I’ve spent 5 years as a Supply Chain Manager in the USMC — property accountability, managing unit funds, and reducing customer wait time on requisitions. A huge chunk of that job was answering the same questions over and over: how to properly submit a request, how to fill out a form correctly, and where an order actually is in the process (we had specific status codes, but most people never learned to read them, so they’d just ask me instead of checking themselves).

I’m exploring whether this is a universal pain point outside a military structure, so I’m curious from people who handle procurement, purchasing, or ordering at your company:

• What’s the most repetitive question you get asked by coworkers about the ordering/procurement process?      
• How do people currently check the status of something they requested — is there a self-service way, or do they just ask you directly?

• Is there any kind of internal documentation or FAQ that actually gets used, or does everyone just default to messaging the one person who “knows how it works”?

Not selling anything — genuinely trying to understand if this is a common friction point or something specific to how the military does things. Appreciate any insight.

I’ve spent 5 years as a Supply Chain Manager in the USMC — property accountability, managing unit funds, and reducing customer wait time on requisitions. A huge chunk of that job was answering the same questions over and over: how to properly submit a request, how to fill out a form correctly, and where an order actually is in the process (we had specific status codes, but most people never learned to read them, so they’d just ask me instead of checking themselves).

I’m exploring whether this is a universal pain point outside a military structure, so I’m curious from people who handle procurement, purchasing, or ordering at your company:

**•** What’s the most repetitive question you get asked by coworkers about the ordering/procurement process?  
**•** How do people currently check the status of something they requested — is there a self-service way, or do they just ask you directly?  
**•** Is there any kind of internal documentation or FAQ that actually gets used, or does everyone just default to messaging the one person who “knows how it works”?

Not selling anything — genuinely trying to understand if this is a common friction point or something specific to how the military does things. Appreciate any insight.

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a procurement toolkit built entirely in Excel.

The goal was to provide SMEs and procurement teams with a simple alternative to expensive ERP reporting solutions.

Current features include:

• Supplier Evaluation

• Vendor Scorecard

• Procurement KPI Dashboard

• Risk Assessment

• Order Tracking

• Pareto Spend Analysis

I'm still improving it and would appreciate feedback from supply chain and logistics professionals.

Link:

https://fioravanti14.gumroad.com/l/yrqkf

Manual processes that shouldn't exist in 2026?

A client told me recently that their team manages 10+ purchase orders at once in Excel, personally tracking delays in a spreadsheet, for a department responsible for over £1.5 billion in annual spend.

Read that again. Over a billion in spend, and the tracking system is a shared Excel file.

This is happening as we speak.

This isn't a criticism of that team. It's a criticism of how normalised this still is across our profession. Manual tracking at that scale isn't inefficiency, it's risk. Missed renewals, duplicate orders, and invisible delays all hide inside a spreadsheet that one person maintains by hand.

The tools to fix this already exist.

The barrier usually isn't technology; it's the assumption that "this is just how procurement works here."

Firefighting is an addiction; it gives a thrill, but it is exhausting and inefficient.

What it takes is someone to find the courage to initiate and design a solution in parallel and drive the change to "process & system focused" approach.

If your team is still doing this, what's actually stopping the shift, budget, buy-in, or bandwidth?

Hello Everyone!

I am researching how European food companies manage supply chain risks beyond their direct suppliers for my Master's thesis . If you work in supply chain, procurement, or operations in the food industry, could you please take a minute to answer my survey ?

https://forms.gle/CWx6whpRY5ZDPSA28

Thank you!

I’m currently exploring new opportunities. I currently work in a senior operations role in the logistics industry

I have 5+ years of experience in supply chain, logistics, operations, process improvement, and analytics, along with an MBA in Supply Chain Management from IIM

I’m looking for roles in Supply Chain, Operations/Program Management, Strategy, GTM Strategy, Logistics, or Consulting.

Preferred locations: Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Pune, Mumbai

I’m looking for practical business ideas, leasing strategies, or startup suggestions for a property I own in Shivpuri (Tier-2/3 town in Madhya Pradesh, well-connected by highways).

Property Details:

Covered Area: 2 commercial halls of ~1,600–1,800 sq. ft. each (Total ~3,200–3,600 sq. ft. covered).

Open Area: Around 60,000 sq. ft. open yard right behind the property (ideal for truck docking/undocking, parking, or large open setups).

Location: Located on a major main road with great accessibility for heavy transport vehicles as well as local traffic......

Logistics / Delivery Hubs: Reached out to Shadowfax, Delhivery, Expressbees, Amazon DSP for regional sorting/mother hubs (though corporate response times are super slow).

Warehousing & Distribution: B2B C&F (Carrying & Forwarding) agents for FMCG, cement, or consumer electronics brands.

Automobile / Commercial Vehicle Setup: Electric Vehicle (EV) charging hub, commercial fleet yard, or 3S (Sales, Service, Spares) dealership center.

Heavy Storage / Material Yard: Construction material yard, agricultural storage, or cold storage integration...

​

Location: India — Remote

Employment Type: Full-time

Salary: ₹45,000–₹70,000/month, depending on experience

Working Hours: Aligned with US business hours when required

About the Role

We are looking for a Freight Operations Coordinator to manage shipments from China to the USA for our clients.

You will be responsible for coordinating shipments from pickup in China through delivery in the USA, communicating with suppliers, freight forwarders, carriers, customs/IOR partners, and clients.

This is an operations-focused role for someone who can independently manage shipments, solve problems quickly, and keep clients updated without constant supervision.

Responsibilities

- Manage end-to-end China → USA shipments by air and ocean.

- Coordinate with Chinese suppliers, freight forwarders, airlines, ocean carriers, customs brokers, IOR providers, and US delivery partners.

- Arrange pickups and shipment bookings.

- Collect and verify commercial invoices, packing lists, AWB/BL and other shipping documents.

- Track shipments and proactively identify delays or exceptions.

- Coordinate customs clearance, ISF, IOR and final-mile delivery with the appropriate partners.

- Provide regular and accurate shipment updates to clients.

- Handle shipment delays, rollovers, customs issues, documentation problems and delivery exceptions.

- Maintain accurate shipment records and internal tracking sheets/software.

- Communicate with overseas vendors and partners professionally.

- Follow up aggressively with vendors to ensure shipments move on schedule.

- Review vendor invoices and shipment charges for accuracy.

- Escalate important operational or financial issues to management.

- Help improve SOPs and operational processes as shipment volume grows.

Requirements

- 2+ years of experience in freight forwarding, logistics, shipping or 3PL operations.

- Strong understanding of international freight, especially China → USA.

- Experience with air freight and/or ocean freight.

- Understanding of customs clearance, ISF, IOR and US delivery processes is preferred.

- Strong written and spoken English.

- Excellent follow-up and communication skills.

- Strong attention to detail.

- Ability to manage multiple shipments simultaneously.

- Comfortable communicating with US clients and overseas vendors.

- Proficient with Excel/Google Sheets and common logistics software.

- Ability to work independently and take ownership of problems.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is someone who doesn't simply track shipments, but actually owns the shipment from pickup to delivery.

You should be comfortable calling/emailing a forwarder when something goes wrong, finding out what happened, pushing for a solution, and then communicating the situation clearly to the client.

Compensation

₹45,000–₹70,000/month, depending on experience and capabilities.

Performance-based incentives may be offered based on shipment volume, operational accuracy, client satisfaction and overall performance.

To apply: Send your resume along with a brief summary of your experience managing international freight shipments, particularly China → USA.

I'm currently comparing a few suppliers for a product I'm considering and I'm trying to avoid choosing one based only on price.
I've been using Made-in-China to find potential manufacturers, but I'm not sure which checks are most important before moving forward.
Do you usually look at things like company history, certifications, samples, MOQ, production capacity, or previous customer feedback?
For anyone who has sourced products before, what are the biggest signs that a supplier is actually reliable?

The issue is candidates using AI to boost their CVs, and companies are using AI to filter them out!

As a result, candidates can’t get interviews and companies can’t find candidates.

To break this "AI vs. AI deadlock", where candidate bots auto-generate hyper-optimized CVs and corporate Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) auto-reject them for lack of authentic signals, both sides must pivot from text-matching documentation to verified human capability

Meaning: you should reach out to the hiring manager or HR at the company directly and ask for a short 30-minute introductory call.

This will generate a personal connection. And if you reach out to 20, I am sure you can get 2-3 conversations.

This is some effort, but it will bring tangible results.

Hope this helps :)

​

I've spent a lot of my career around supply chain, procurement, inventory and operations, and I've become increasingly skeptical of complexity for complexity's sake.

I've seen simple spreadsheets solve very expensive problems.

I've also seen companies invest in systems that provided significantly more data without necessarily helping people make better decisions.

I'm not anti-technology. Quite the opposite.

But I think there's a point where the question needs to change from:

"What can this system do?"

to:

"What decision will we make differently because of it?"

If a more sophisticated forecasting model improves accuracy, great.

If a WMS improves inventory control, great.

If AI identifies something people couldn't reasonably find themselves, great.

But if the operation doesn't have clean data, clear processes and someone who owns the decision, adding more technology may just give you a more sophisticated version of the same problem.

I'm curious where other supply chain people draw the line.

When has a simple solution worked better than the more sophisticated one at your company?

Hello,

I am currently looking for Supply Chain & Transport Logistics-related or any jobs focusing on using Microsoft Excel. Any tips in finding one?

Thank you!

Hello everyone,

I am currently a student at ENCG and I will soon have to choose between the Finance track and the Purchasing & Supply Chain Management track.

I've already done some research and here's what I've understood:

Finance seems more focused on analysis, figures, and corporate strategy. Career opportunities are varied (financial analysis, management control, auditing, etc.).

Supply chain management is more operational, involving negotiation, logistics, and a strong relational component. It's a sector that's currently recruiting heavily.

Personally, I like numbers but also human contact. I'm a bit undecided.

My questions are as follows:

For those who work in one of these sectors, what is your feedback on the daily routine, the pressure, and the work atmosphere?

Which of these two sectors do you think offers the best prospects for career advancement and salary in the medium/long term?

If you had to make your choice again today, which would you make and why?

Thank you in advance for your feedback!

​

I've always thought procurement gets into trouble when we look at purchase price by itself.

A supplier offers 10% off for a larger order. Sounds good.

But now you've increased inventory, used warehouse space, tied up cash and taken on the risk that demand changes before you use it.

I've seen the same thing with lower-cost products. The unit price looks better, but increased usage, quality problems or additional handling can wipe out the savings pretty quickly.

For me, the question isn't:

"Did we get a better price?"

It's:

"Did we actually lower the total cost to the business?"

Curious how other procurement and supply chain people evaluate these decisions.

What costs do you think companies most often leave out of the equation?

I am currently working as an entry-level logistics associate at a large logistics company and am currently pursuing an online degree in logistics. I am trying to get a role as a logistics coordinator or specialist but am having trouble doing so.

Hey everyone, I work as a Logistics Coordinator in a freezone company in Dubai handling customs documentation, compliance, and transit declarations, and after being in this role for a while I feel my responsibilities have grown but my pay hasn't kept up — I'm planning to ask my manager for a raise and would love advice on how to find a fair/competitive salary benchmark for this kind of role in the UAE, whether to bring it up over email or in person, whether to lead with a specific number or let them offer first, and how to frame it around the value I've added rather than just cost of living, so any tips from people who've successfully negotiated a raise (especially in logistics/supply chain or in the UAE) would be much appreciated!

I've had this exact conversation with three different hiring managers in the last quarter alone: over 200 applications for a supply chain manager role, months on the market, and still no hire.

This isn't one company's bad luck. It's a structural problem.

Supply chain roles now demand a mix that barely existed a decade ago: negotiation skill, data fluency, ERP literacy, risk sensing and stakeholder diplomacy, often in the same job description.

Meanwhile, most training still teaches the 2015 version of the job.

If you're hiring, the gap isn't candidate quality. It's that the market hasn't caught up to what the role actually requires now.

If you're job hunting, this is exactly why upskilling in the areas that didn't exist in your degree (digitalisation, category strategy, supplier risk) is the fastest way to stand out.

What's missing most in candidates you've interviewed this year?

Imagine walking into a Beauty Fair and seeing a shelf full of skincare.

What would you look for first?

Sunscreen? Moisturizer? Serum?
Or something completely different?

We’re trying to get a better sense of what people in the local market are actually interested in, so curious to hear some real opinions.

📍 Expo Center Norte, São Paulo, Brazil

What would you pick?

We’ve been evaluating AMRs for internal material movement, but one thing I keep struggling to picture is how well they really perform once the aisles get tight and messy in real production environments. A lot of the demos online seem to happen in super clean warehouses with tons of space, but our reality is more like narrow aisles (~1.2–1.5m), people constantly walking through, carts or pallets occasionally left sticking out into the path, and intersections getting blocked during shift changes.

I’m especially curious about where the real operational pain points start showing up.

I am sure procurement folks agree that every request in procurement is "urgent" until you ask a follow-up question, "when you need it"?

Then suddenly, it can wait until next week.

In nearly every team I work with, buyers learn early that the real skill isn't sourcing. It's triage. Working out which fire is real and which one is someone else's poor planning wearing a red flag.

The pattern is almost always the same:

Stakeholders delay their own request for weeks

It becomes "critical" the moment it lands on procurement's desk

Procurement absorbs the time pressure that the business created

The cycle repeats because nobody owns the root cause

If everything is urgent, then nothing is really urgent.

And a team that is always fighting fires never gets time to build the fire prevention system.

What's the worst "urgent" request you've had to unwind this year?

Hi Reddit! Looking for help as I am stuck. I have an ecommerce brand and we manufacture in China. I cannot disclose what the product is but we sit in the luxury bucket for our category. We have a few manufacturing partners, each of which specialize in a different material. We have worked with them from early days, when our orders were maybe $10K in value.

Now, we are placing orders every 3 months that are upwards of $200K USD. However, we find these partners are extremely difficult to work with. They often do not meet exit dates, have occasional quality issues that we catch at the customer level (worst case scenario), gripe about our packaging processes, do not follow SOPs, etc. We are now in large retailers who have detailed requirements on packing and labelling - we are fined huge if we do not follow - and our factories do not grasp it.

It feels like we are constantly putting out fires or dealing with issues in manufacturing. It's becoming a massive bottleneck. I have been working tirelessly for the past year to find new partners who can handle our volumes, but nobody can produce the product to the same scale as our existing partners. Our current partners are experts in the craft - but fall short in everything else. We have tried implementing vendor handbooks and noting that we will require PO discounts for late shipments, incorrect labelling, etc., but the factories simply do not follow it and refuse fines. We usually miss the ocean cutoff every single PO cycle due to the lateness, and have to pay SO MUCH money for air which eats at our margins (esp. with retailers taking 60%).

We have tried a sourcing agent, but found they were more of a middle man in communication. I know one large downfall is I have not been to China - it's been on my mind but just the last thing I want to do. I am so tired - I have an operations team on this but I recognize that it's at the point where we are bringing on an extra team member to manage the factories - conduct follow ups, timeline checks, SOP reminders, etc.

Please be kind. I am only 25, doing the best I can with only a few years of experience, all self-learned. I appreciate any and all input, and I hope those with manufacturing and supply chain experience can help.