George Lawrie

VP, Principal Analyst

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Blog

Manufacturers Use Emerging Technologies To Find A Mix Of Factory Locations That Is Just Right

Paul Miller March 5, 2024
Offshoring. Nearshoring. Rightshoring. Learn how emerging technologies such as ubiquitous sensing, distributed computing, AI, and data fabrics are being used to determine the optimal manufacturing mix.
Blog

Can AI Boost Product Innovation?

George Lawrie November 10, 2023
Not surprisingly, Forrester readers these days often ask about the impact of AI on product lifecycle management (PLM). The most typical question we get in this context refers to embedded AI versus generative AI. Should You Embed AI In PLM Or Just Add Bard Or ChatGPT On Top? Clients tell us that traditional AI analyzes […]
Blog

Prove Your Extended Supply Chain Sustainability

George Lawrie May 15, 2023
Supply chain sustainability is a top priority. In Forrester’s analysis of the Fortune Global 200 companies, 61% of the surveyed enterprises have a named sustainability lead, and 51% have scope 1 and 2 carbon-neutral goals. But Forrester clients often ask which of the competing supply chain certifications is best for them, because there are so […]
Blog

Key Takeaways From Coupa Inspire 2023

Meng Liu April 25, 2023
Last week, I joined Coupa’s Inspire event in Las Vegas with my colleagues Jeffrey and George. It was Coupa’s 10th Inspire event and the first big public event since it was acquired by private equity firm Thoma Bravo. A constant messaging that we saw throughout the event was around Coupa’s comprehensive and open platform approach. […]
Blog

Use Sustainability Mandates And Investments To Drive Supply Chain Innovation

Michele Pelino April 21, 2023
Five things you can do to position your firm for successful supply chain sustainability transformation.
Blog

Collaborative Supply Networks Can Resolve The Logistics Logjam

George Lawrie November 11, 2022
Road Transportation Is Fragmented And Wasteful Road freight accounts for 30% of the global logistics spend at about US$1.9 trillion per year. But road transportation is a highly fragmented industry. Most North American carriers operate fewer than 20 trucks, and companies with fewer than 50 employees generate more than 60% of European road freight market […]
Blog

Let’s Put $1 Trillion To Work!

George Lawrie December 23, 2021
Have you been following the debate about business support and recovery investment programs? Perhaps you also wondered about business case realization. Meanwhile, right across industries, we’re wasting billions in trade promotion management and channel incentives. Massive Waste In Global Trade Investments I just finished reading consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry guru Rob Hand’s book on […]
Blog

What The US Infrastructure Bill Means To You

Renee Murphy November 10, 2021
After months of negotiations in Congress, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act is about to become law. This new law will address specifics such as climate change, sustainability, and cybersecurity that all have specific requirements which, in turn, will drive your policy and regulation in the future. If you do business with the US federal […]
Blog

Supply Chains Evolve To Become Collaborative Supply Networks

George Lawrie October 28, 2021
Align Finance, Sales, And Marketing For Supply Chain Success Thanks to all of you who helped with the research for The Forrester Tech Tide™: Smart Supply Chain, Q4 2021, our latest report about the maturity and business value of supply chain applications. Our survey told us that integrated business planning (IBP) is eclipsing sales and […]
Blog

Taming The Supply Chain Tiger — Practical Measures To Mitigate Logistics Congestion

George Lawrie October 27, 2021
In a recent blog, my colleague Alla Valente described the increased risk of late shipments in complex, interconnected supply chains. As she pointed out, any element may fail as a result of random events such as strikes or earthquakes. Project managers following critical chain methodology build project “buffers” to absorb random shock. But in logistics, […]
Blog

When Systemic Risks Collide: Why Supply Chain Issues Are The New Normal

Alla Valente October 26, 2021
Before March of 2020, “supply chain issues” was a term we’d hear after a natural disaster or labor strike — that all ended the moment we ran out of toilet paper. Unquestionably, the supply chain crisis has been a secondary theme of the pandemic, one that continues to escalate. For the 15 months since the […]
Blog

New Technologies Transform Transportation Management

George Lawrie July 12, 2021
Transportation management systems used to focus on streamlining operations and reducing costs. But today, cloud-based systems use advanced technologies to focus more on customer and employee experience. Learn how.
Blog

Rationalize Your Product Portfolio For Real Customer Focus

George Lawrie June 8, 2021
Smart Manufacturing Offers More Choice If you follow our research on smart manufacturing and product lifecycle management, you know that manufacturers today have more ability than ever before to develop and bring to market exciting new product variants. You have also seen our work on collaborative work management, project portfolio management, and accelerating product delivery with […]
Blog

Learn How Modern PLM Lays The Foundation For Smart Manufacturing And Supply Chain Resilience

George Lawrie June 3, 2021
Manufacturers used to compete on economies of scale. Design engineers were the only users of product lifecycle management (PLM) systems. Their task was to design the lowest unit-cost piece parts for mass production. But now manufacturers must compete on customization and on time-to-market. It’s why industrial giants have bet their future on software. Drivers and […]
Blog

We’d Love Your Feedback On New Applications Designed To Master Supply Chain Resilience

George Lawrie June 1, 2021
Lead time and availability determine customer experience. We all learned about that during the crisis. But now there is a global shortage of everything, from 20-foot containers to lumber and basic chemicals. You must master supply chain resilience to meet your customers’ lead time and availability expectations. Moreover, you must guarantee supply chain sustainability to […]
Blog

Digital Business Models Mandate More Sophisticated B2B Pricing Processes And Applications

George Lawrie June 26, 2020
Industrial manufacturers need tighter integration with applications such as CRM and enterprise resource planning to price product and service bundles effectively.
Blog

NRF 2020: Robotics Realize Real-Time Retail

George Lawrie January 20, 2020
I’ve just returned from NRF 2020. There were more than 40,000 attendees and 800 exhibitors from 99 countries. They showed how to deliver real-time retail, applying technology to win, serve, and retain the most demanding retail customers. This year, the emphasis was more than ever on boosting supply chain responsiveness to anticipate customers’ latent demand. […]
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Modern Retail Planning Anticipates Customer Intentions

George Lawrie October 30, 2019
Don’t Just Satisfy Customers; Anticipate Their Every Desire! One of our retail clients told me: “No one rewards you for merely satisfying customer demand. These days, you need to be three steps ahead . . . You must embed superior retail planing to anticipate their whims and desires!” “Finger in the air” techniques used to […]
Blog

Use Trade Promotion Management To Boost Return on Promotions

George Lawrie September 24, 2019
Trade Promotions Are Hard To Execute We all know that sometimes brands run promotions that don’t seem to make sense. I expect that you have seen “buy one, get one free” offers in stores with bare shelves. Colleagues say that movie-themed merchandise often hits the stores just when the movie season is over. We have […]
Blog

Holiday 2019: AD&D Leaders Should Deploy Sophisticated Analytics In Their Trading Support Applications To Optimize Holiday Planning

George Lawrie September 16, 2019
The holiday season is the year's biggest test for retail. Good use of data can help application development & delivery professionals improve results.
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