Good-delivery

I was disappointed. Make sure you understand that this book is a compilation of a series of articles that appeared from mid-1980 to mid-1990. Two problems arise: 1) Since each article is brief, there is no depth to the subject matter, and 2) though a valiant attempt was made to organize the articles into logical chapters and categories, the truth-of-the-matter is that the flow of information from one article to another can be disjointed and difficult to follow. With all due respect, the author points this out in his Introduction, but alas, I had already purchased the book.

This is a Compilation of good articles. It gives an idea about Supply Chain thoughts developed over a period of time. We cannot see all articles connected and establish a chain of thoughts because it seems a book was not planned when the author was writing these articles. However,Very good book for knowing the fundamental concepts of supply chain.

Perfect book for anyone interested in learning the fundamental and competitive advantages of supply chain planning. Very interesting and enlightening. It's quite rare that I respond to book reviews, it's that good!

The book is theoritical and does not provide new practical ideas. It reads like an implementation methodology book more than a management book.

This book successfully combines applicable and valuable information on today's supply chain with an easy to read approach. His examples clearly outline an appropriate course of action and path to follow to improve upon a business' supply chain more toward the customer.

An excellent book for beginners and for those businesses with a little more experience in the field.

It's not a bad book for beginers in Supply chain management (SCM). This book introduces you to the basic fundamental with sufficient references. Not this book or any book in the world is comprehensive or plug-in formulation. So, don't expect to buy one-but-get-million. Since this book is only 200 pages, you can finish it in one night with sufficient knowledge to do more research including some URLs for the web-surfers.

I am a consultant with the largest supply chain practice in the world, and I await the release of new texts on supply chain content with great interest. Based on the reputation of Gene Tyndall and a colleauge's personal recommendation, I purchased "Supercharging" with this same great enthusiasm. After finishing the book, however, my opinion is that its a grand testament to the hypebole, unsubstantiated claims and lack of professional rigor that so often gives consultants a bad name. The book seriously drops the ball in several areas.

First, I have read enough books, including this one, that promise enhanced supply chain management will directly improve share price; despite "Supercharging" positioning this as the central tenant of their argument, I am still waiting for valid proof. Anecdotes and self-serving case studies, which this book has in extreme abundance, will not suffice.

If you conduct a literature seach of academic databases you can find dozens of rigorous, statistically valid studies that attempt to isolate and identify the primary correlative variable(s) to a firm's share price. To my knowledge, the following variables have been examined: EVA generation, marketing capabilities, traditional accounting measures, change in EPS, product/process quality performance and even supply chain management. Conclusions from all these studies which I have read are typically mixed, but none of them claim to have found the "magic bullet;" Tyndall et. al. not only claim to have found the magic bullet, but they ask us to swallow this significant statement based solely on the collective experience of the authors. As they say, we believe God, all others must bring data.

For example, I would like the authors to provide the source data for a figure early in the book which shows a straight-line, linear relationship between a firm's "instrinsic" stock price and its working capital investment rate. So my conclusion is that by simply increasing working capital turnover, any firm can boost their market capitalization by several billion dollars. I would ask the authors to look at Sara Lee Corp. (NYSE: SLE), which dramatically improved its working efficiency in the recent past when it shed its manufacturing assets and became a "shell" corporation. There was a short-lived share price jump, which was simply a favorable reaction from The Street, which has long-since disappeared.

The lengthy point which I am trying to make is that for every self-serving case example the authors have dredged up, I can serve up one which is equally contradictory. I feel they are treading on complex ground with heavy boots and stepping on all kinds of land mines.

Second, this book is a great witch's brew of the latest supply chain programs and trends: integrated planning, customer-centric logistics, collaboration, etc. I am very uncomfortable with knowledgeable supply chain consultants presenting laundry lists of what the authors call "proven and common sense" ideas to readers with no discriminatory or categorical framework to support the ideas. For example, its very easy to claim that eProcurement is a great approach for gaining operational excellence. What this book does not do, and what is much harder to do, is to help a company decide what will give them a defensible, strategic advantage in thier supply chain. Maybe its not eProcurement, but a strategicu sourcing project to stabilize and capture sources of supply. Maybe its a supplier rationalization and management project to cut transaction and ordering costs. The point is, the approach used by the authors is analogous to giving an excited teenager his first new hunting rifle with no instructions: you know he's probably going to kill something, we're just not sure if its a deer or the neighbor's dog.

Last, this is just too much of a feel-good book for me. I felt like I was slowly being suffocated by all the consulting-ease, jargon and glittering generalities that pervade the book. Remember, I am a supply chain consultant that truly believes most all companies have significant untapped operational and financial improvement opportunities in their supply chains. I just feel that its the consultant's duty to temper his/her beliefs with (valid!) empirical data, rigorous approaches and a value-adding framework to discuss all of these new ideas.

I would never recommend this book to anyone. If you are supply chain beginner I would recommend purchasing one of the college texts which contain structured content on supply chain fundamentals. Don't allow this book to put stars in your eyes or make you skip all the good supply chain details that already exist in more basic texts.

If you are a supply chain professional, I recommend you also skip this book and search for texts that focus on your particular area of specialization. Don't believe the hype, and if you do, don't blame me just because I am a consultant.

This is a solid introductory effort to supply chain management and the integral function and role SCM plays in contemporary business.

The authors do an excellent job describing the importance of operational excellence in an age of increased globalization. The authors also do a superb job in emphasizing the role SCM plays in shareholder value, and how SCM can be used as an X factor in forging competitive advantage.

The only fault I see with the book is the focus on speed instead of authoritative SCM optimization. Charles Fine's Clockspeed and other works handle supply, demand, delivery issues in a more balanced and lucid manner.

Supercharging Supply-Chains is aimed at providing senior executives with an overview of the issues, and an approach to achieving operational excellence through the supply chain.

Highlights of the chapters include:

* Linking operational performance to shareholder value- greater free cashflow & market capitalization , operations as the bridge connecting strategy & shareholder value, key principles for operational excellence (e.g. differentiated supply-chain strategy, organize along processes, collaborate with customers & suppliers, invest in IT, people & expertise, manage by product/channel, outsource elements, think globally, build regionally, operate locally, and execute through focus, measurement & empowerment).

* Operations issues- business overview (develop, plan, buy, make, move, sell, market, and finance), only 4 organization structures, key metrics (EMV, share price, return on net assets, net profits after tax), 3 requirements for competitiveness (structure, measures & rapidity), 12 key imperatives (flexibility, plan & measure, structure logistics, leanness, information optimization, unequal customer treatment, operate globally, virtuality & collaborative management, e-commerce, leverage people, operationalize new product introductions, mass-customize & postpone), and dashboard performance measures.

* Demand and supply planning- 8 key tenets (high-level accountability, combine demand & supply planning, eliminate impact of product forecast, create a common language & focus on commonality, treat customers unequally, plan for spares & returns, replace inventory with information & analysis, and focus on deployment transparency).

* Sales- 4 key steps (segment markets & product groups, identify key value points by customer, identify consolidation opportunities around the customer, and identify & create common processes & systems around the customer).

* Sourcing & suppliers- 10 principles (extend chain towards suppliers, organize right people effectively, develop commodity teams, practice global sourcing & supplier management, focus on total costs, simplify, let suppliers manage (vendor-managed inventories, consortium buying, or outsourcing), leverage IT and e-commerce, enhance sourcing automation, partner smart), and 6 basic IT areas (tactical planning & support, core transaction processing, EDI/web, imaging/forms automation/bar-coding, automated purchase orders, and integration with suppliers' IT).

* Advanced logistics- reducing capital expenditures by improving use of fixed assets (rationalize distribution networks, outsource select processes, explore shared facilities, optimize use of equipment, and understand tax implications of chain) and reduce working capital by minimizing inventories (consolidate warehouses, use in-transit warehousing, replace inventories with information, reduce distribution cycle time, and implement demand/supply planning & management).

* Product introductions- 6 tenets- link PIP to supply/demand planning, concurrent/codevelopment, design with commonality, better business case, and world-class teams.

* Supply chain project management- ensure value, manage risk, use method, and use iterative approach.

* Summary findings from a basic supply chain survey study.

Strengths include: the timeliness and interest of the subject; the concise content-rich style; good use of appropriate & attractive sidebars, figures, and tables; mostly high-quality content; and good consistent chapter structure including summary and "questions for the managers".

On the negative side are: the occasional typos, errors & omissions; inconsistency & lack of definition of acronyms; poor supporting materials & references; some throwaway (non-value-add) content; re-labeling of older established technologies as current & innovative (e.g. EDI); and a "linear-generic" rather than "thorough" treatment of the subject (i.e. little option of tools for each stage). 'Supercharging' sometimes felt like a (good) sales document or lightly-referenced literature review, without enough guidance for you to directly use the material without (Ernst & Young) consulting support.

Overall, supercharging supply chains is a good starting discussion point on contemporary supply-chain practice. Use with a deeper operations text like Slack or Wild (with wide, referenced, rigorous toolsets), as well as supply-chain vendor specifics (standards/professional organisations, tools, and methodologies) to actually achieve business change. Clients beware- extracts from Supercharging charts and tables could be used by unscrupulous consultants to sell supply-chain engagements!

You can get more data from the internet than you can get out of this 114 page book.

I was contacted by an agency informing me that I had money held by the state of Florida, and that they would reunite me with my funds for a 25% fee. After reading the Unclaimed Property Resource Guide, I was able to research the funds and claimed the money without having to pay the finder's fee. This is a very helpful guide!

I heard the author interviewed on our local TV news several years ago. The concept was unknown and very attractive to me so I immediately bought the book and literally read it cover to cover in less than two days. As soon as possible I tried calling all the companies listed in the book in our state and a few not listed therein but in the yellow pages. Absolutely not one individual who I called seemed to have the slightest idea of what I was talking about.

Beware of using the author's stupid-sounding slang terms like "road rat," for in my experience such slang got nothing but silence on the other end of the phone, and then the privilege feeling like an idiot when I had to then explain what I just said. All this effort then only resulted in finding out that they didn't have such a position or didn't have the slightest idea of what I was talking about.

Despite the author's claim of only needing a class C license, at least one person told me that I'd need a class B. I never made so many calls in my life, but it was all for nothing. What a demoralizing experience. I gave it every chance, but the book was a bust, and I gave it away to my brother who has a class A license thinking that he should have a much better chance than I.

It really pisses me off when a book offers out a little glimmer of hope for some kind of help only to then yank out the rug from under thereby making the status quo seem even worse than it was before. All in all it was a demoralizing experience that I would never care to repeat.

Sure, I too have heard the tiresomely annoying stories of a "friend of a friend" who made a very goodliving delivering RV's. I suspect that you really have to know someone in the business, for all the best jobs I've known are never advertised, and you never pay for the privilege of knowing about them from a book or some dubious ad "opportunity" ad. Such ads in my experience are an opportunity alright, an opportunity to lose money. Perhaps this stuff works in other states better than Minnesota, but all I know is that it's worthless here.

i enjoyed this book but there is lots of out-dated and omited material. i would dig deeper than just this book before jumping into this type of job. not much is mentioned about the enormous cost of moving from your devivery point to your next job, or just returning to base to pick up another vehical. cabs and shuttles these days are very expensive, and will kill your profits, and the senerios mentioned in the book dont enclude these costs. if you deliver any vehical other than a RV, there is no place to sleep on the trip,so a motel is required each night, and your profits go away QUICKLY.these things are not mentioned. this can be a good job, but you need to really check into what your doing "FIRST". ... "TRY TO WORK FOR A DEALER, OR A MANUFACTURE" that is where the money is. all transport companies are "MIDDLE MEN" and take quite a cut of the original money paid, so beware.like i said before, do your homework first before you dive in, or you will be very dissapointed, very quickly.the book does have LOTS OF INFO ON MOST ALL MAJOR MANUFACTURES AND DEALERS. USE THEM

This book is packed with all sorts of interesting and important information for those who love to travel. Craig does a wonderful job of keeping the reader's interest with his enthusiastic and up-beat style. I have never come across a handbook that presents dreary, but necessary, facts in such a humorous and personal way! Even if you choose not to become a road rat, there are plenty of useful travel tips which _anyone_ should know. Good work, Craig. :-)

One star is too many. Besides butchering the English language in every paragraph, the author uses only weak secondary sources to provide a facile, amateurish, and deeply erroneous review of healthcare law, economics, and Catholic moral theology. Some errors are diverting ("An area is defined a rural area if it contains a city with a population of at least 50,000 people with a total metropolitan population of at least 100,000" - p.45, welcome to rural Manhattan!), while others represent a deeply pernicious 'Marxism lite.' This is an appalling book by any standard, and quite useless unless perhaps to undergraduates who need to gather a bibliography. If--as appears to be the case--this is a recycled doctoral dissertation, the theology faculty in question should be profoundly ashamed of itself.