Paul Brody

Blockchain technology will transform how supply chains operate, as they will enable enterprises and ecosystems to collaborate at a global level, shifting the approach from point to point communications and integration. The result will be much more reliable information, better forecasts, lower inventories and higher performance.

Most enterprises have traditionally operated as top-down-driven, centrally planned economies. Increasingly, however, a new wave of start-ups are basing their approach more around managed marketplaces that deliver services efficiently and cost effectively, often in a very disruptive manner, by using existing assets.

The B2C use cases were implemented for the Autonomous Decentralized Peer-to-Peer Telemetry (ADEPT) proof-of-concept (PoC) in the second phase of the 2014 IBM Internet of Things Study.

The internet of things won't just provide opportunities for management and control, it will allow companies and individuals to monetize their assets in ways that were not possible previously. The result will be a world of transparent, digital markets in all kinds of assets and services.

The Internet of Things represents a huge opportunity for productivity gains and economic growth, if we can manage the complexity, risk, and cost of managing so many connected devices. We look at what's going wrong with early efforts and how a new approach, one that distributes intelligence and power throughout the network of devices, almost democratically, could turn things around.

Thanks to the growth of 3D printing, intelligent robots, and open-source hardware, tomorrow’s supply chains will be faster, smaller, cheaper, and local.

The historical rules hardened by a century of experience are being overturned by three emerging technologies: 3D printing, intelligent robotics and open source electronics. Together, they are creating a manufacturing environment that can be defined and executed through managing software and data files – a transformation we describe as moving from a hardware-based supply chain to one that is “software-defined.”


To understand how the competitive landscape of the Electronics industry… Show more

The historical rules hardened by a century of experience are being overturned by three emerging technologies: 3D printing, intelligent robotics and open source electronics. Together, they are creating a manufacturing environment that can be defined and executed through managing software and data files – a transformation we describe as moving from a hardware-based supply chain to one that is “software-defined.”


To understand how the competitive landscape of the Electronics industry will change and how these technologies will impact real-world, financially driven enterprise investment decisions, we conducted the 2013 IBM Electronics Manufacturing Study. The study is comprised of two primary research components: a face-to-face survey of 55 executives in 10 countries and a quantitative model to measure the effects of ongoing industry changes.
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The historical rules hardened by a century of experience are being overturned by three emerging technologies: 3D printing, intelligent robotics and open source electronics. Together, they are creating a manufacturing environment that can be defined and executed through managing software and data files – a transformation we describe as moving from a hardware-based supply chain to one that is “software-defined.”


To understand how the competitive landscape of the Electronics industry… Show more

The historical rules hardened by a century of experience are being overturned by three emerging technologies: 3D printing, intelligent robotics and open source electronics. Together, they are creating a manufacturing environment that can be defined and executed through managing software and data files – a transformation we describe as moving from a hardware-based supply chain to one that is “software-defined.”


To understand how the competitive landscape of the Electronics industry will change and how these technologies will impact real-world, financially driven enterprise investment decisions, we conducted the 2013 IBM Electronics Manufacturing Study. The study is comprised of two primary research components: a face-to-face survey of 55 executives in 10 countries and a quantitative model to measure the effects of ongoing industry changes.
Show less

From the Siemens Global Innovation Summit in Phoenix, a look at how manufacturing transformation is changing the traditional rules of product design and development.

A look at how companies can use Intellectual Property creation such as copyright, patent, and trade secrets, for strategic advantage.

Presentation and speaker notes from my address to the global solar industry forum in Hamburg, Germany.

We offer 12 suggestions for how companies can make their supply chains “greener,” more efficient and more cost effective. These apply to virtually any industry – electronics, food and beverage, retail, industrial, consumer packaged goods, etc.

There are many opportunities to make supply chains green. The trick is figuring out how to define a green strategy, integrate ideas, and balance tradeoffs. Here are 12 ideas that are especially relevant to managers of supply chains for elec- tronic and high-technology products.

Electronics companies face short product lifecycles, commoditization, intense competition, fast-changing demand and brand erosion. Traditionally, the standard response has been to single-handedly rush innovations into the marketplace and hope they catch on. Producing profitable and sustainable growth, however, requires a radically different approach.

The reeling financial markets are challenging global business leaders to aggressively rethink their strategies. Across the electronics industry, effects are likely to be quite different, reflecting the enormous diversity of the industry itself. From consumer electronics to medical devices, industry sub-segments will have to respond – each in its own way – to lower consumer spending and stricter access to capital.

S&OP is typical of the challenges that enterprises face today in integrating their business processes across numerous partners and then accelerating performance of those activities. Bringing product today is an extremely collaborative activity – within the enterprise and across enterprise boundaries. The information required to run these processes smoothly resides in multiple IT systems spread across firewalls and with incompatible standards of information. Service Oriented Architecture is a… Show more

S&OP is typical of the challenges that enterprises face today in integrating their business processes across numerous partners and then accelerating performance of those activities. Bringing product today is an extremely collaborative activity – within the enterprise and across enterprise boundaries. The information required to run these processes smoothly resides in multiple IT systems spread across firewalls and with incompatible standards of information. Service Oriented Architecture is a framework and set of tools that, when applied correctly, can be used to simplify the process of integration and help enterprises focus on managing the business process, not the mechanics of integration. Show less

As the IoT scales exponentially, decentralized networks have the potential to reduce infrastructure and maintenance costs to manufacturers. Decentralization also promises increased robustness by removing single points of failure that could exist in traditional centralized networks. By shifting the power in the network from the center to the edges, devices gain greater autonomy and can become points of transaction and economic value creation for owners and users.

Consumer electronics and office equipment companies must react quickly to volatile supply and demand conditions. Rapid changes in technology compress product lifecycles. Many products last less than a year, with production cycles of only three months. Consumers have their pick of a large variety of new and existing products that are being aggres- sively marketed. It’s difficult to predict what they will choose to buy. Frequent retailer and manufacturer promotions disrupt buying patterns and put… Show more

Consumer electronics and office equipment companies must react quickly to volatile supply and demand conditions. Rapid changes in technology compress product lifecycles. Many products last less than a year, with production cycles of only three months. Consumers have their pick of a large variety of new and existing products that are being aggres- sively marketed. It’s difficult to predict what they will choose to buy. Frequent retailer and manufacturer promotions disrupt buying patterns and put downward pressure on prices. Poor forecast accuracy can lead to excess inventory or write-offs. Or it can lead to stock-outs, resulting in lost sales and poor customer service. Adding to the uncertainty is accelerating growth in the Asia-Pacific region. This growth extends and strains supply chains, which can affect delivery reliability and increase risks.

To achieve success in this kind of environment, all members of the supply chain need visibility into current and future events, along with the means to work together to solve problems and deal with delivery constraints as they arise. Therefore, it’s not surprising that retailers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been cooperating for years on programs such as vendor-managed inventory (VMI) and Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR). Show less

In the electronics industry, technology is largely at parity – offerings from electronics companies are similar in general, and every innovation in features or functions that is introduced can be copied quickly. In addition, model supply chains have become tightly linked and highly competitive. These factors have raised the stakes and eroded profit margins for electronics companies. How, then, can electronics companies gain a competitive edge in today’s marketplace?

Intense competition, rapidly declining prices, unpredictable customer demand, and constrained material supplies are facts of life in the global electronics supply chain. The pursuit of higher prices and margins leads to a continuous stream of new products, each able to command a premium price for a short period of time before becoming commoditized. This challenging cycle is faced every day by IBM as well as hundreds of other companies operating in virtually every segment of the electronics… Show more

Intense competition, rapidly declining prices, unpredictable customer demand, and constrained material supplies are facts of life in the global electronics supply chain. The pursuit of higher prices and margins leads to a continuous stream of new products, each able to command a premium price for a short period of time before becoming commoditized. This challenging cycle is faced every day by IBM as well as hundreds of other companies operating in virtually every segment of the electronics industry. Show less

IT’S HARDLY SURPRISING that big companies are attracted to the venture capital (VC) model for new business development. Its track record is enviable: the industry as a whole outperformed the S&P 500 in five of the past six years, and US venture-backed companies have raised more than $40 billion in initial public oƒferings since 1990. Moreover, the model tempts management with the prospect of improved access to business innovation, better retention of entrepreneurial talent, and greater growth… Show more

IT’S HARDLY SURPRISING that big companies are attracted to the venture capital (VC) model for new business development. Its track record is enviable: the industry as a whole outperformed the S&P 500 in five of the past six years, and US venture-backed companies have raised more than $40 billion in initial public oƒferings since 1990. Moreover, the model tempts management with the prospect of improved access to business innovation, better retention of entrepreneurial talent, and greater growth in demand for core products.

Yet more oƒten than not, big company attempts at applying the VC model produce disappointing results. Most find it diƒficult to establish the systems, capabilities, and cultures that make good VC firms successful. Even so, big companies can apply the VC model successfully with the right approach and expectations. Show less