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Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Ways Of Improving The Supply Chain

1:14 AM By

By Vicki Diaz


To remain competitive in a vibrant economy, many firms have had to come up with supply chain strategies to increase efficiency and lower operating costs. A good strategy must be adequately planned for and often involves making tough decisions based on the proposed gains and the sacrifice to be made in terms of operational components. Many global firms owe their success to strategies employed in supply chains.

Supply chains are some form of networks made up of wholesalers, warehousing agents, retailers and the ultimate consumers. In most instances, the interaction of these elements with a given firm may largely depend on the condition of their production facilities. The decision making process when drafting a supply chain strategy should be guided by getting a good picture of the challenge from all points of view in this network.

A considerable saving could be made on the time spent when conducting chain assessment if an external professional firm is engaged. The next crucial step is to have a committee to scan and prioritize the recommended courses of action. Once a task is awarded the greatest priority, implementation plans outlining responsibilities, time lines and performance metrics to be observed are prepared.

Outsourcing is a cost cutting measure which could save considerable time if you realize that one of the defined roles does not fall within the competency range of the firm. The chain is a vast network of firms specializing in different roles and partnering with others will improve your chances of survival. Many managers often forget to view the customer as a partner, with the ultimate outcome being their downfall.

Consider outsourcing where you feel that you are lacking in competency to handle a particular challenge. This has the added advantage of improving the quality of work and allowing you to channel your resources to your area of expertise. The gantt chart has often turned out to be priceless when assessing completeness of a strategy. Performance can also be assessed by revisiting the list of goals and objectives in the plan.

Some of the rampant causes for failure are founded on poor understanding of cost and benefit interactions during the exercise. The temptation to use resources not initially identified in the development blueprint has often come to haunt many organizations during hard times. Poor communication skills will often result in failure even if you have a sound plan.

The vibrant and dynamic nature of most economies today results in the death and rise of all sorts of mergers developed for mutual gain. Do not overlook the smallest cog in the supply juggernaut, be it the small retailer, the wholesaler with a fleet of trucks or the humble customer. Online marketing platforms have improved the process of collecting crucial feedback from targeted customers during the decision making.

For a supply chain to be considered efficient, it must satisfy the demands of targeted consumers. The firm should not just be interested in the flow of products and materials but also the resultant flow of cash. The most influential factor in the success of a strategy is the abilities of a given firm.




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