Melanie Millar Editor in Chief Medline Industries, LP

We’ re introducing a new feature in this issue of SCO Magazine: Ask Our Experts. It’ s a chance for subject matter experts in a variety of fields to answer common questions we hear from supply chain leaders across the country. For this issue, it’ s about how to leverage data from your supplier, and it’ s the perfect lead-in to the theme of this issue: Making the most of your data.

Enjoy this issue of SCO Magazine.

Melanie

When it comes to data, it is easy to become a pack rat. Much like storing our grandmother’ s china in a shed or keeping old college essays in a basement file cabinet“ just in case,” organizations often hold on to vast amounts of information with no plan or clear future value.

Yet, just as boxes eventually obscure the china at the back of the shed or essays lose their relevance over time, retaining data does not necessarily mean it remains useful. As information accumulates, it can become increasingly difficult to identify what truly matters. This is where many organizations encounter a form of paralysis: the sheer volume of data makes it difficult to know where to begin.

That is why, in this issue, we address the challenge of data overload and how healthcare supply chain leaders can focus on identifying the right data to solve the real-world problems their organizations face. Unlike heirloom china, which can be dusted off for a special occasion, data is something we rely on daily. The time to put your data house in order is now.

Cover: gremlin / E + via Getty Images; peshkov / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Marshall Lancaster Chief Information Officer Medline Industries, LP

Marshall

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