Online Tracking Using QR code To Update Status

Rather than going into forms to update status, one can use QR codes to update delivery, or any supply chain status automatically. For example, Google docs allow you to construct a url to automatically submit forms. So, from an excel of orders given to a courier or delivery company, you can create QR codes using Google Chart APIs to update status through an URL. What the courier or the delivery guys have to do is to scan the QR code to reflect the updated delivery status.Below are two statuses of the same order that you only need to read from your QR code reader app (Redlaser, QR Code reader, etc...). Scan it, and it will automatically update the status through an URL.

Order 1234, Status: Not_Delivered                       


Order 1234, Status: Delivered

                                                          

To allow anyone to query latest order status, we just have to create a simple website that reads the order and append it to the URL that uses Google Visualizer API. It acts like an SQL query.

I have created www.supplychaintracking.appspot.com for you to do just that. Just key in your order number, press the submit button and hey! See your latest order status!

Multi-Arm Bandits with Design of Experiments to Continuously Optimize Websites

A/B Testing and Multi-arm Bandits are very often talked about as tools for analyze and direct traffic to website variants to brings in more sales. Multi-arm Bandits is touted to be faster, with lower lost opportunity compared to A/B Testing. What is interesting is how many variants should one test to get the best variant for highest sales possible? One approach is to use Design of Experiments (DoE) to understand interactions between variables. DoE allows minimal runs, or variants to understand how different variables like model, pose, clothes, background, etc... affect sales. From the interactions, you can not only choose the best variant to maximize sales, but also one that minimizes sales variability.

Simple and Flexible ERP with Excel

For many food manufacturers, while the bill-of-materials (BOM) to deduct raw materials is a guide, the variability of raw material used requires the user to be able to account for the actual raw material used.

One cost effective, yet flexible way to deduct using BOM is to use excel. Using a combination of sumifs, index and other simple excel functions, you can create inventory incoming, production and outgoing records to check inventory balance. System inventory balance is then used to check against physical inventory balance. 

You can also monitor intermediate products and subassembly this way. Wastage and variation can be tracked in separate columns. In addition reorder points can also be set up and highlighted (using conditional formatting) when the reorder point is reached.