Protein & Produce Food Networks Part II: Essential Capabilities to Achieve Resilience and Operational Readiness
Regardless of how accurate forecasting in the food supply chain is, variances and disruptions will occur. Thus, all members of the food supply chain must be able to respond in real time to these disruptions and use strategies like last minute allocation to best serve customers at the lowest possible cost.
Securing the Pharmaceutical Supply Chain with Full Traceability
Across nearly every industry, the inability to resolve product problems as they arise can cause a lack of trust with consumers that’s hard to rebuild. But none more so than in pharmaceuticals where patients’ lives are at risk, companies’ reputations and futures hang in the balance, and care providers can be negatively impacted.
Protein & Produce Food Networks Part I: Essential Capabilities to Maintaining Business Continuity
2020 has been a year like no other for food-related industries, fueled by shifts in demand and supply and dramatic (and likely) permanent changes in consumer behavior. What can we learn from this upheaval, and what steps can we take to fortify the food supply chain in the face of these and future challenges?
How AI/ML-Powered Prescriptive Analytics Turn the Supply Chain Network “Upside Down”
The old supply chain model of rigid process designs, business flows, and customizations, limits how you operate and what business outcomes you can target. This article explores a new model that let’s us define the targeted business outcomes that we want – perfect order with the right service levels at the lowest cost – then it determines the supply network business practices necessary to achieve optimal results.
New Resilience: How COVID-19 Delivered the Ultimate Stress Test for Pharma Supply Chains
A network-based approach to the healthcare supply chain not only improves resilience and supply chain performance, it also provides better patient care and lowers costs. Many time-consuming and tedious chores that occupy healthcare providers today, can be optimized and automated. This brings more precision to processes and frees up hospital staff and care providers to focus on their patients. All this is enabled through the strengthened collaboration and greater information sharing between hospitals and their suppliers.
How Modern Networks Help Move Life-Saving Supplies Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
Distributing drugs and medical supplies to meet demand is challenging under normal conditions, but can be even more difficult when there is a shortage of supplies. Whether distributing medical and pharmaceutical supplies during a pandemic such as COVID-19, or managing disaster relief services after a hurricane, adhering to mandates, securing the global supply chain and achieving resiliency has never been more critical.
Why Federated Networks are Key to Powering Today’s Global Supply Chains
Countries are increasingly flexing their regulatory muscles and controlling the way data is collected and used within their borders. This has led to variations in regulations across regions that cover security, privacy, and trade, all of which impact the global supply chain. Some countries even have the ability to shut off internet access to and from the outside world. This means if you’re operating in one of these countries, you’d better have a contingency plan to deal with such a scenario.
The Dual-Platform Approach with Joe Bellini COO of One Network
Joe Bellini, COO at One Network Enterprises, Harvard grad and author, shares his insight on topics ranging from the future of global business networks, dual platform strategies and the entrepreneurial culture at One Network. He is featured in “Leader in Supply Chains” from Alcott Global.
How to Optimize a Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) Supply Chain
With retail storefronts under siege, strengthening the direct-to-consumer channel has never been more important for manufacturers and suppliers. This article explains how companies can capitalize on shifts in consumer behavior and enable more agile and resilient supply chains that adapt and deliver high customer service levels at the lowest possible cost.
Intelligent Digital Ecosystems: How to Digitize Your Supply Network
Global trade networks are cracking under the pressure of recent changes and events. Meeting heightened consumer expectations driven through omnichannel demand while dealing with the complexities of both national and global trade networks requires the application of new and emerging technologies to optimize business processes and operations.
Improving Customer-Service Levels at the Shelf
The lack of visibility and control is thwarting organizations’ ability to make effective decisions and improve target metrics. Companies are looking to overcome this deficit with the help of new techniques and advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence.
Digitizing the Food Supply Network to Improve Freshness, Customer Experience, Security
New technologies such as artificial intelligence and digital consumer-driven supply chains address critical problems that have plagued food manufacturing and delivery for decades. The food supply chain in particular, has one of the greatest opportunities to digitize. By moving away from manual and highly insular processes and connecting the various constituents on a single digital “network,” all parties can significantly improve customer service levels and secure and speed up the food supply chain from farm to table.
Digitizing the Partner Ecosystem with Autonomous Agents
We all experience various levels of automation in our everyday lives. However, automating supply network processes and related decision-making across the partner ecosystem has been difficult to achieve. That is, until modern technologies came along and changed the game. Digitization of the supply chain network combined with AI technologies are delivering the foundation required to enable autonomous agents — which can deliver tremendous value when operating automatically across the ecosystem of suppliers, customers, transportation providers, and extended enterprises. Let’s look at how companies can do this.
How Vibrant Network Ecosystems are Turning Supply Chains Into Competitive Weapons
Companies valiantly attempt to connect and synchronize their supply chain data, but that itself is problematic. The typical EDI-dependent connections are high latency and susceptible to errors. Ironically, as data has become more central to business, its quality has not improved, and in many cases has deteriorated. Companies struggle to get a handle on this data and to manage the critical data that they need to share with partners
Enhancing Quality and Security in Product Traceability
Whether the issue involves counterfeit medicines with life-threatening consequences, or a tainted ingredient that causes an outbreak of foodborne illness, when a crisis hits, companies must react quickly to determine the source of the problem, and pull the affected product from the supply chain.
One Network and NCMS Accelerate U.S. Air Force Logistics and Acquisitions
The Logistics Information Technology Innovation Team’s results were supported through a partnership with One Network (ONE), a global provider of a multi-party digital network platform and services, under NCMS’ Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program. The NCMS charter and business model is tailor-made to help the Air Force evaluate innovative technologies that can provide transformational change more efficiently, with less risk, and at a lower cost.
Securing the Food Supply Chain: Achieving Traceability and Chain-of-Custody to Minimize Risk
Multi-party networks make recalls more palatable by enabling everyone in the supply chain network to share relevant information in real time and avoid the devastating effects they can have on their customers, brand, and the economy.
Time to Re-Think Supply Chain Architecture
Digital technology has become a true disruptor of the historical processes used for supply chain decision-making and value generation. The technology to enable a network-based approach to planning and execution around demand, supply, logistics, and fulfillment has moved past the early adopter phase and is now becoming mainstream for organizations looking to generate untapped value from their trading partners and processes.
Sustainability: The Contribution of Global Supply Chain Managers
Enterprises around the world are under enormous pressure from stakeholders to become more green – reduce emissions, eliminate waste, and increase sustainability. With shareholders, customers, employees and community leaders saying, “Prove to me exactly what you’re doing to reduce your impact,” the issue of sustainability is having a real effect on buying decisions, brand perception, and shareholder value.
Trade Wars and Warehousing: Repositioning Supply Chains for Success
It’s almost impossible to keep up with trade war news today – whether it’s U.S.-China, UK’s Brexit, EU vs Tech Giants, or anyone of the 101 international trade dispute cases filed with the WTO since 2015. Trade disputes cause havoc with global supply networks, affecting both supply and demand, as well as logistics providers who move the goods. Here is what companies can do to reduce the effects of trade wars, manage the volatility of markets, and position themselves for agility and innovation in the face of uncertainty…
Business Networks Versus Control Towers: Antagonists or Allies?
While industry analysts are hailing multi-party business networks as the greatest innovation in supply chains, control towers continue to be embraced by analysts and companies alike. Which one do you really need, and which will provide the most value? You may be surprised at the answer.
One Network Ramping Sales as Uber-like Network Gets Traction
The software company is ramping up hiring and bolstering sales amid surging demand for its tech, according to Joe Bellini, the company’s Chief Operating Officer.
Dana Implements One Network’s Cutting-Edge Logistics Systems
Global powertrain supplier Dana gained full visibility into its supply chain after implementing the One Network platform.
Beyond Digital Transformation: Creating a Platform for Innovation
A digital transformation is not about incremental improvements achieved through kaizen or Lean practices or widespread cost cutting. It’s also not simply a new initiative around exploring or implementing a contemporary technology like artificial intelligence (AI), the internet of things (IoT) or blockchain.
Mobilizing Your Business for Tough Times and Global Commerce
How to make sure your supply chain is agile and resilient for today’s challenges, while ready for Industry 4.0 and tomorrow’s emerging technologies. A multi-party network platform connects all trading partners to a single network with a single connection. It provides one, trusted version of the truth for all trading partners, and enables data to flow freely and in real-time, eliminating information lag and reducing both supply and demand variability.
DMS? Yes! How Dana Manages Freight Faster and Smarter with One Network’s Intelligent Logistics System
A growing number of companies are discovering the benefits of implementing demand management solutions (DMS). DMS endeavors to reach beyond traditional forecasting to sense demand in real time, enabling nimble adjustments of purchases and inventories, thereby lowering costs.
How Network Control Towers Create Value Throughout the Supply Chain
Supply chain control towers have been around for a few years now and enthusiasm for them remains high. Largely because they promise enormous value and are ambitious and challenging undertaking not easily achieved in today’s supply chains.
Chemonics and One Network Partner to Support the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program
Chemonics International and One Network Enterprises are partnering together to promote and safeguard the timely and safe delivery of health medicines and commodities throughout Nigeria.
Streamlining Global Trade: How to Mitigate Tariffs and Trade Wars with Your Supply Chain
We hardly need reminding of the global challenges facing companies today, from increased competition from low cost foreign competitors, to tariffs and changing regulations. As if that weren’t challenging enough, there is the need to keep abreast of technology innovations such as digital business networks, artificial intelligence and blockchain, that are giving startups the opportunity to leapfrog more traditional and mature companies.
6 Constraints of AI in the Supply Chain: How to Achieve Full Value from AI
Artificial intelligence has the potential to radically change just about everything for the better. Its impact is likely to match that of electricity and other general-purpose technologies that have enriched our lives. Early signs of its impact are already emerging in test cases with autonomous vehicles, including ships and planes, and the benefits go well beyond reduced manpower.
Industry 4.0: Why Manufacturers Need to Keep Their Eye on the Long Game
An industrial revolution is a fundamental shift in the way industry works that forever changes the way manufacturing is done. However, besieged by bright shiny objects of Industry 4.0, manufacturers should focus on long term goals instead of being swept up by the abundance of new technologies, such as cloud, big data, IoT, mobile, location, additive manufacturing, edge computing, miniaturization, augmented and virtual reality, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and robotics.
Brexit, Global Trade and the Digital Transformation of the Supply Chain
On June 23, 2016 the United Kingdom voted in a referendum to leave the European Union (EU), with the official departure set for Friday March 29, 2019 at 11 p.m. What businesses will wake up to on March 30 is unclear at this time, yet many are worried as they prepare, and they are right to be concerned.
Driving Supply Chain Transformation
Globally, the automotive and manufacturing segments have seen record-setting profits over the past decade. Gradually, the source of those profits has been shifting from Europe, North America, and Japan to emerging markets in the rest of the world, which means production and supply patterns are shifting too.
Tackling Trust in Machine Learning and Neural Networks
Issues of explainability, interpretability, and regulatory compliance all share one thing in common: they contribute to a marked distrust of advanced machine learning and neural networks. Although it’s not always easy to understand the various weights and measures that determine the outcomes of these predictive artificial intelligence models, the actions based on their results are usually perfectly clear.
Optimizing the Modern Supply Chain Enterprise with a Control Tower for CFOs
Today’s modern organization has critical links that comprise a complex ecosystem. It’s made up of customers, partners, employees, connected factories, vehicles, and devices. In fact, most of the value and data a company needs to function effectively lies outside its four walls.
Avoid These 5 Things That Might Slow Down Your Supply Chain Shipment
Supply chain management is supposed to deliver flexibility, efficiency and, above all, speed. Accomplishing those objectives and related goals for global supply chains is a matter of getting things right and, equally important, not doing things wrong. (One Network Enterprises quoted in article)
Fighting Counterfeit Products in the Supply Chain
As pharmaceutical and food supply chains become more global, the risk of fraud, substitution, and counterfeiting increases. Consumers are demanding more transparency and safety adherence as these issues arise.
Using Multi-Party Networks to Conquer Pharmaceutical Challenges
Pharmaceutical companies provide vital products to protect and enrich our lives, but manufacturing and supply chain issues can lead to unnecessary escalation of costs, quality issues and product shortages. If the lapse is serious enough, it can also lead to the distribution of expired, substandard, and counterfeit medicines that threaten the health and lives of patients.
How Modern Networks are Supporting Humanitarian Aid and Disaster Recovery
Ensuring how lifesaving medicines and supplies are distributed is challenging, especially when it involves moving supplies in a hurry. Whether overseeing how disaster relief services are distributed in a time of crisis or to secure the medical supply chain to help eliminate counterfeit drugs, locking lock down the global supply chain and achieving transparency has never been more critical.
Blockchain 2.0: Ready for Business
The lure of blockchain is irresistible to many companies, especially those entangled in complex relationships and transactions with other organizations. These companies see possible salvation in blockchain’s single, authoritative record of the truth, and nowhere is this more evident than in the supply chain.
Unlocking the Power of Blockchain 2.0 in Logistics
Out with the old and in with the new: new hybrid, blockchain-enabled, multi-party networks are poised to revolutionize logistics.
Data and Disaster: What Businesses Can Learn from Flight 32
In any industry…in any situation, data overload – especially if it involves undifferentiated data – quickly becomes unmanageable, impossible to use, and often a distraction that can severely impact outcomes. Remember Quantas Flight 32?
Sixth Sense: The evolution of Digital Business Networks
We are at a unique time in history, experiencing an explosion of new technologies, from Artificial Intelligence (AI) to the Internet of Things (IoT), quantum computing to stem cell therapies. It’s an exciting time with almost unimaginable potential to enhance products, lower costs, and improve our health and productivity with AI and automation.
Leveraging Data to Support Your Supply Chain: What to Watch For in 2019
There are interesting shifts and trends in the market as organizations grapple with the abundance of data at their disposal. This year we saw the growth and maturation of various technologies designed to help businesses harvest useful information from all relevant sources. Enterprises had to make sure that data was available to other processes so it could derive business insights. As we prepare for the coming year, we anticipate this trend to continue particularly in the following areas.
Blockchain Remains Relevant
With several companies involved in pilot programs, the next stage of blockchain technology rests on trust.
Cooking Up Profits: How a Healthy Supply Chain Can Improve Customer Satisfaction, Reduce Costs and Mitigate Risk
According to 2017 figures from the National Restaurant Association, roughly more than one million restaurants across the country ring up $799 billion in sales each year, so it goes without saying that creating a niche helps these establishments stay competitive.
Supply Chain Visibility and Transparency: How Everybody Wins
Supply chain transparency is rapidly becoming a priority as many enterprises realize the advantages of having and sharing certain information with trading partners and consumers. By increasing supply chain transparency, companies can connect with consumers, build trust, achieve better visibility to all parts of the supply chain to drive improvements, and react faster and more effectively when problems occur.
Blockchain Will Revolutionize the Medical Industry – Here’s How
Going to the doctor’s can be a real pain. Unless you’re fortunate enough to live in one of those Scandinavian countries where everything just works, for most of us, a trip to the doctor is a never-ending cycle of bureaucratic misery. Trying to get an appointment, verifying insurance, searching for medical records. If even the thought of it makes your stomach tighten in knots, take heart… Blockchain will revolutionize the medical industry soon enough.
How to Avoid Supply Chain Control Tower Failures
Supply chain control towers can offer significant benefits to companies by extending visibility and control beyond the enterprise, and enabling advanced analytics, real-time collaboration, and sophisticated optimization. However, many control towers do not reach their full potential as they are built on antiquated foundations.
Will Blockchain Breathe New Life Into Legacy Systems?
ERP and legacy systems have been around for decades, since the 1990s, with roots that go back even earlier. While the internet has taken off and changed the way consumers buy, many companies remain rooted in enterprise systems that reside within the enterprise. Cloud-based systems offer many advantages, and yet enterprise systems still endure.
Commentary: How LSPs are driving profits through digital transformation
To effectively serve today’s complex, fast-moving supply chains, logistics service providers must be able to immediately react to shifts in supply and demand. Multiparty, cloud-based networks that provide a real-time, single version of the truth across the extended supply chain are helping them do that.
Optimizing Port Throughput
Hyper-connection has fueled the growth of commerce around the world. Our ports serve as gateways for those goods, speeding or impeding their passage from source to customer.
10 Reasons to Consider a TMS
Why do you need a Transport Management System? Instant gratification is embedded in the psyche of today’s consumer. Whatever it is that the consumer wants, he wants it to be in stock, and he wants it now.
Triple Threat to Retail: Time to Close the Innovation Gap
Traditional retailers are under tremendous pressure from online and other forces. But how bad is it? And what can retailers do to remain competitive?
Veteran’s Freedom Retreat to Hold Fourth Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome Program for North Texas Veterans
The Veteran’s Freedom Retreat (VFR), a unique 501c3 program that addresses the unmet needs of Veterans and their significant others suffering from the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), today announced that it has scheduled a fourth retreat for the North Texas area on March 11-18, 2018 at the Coyote Ranch resort in Wichita Falls.
Three steps the Pentagon can follow to move away from legacy applications
Although every industry and service arm have their own way of doing business, there are underlying commonalities among them. The government is no different. For large organizations then, it is good architectural practice to put common capabilities in a module that can be used and re-used by the entire ecosystem of users and development partners.
How multi-party platforms could solve some of the Pentagon’s IT troubles
In 2011, after a lengthy and in-depth review of technology projects in the Department of Defense, the Institute for Defense Analyses reported, “DoD had invested over $5.8 billion in ERPs (Enterprise Resource Planning) and will invest additional billions before the ERPs are fully implemented. Most of these programs are over budget, behind schedule, and have not met performance expectations.”
Dining In Is The New Dining Out!
Not too long ago, the only meal most people could get delivered was pizza. But today, consumers in major metropolitan markets can get anything from sushi to pierogies delivered to their home or workplace.
Permissibility in a Platform for NMMES-TR and the Department of Defense
David Stephens discusses the power of multi-party Permissibility in the context of the Navy Maritime Maintenance Enterprise Systems Technical Refresh (NMMES-TR). What is Permissibility and why is it so vital in platform for the Dept of Defense?
How Blockchains Can Revolutionize the Supply Chain
Ranjit Notani, One Network’s co-founder and CTO, looks at the potential of Blockchain to radically transform how supply chains are managed, and how we can address the one major weakness Blockchain has.
The Autonomous and Self-Learning Supply Chain
One Network’s Adeel Najmi on how AI is heralding the next frontier of Supply Chain Control Towers.
How Digital Cloud Networks are Fueling Supply Chain
In Industry Today, One Network’s Rob Choy explains how companies are driving supply chain efficiencies with digital network.
8 Fundamentals for Achieving AI Success in Supply Chain
Why do so many AI implementations in supply chain deliver such disappointing results? Greg Brady, One Network founder and CEO, explains the (often missing) building blocks that underlie a successful AI implementation.
How to Beat Amazon by Digitizing Your Supply Chain
Amazon is coming after retailers business. Stuck on low margins and outdated business models, their only chance to survive resides in implementing two strategies swiftly and decisively…
What Retailers Need to Know to Create a Consumer-Driven Supply Network
The “old model” of supply chain involves connecting companies one-to-one many times over in order to transact business across your supply network — with all companies in the network replicating their own internal demand and supply processes, and getting them connected via EDI or worse, emails and spreadsheets. This outdated model promotes delays, inaccuracies and inefficiencies across the supply chain, and makes it structurally difficult to improve performance in terms of cost, velocity and transparency. Bernard Goor explains a better way…
Why Grocery Retailers Need to Digitize Now
One Network’s Bernard Goor writes in Inbound Logistics magazine about the urgent need for Grocery retailers to digitize their supply chains, or face the possibility of losing market share, or worse.
Disrupting E-Commerce: How Digital Networks Are Creating A Better Consumer Experience
The rise of e-commerce and the popularity of smart devices, has shifted the balance of power away from retailers and brands and put the consumer squarely on top. One Network CEO, Greg Brady, explains how companies can use digital networks to provide a superior customer experience.
Anglicotech and One Network Work with US Marine Corps
This NCMS article discusses some of the work that One Network Enterprises is doing with the US Marine Corps.
Automotive Logistics: Making a Success of Collaboration
Greg Brady, One Network CEO, explains Why collaboration is better achieved with a cloud-based network platform than a legacy ERP system.
Fixing the Fractured Restaurant Supply Chain
How digital business networks help restaurants and suppliers become more consumer-driven, reduce waste and boost margin.
Beyond ERP: Three Trends Transforming Enterprise Business Systems
There is a paradigm shift underway in enterprise software that is impacting companies in every industry. Fueled by technical advancements in cloud computing, the Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data and machine learning, there are three trends that are profoundly reshaping how enterprise software is developed, delivered and consumed.
Wireless Disruptor Distinguishes Itself with Supply Chain Innovation
Alan Pendleton said the RTVN brings together all the necessary parties, including Republic Wireless, its suppliers, third-party logistics providers, and parcel carriers to orchestrate inbound supply and e-commerce. “Our team is not manually entering and executing transactions,” he said. “We want them to be strategic thinkers, decision makers, negotiators and ultimately advocates of the customer experience.”
A Recipe for Digital Transformation Success: How to Apply a Fresh Approach to the Restaurant Supply Chain
Just as ride-share network companies such as Uber have disrupted the taxi industry, new multi-party cloud network platforms are helping disrupt the fine and casual dining industry. New multi-party cloud computing platforms enable completely new models that address the growing number of supply chain challenges…
One Network – Air Force, NCMS and Industry Collaborate on Next Generation Expeditionary Logistics Systems
One Network’s logistics application, along with the concept of operations, and agile strategy, were described by Department of Defense (DoD) leadership as “equivalent to the laser guided munitions in its importance to logistics IT – if demonstrated to be feasible.”
Dana Achieves Double-Digit savings and More
TechTarget: How Drivetrain systems manufacturer Dana Inc. gained inventory visibility and supply chain efficiency with One Network’s cloud-based supply chain management system.
How Business-Centric Social apps Will Transform Business
CIOReview.com: One Network’s CTO Ranjit Notani explains how a new breed of social apps for the enterprise are poised to overhaul the way we do business, improving collaboration, speeding up new partnerships and enhancing business performance.
SandHill.com: How Network Platforms Are Disrupting ERP and Supply Chains
Sand Hill interviews ONE CEO Greg Brady on how network platform solutions deliver greater value and slash the total cost of ownership…
Using IoT to Optimize Fleet Management
IoT technology is a critical component to reducing over-all delivery and supply management expenses as it can be combined with other technologies to help improve important dimensions of handling and servicing fleets. One Network’s Geoff Annesley provides an illuminating case study into IoT done right.
Break Away from Antiquated Supply Chains
One Network’s Adeel Najmi argues in Supply Chain Brain, that our thinking about “supply chains” is holding us back from realizing considerable gains in supply chain performance.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices – Product Leadership Award 2016
Frost & Sullivan awards One Network the Best Practices – Product Leadership award – read Frost & Sullivan’s analysis of what sets One Network apart.
Boosting Supply Chain Productivity
Greg Brady, CEO of One Network based in Dallas, offers three things executives can do to find hidden opportunities…
Inventory Replenishment: Why Push When You Can Pull?
Today‘s supply chains are undergoing significant pressures to become more demand-driven. Retailers, distributors, and manufacturers must choose the approach they hope will make the most profit. Should you produce goods according to demand forecasts, or by reacting to what consumers already bought?