AMR Research’s Supply Chain Top 25 includes a Peer Opinion component in its ranking methodology.  This component comprises 20% of the total point score upon which the final rank is based. The other components are an AMR Research Opinion score (20%) and financial metrics (e.g., return on assets, inventory turns, and growth), which collectively account for 60% of the score.

Q. Who is eligible for the Peer Opinion Panel?

A. Any supply chain professional working for a manufacturer or retailer. This excludes consultants, technology vendors, and people working in non-supply chain roles, including PR, marketing, and finance. AMR Research reserves the right to accept or reject any volunteer. AMR Research also monitors total representation, with an eye to reasonably balance the Panel across companies, industries, and functions. Only one panelist per company is accepted.

Q. What does the Panel do?

A. The polling procedure is designed explicitly to take no more than 60 minutes, and is administered as a web form on the AMR Research website. As with any online web form, explicit instructions are readily visible. There are no other absolute responsibilities for the Panel.

Q. When does the polling take place?

A. Polling is held in early April. Eligible panelists are notified of their acceptance during the week prior.

Q. Are there any preparatory materials available?

A. Yes. AMR Research has a number of published articles and Reports that provide background on definitions, terminology, and reference models that panelists may find useful. These are clearly identified on this page. This site is actively maintained as a venue for Panelists and others to comment on and debate intent, methodology, and other topics relating to supply chain leadership.

Q. How does the polling web form work?

A. Panelists are given a limited universe of public companies (the Fortune Global 500 manufacturers and retailers) and asked to select those they regard as “leaders,” meaning companies coming closest to an ideal that AMR Research has defined as Demand-Driven Supply Network. After this subset of leaders is chose, the form refreshes, bringing just those chosen companies (must be more than 25 in the first pass) to a list. Panelists are then asked to force-rank from 1 through 25 the companies, with 1 being the company most closely fitting the Demand-Driven Supply Network ideal, 2 being next closest, and so on. Individual votes are tallied across the entire Panel, with 25 points earned for a No. 1 ranking, 24 points for a No. 2 ranking, and so on. This procedure is identical to the polling procedure that is used for the AMR Research Opinion component.

Q. How many Peer Panelists are there?

A. For the 2008 voting process, the peer panel included 122 supply chain executives from a wide range of industries.

How about using independent customer ratings?

We recently received an e-mail from a large consumer products (CP) manufacturer, suggesting we consider including industry-specific, third-party assessments of supply chain performance from customers in our Top 25 ranking.

We think it’s a great idea. The writer of this e-mail was referring specifically to Cannondale Associates’ PowerRanking survey of CP manufacturers and retailers. The survey asks retailers to rate their suppliers on a range of factors, including brands, growth and profitability, consumer/shopper insights, and sales teams.

It’s an effective way to get industry-specific customer assessments of supply chain performance and could be an excellent addition to the Top 25 analysis, especially if we can find rankings in other industries comparable to what Cannondale does for consumer packaged goods. We have long looked to Cannondale as a valid input, but have not seen many in other industries.

Do you have any suggestions for comparable third-party surveys outside of consumer products? We’d love to hear from you at dhofman@amrresearch.com or komarah@amrresearch.com.
 

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The AMR Research Top 25 is about leadership. We research trends and technology in the global supply chain for our clients because they feel a responsibility to lead. These clients are busy building a world that is more bountiful, profitable, and sustainable than the hard, industrial economy of Dickens and Steinbeck. We publish the Top 25 each year to recognize the companies that take this leadership the farthest.
The Top 25 aims to send a message to those outside our profession about what the global supply chain means to business and society. Our hope is that the debate surrounding this topic can mobilize board-level executives and investors to look to supply chain for strategic impact. We welcome you to join the discussion as a voter or contributor to our published material.