No industry has had more supply chain initiatives and programs than the consumer goods-to-retail sector.

The programs date back about 20 years, many of them formalized and promoted by the Voluntary Interindustry Commerce Solutions (VICS) organization and/or the related GS1 organization (formerly the Uniform Code Council).

As we noted in our recent Supply Chain Digest Letter on the Consumer Goods-to-Retail Supply Chain, the objectives of each of these successive initiatives seem to be much the same. As we said in the Letter, "It’s fair to say, however, that many of the industry’s initiatives seem to be focused on solving the same set of problems and challenges that never quite seem to go away."

The graphic below, taken from that Letter, summarizes four of those key initiatives.

Source: The Supply Chain Digest Letter on the Consumer Goods-to-Retail Supply Chain

So, have these programs worked? Each initiative has had its successes – and critics. We'd love your thoughts.

You can download an electronic copy of the Letter and access our full resource page on this topic here: Consumer Goods-to-Retail Supply Chain Resources.

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