To say that these are challenging times would be a gross underestimation. The challenges that have been thrust upon us in the past two or three years were previously unimaginable. But for those of us who are involved in some way with the development, operation or enhancement of Supply Chains, these are very exciting times. For example, look at the changes that have taken place in technology. We are also starting to learn just how much more we have to do if we are to operate on a true global scale, crossing borders, and designing new corporate structures. "Most large corporations are now outsourcing as many functions as possible to enable them to concentrate on core competencies but are we outsourcing enough or too much?" (Weber: Interview). The movement toward virtual corporations and supply chains has progressed much more than anticipated. Today if your company is not agile, you"re gone.
During an interview with Mr. Weber, Director of Logistics Operations and Business at U.S. Transportation Command, he stated, "Our entire transportation and logistics structure is trying to redefine itself. We have large logistics conglomerates, which are absorbing some very large entities along the way and there is the evolution of third party logistics (3PL) and fourth party logistics (4PL) that are willing to assume outsourcing and integration responsibilities for everything put in front of them" (Weber: Interview). The requirements for real-time visibility are continuing to reach for new heights and in some cases the technology is winning and in others it is not making a lot of progress. In the not to distant future, everything will have a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag on it. As we expand our understanding of new statistical techniques, we will be able to drive toward perfection and the search for predicting the needs of our customers before they know what they need.
Supply Chain Management (SCM) continues to grow in both need and usage.
Supply chain management presents to companies a new concept. ... Only then can the benefits of Supply Chain Management become truly evident. ... Even a supply chain with partners who seem reliable can fail. It is here that the disadvantages of Supply Chain Management are most evident. ... Otherwise, the supply chain has failed and trust has been broken! ...
"With the increasing focus shift from product production to service offer, service supply chain management emerges as a new focus of the supply chain research. There is no common definition on service supply chain management. ... Apple provides pre and post sales service supply chain activities. ... Lean Supply Chain Management is commonly compared to Agile Supply Chain management, another current trend. ... In this paper I discussed some of those current trends which included: service supply chains over product supply chains, globalization, lean versus agile supply chain management, tech...
Supply Chain Management (SCM) What is SCM (supply chain management)? The short answer is that SCM is the management of the business supply chain, where the supply chain includes any function that's required to produce and deliver the final product to the customer. ... Figure 1 provides a simple example of a supply chain model. ... • Increased efficiency in transactions between supply chain partners. ... • Optimal distribution of existing inventory across the supply chain. ...
With a market this large, there were wide variations in supply needs, and a complex supply chain. ... was taken from the July/August 2002 issue of Supply Chain Management Review. ... We found the article on Forecasting to be quite interesting and very applicable to the supply chain strategy. One of the four main types supply chain strategies discussed in our text is efficient supply chains. ... With businesses having branches all over the world there is not only a need for a good supply chain here in the U.S., but for a good supply chain in the branches all over the world. ...
The role of information systems in Supply Chain Management Introduction The purpose of this essay is to explore and evaluate the various approaches that can be taken to facilitate the management of supply chains. Supply Chain Management - A terminological background The Institute for Supply Chain Management has defined supply management as "the identification, acquisition, access, positioning and management of resources an organisation needs or potentially needs in the attainment of its strategic objectives." ... As supply chains grow in size and complexity it can become apparent that...
Bean Describe their business model and explain their supply chain strategy. ... Discuss the global challenges that they face in their supply chain. ... The reinvention of what the supply chain was before as a way of cutting cost, which it still is, and now moving towards adding value and the company itself identifying as a supply chain. ... Discuss the importance of aggregate planning to their supply chain and their partners. ... What role does demand forecasting play in their supply chain strategy? ...
Horizontal integration is one tool used by entities along this supply chain to expand market penetration and establish growth. The solution to a successful supply chain and its integration with customers and supplies lies in its ability to communicate wants, needs, and realities. Seagate has taken communication to its highest level by creating visibility at every level of its supply chain. This visibility is the Holy Grail for Seagate because it is a form of communication that breeds trust and transparency throughout every level of its supply chain. ... Visibility breeds accountability as all ...
Background First I would like to start with a brief explanation of what is supply chain management (SC). ... The most accurate definition is that "Supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies" (Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals). ... Then comes the value chain as necessity. According to Al-Mudimigh et al. (2004, p. 311) "The creation of value is managed through what has been referred to as the supply chain, value chain of customer chain, each of which refers to a series of integrated, dependent process through which s...
Decoupling Point A major problem in all supply chains is that they have little visibility of "real" demand. ... The point at which real demand penetrates upstream in a supply chain is termed the decoupling point. ... The Decoupling Point can also be defined as the point in the supply chain where the customer is known i.e. the customer penetrates the supply chain. ... The supply chain is divided into 2 by the decoupling point. ... The Decoupling Point and the Product Differentiation Point should be located at the same point in the Supply Chain. ...