Gaining Competitive ‎Advantages Through ‎Supply Chain ‎Management: Success ‎Stories

Success for many organizations depends on the firm’s ability to balance product and process changes while exceeding customer expectations for improved cost delivery and quality. In lieu of these issues firms have started to implement principles of supply chain management. Supply chain management mainly involves managing the flow of incoming materials, manufacturing operations, and downstream distribution has to be in alignment that is responsive to change in customer demands eliminating a surplus of inventory.

Supply chains must be managed to coordinate the inputs with the outputs in a firm to achieve the appropriate competitive priorities of the firm’s enterprise processes. The Internet offers firms an alternative to traditional methods for managing supply chains. A supply chain strategy is essential

An ideal SCM integrates all aspects of logistics in a rapid manner attempting to achieve the objectives by using who, what, when, where, and why (the 5Ws) for accuracy and success. The focus of this literature will cover the history, functions, modifications and future of SCM, while also considering the literature and preceding research that was conducted in each area. This paper will enhance the readers’ understanding of the SCM in general along with the process and concepts of the subject. It will also enable readers to apply aspects of SCM in their respective line of business. The literature for this review is relative, ranging from one to three years old. Organizations must understand that Supply Chain Management can increase the company’s EBITA (Earnings Before Interest Taxes Amortization) or decrease it if used properly. An additional benefit of an optimal SCM is optimizing time from production to customer, which can increase customer base when the industry notice speed of delivery to customers.

A supply chain is a system of people, activities, information, and resource involved in creating a product and moving it their customers. First is the strategic supply chain management. Best value supply chains strive to excel along four measures. Speed is the time duration from initiation to completion of the production and distribution process. Quality refers to the relative reliability of supply chain activities. Supply chains’ efforts at managing cost involve enhancing value by either reducing expenses or increasing customer benefits for the same cost level. Flexibility refers to a supply chain’s responsiveness to changes in customers’ needs. The second component of the strategic supply chain is agility, the supply chain’s relative capacity to act rapidly in response to dramatic change in supply and demand. Adaptability refers to a willingness and capacity to reshape supply chains when necessary. Lastly, alignment refers to creating consistency in the interest of all participants in a supply

Effective supply chain has gained a very high prominence in the current market scenario. The numerous amounts of demands from the customers has increased significantly over the past decades. They not only expect a reliable and good quality product/service, they also want it to be delivered to them well in time. The decline in product life cycle and the quick

While researching on line I came across an article that described the affect that the Internet is having on supply chains today. “E-enabled supply chain management is fast emerging as a core strategy that organizations worldwide are adopting for sustainable business advantage”. (4)

What is Supply Chain Management (SCM)? Supply Chain Management is the synchronization of a firm’s processes with those of its suppliers and customers to match the flow of materials, services, and information with customer demand. To provide the highest degree of customer satisfaction at the lowest possible cost is the flow in supply chain in management of material and information. The commitment of supply chain partners is important and requires to work together to coordinate order generation, order taking, and order fulfillment in Supply Chain Management. To maximize customer value and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace is the active streamlining of a business’ supply-side activities in Supply Chain Management. Development and implementation supply chains by suppliers is the effort represents Supply Chain Management that are as efficient and economical as possible. To product and development, the information systems are needed to direct these undertakings which is

            The term supply chain management (SCM) was initially used in wholesaling and retailing to denote the integration of logistics and physical distribution functions with the goal of reducing delivery lead times. Manufacturers and service providers have used the same term to describe integration and partnership efforts with first- and second- tier suppliers to reduce cost and improve quality and delivery timing. Terms such as integrated purchasing strategy, integrated logistics, supplier integration, value chain management, supply base management, strategic supplier alliances, lean production, Just-In-Time (JIT) logistics, and supply chain synchronization have been used in the literature to

When attempting to describe an effective SCM system many aspects of the supply chain have to be addressed. The Supply Chain Management Review presents seven principles of effective SCM. But implementing these practices is not enough. It is also necessary to evaluate these practices to ensure that they are benefiting the companies involved and make vital business decisions.

Managing the Supply Chain ( SCM) is a set of approaches used to efficiently integrate suppliers, manufacturers , warehouses and stores so that merchandise is produced and distributed in the right quantities , at the right place at the right time in order to minimize system cost while the wide requirement of satisfactory levels of service . It can also be defined as the coordination of production , inventory , location, and transportation among the participants in a supply chain to achieve the best mix of responsiveness and efficiency for the market served .

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the management and administration of a network of interconnected enterprises involved in the fundamental provision of product and service packages required by end customers. This complex discipline is the systematic and strategic coordination of traditional business functions and the tactics across those business functions within a particular company and across businesses within that company’s supply chain. The end effect is improving long term performance of the company, the companies within the supply chain, and the supply chain as a whole for competitive advantage. Keith Oliver, an analyst working for the consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton, coined the term “Supply Chain Management” in

Supply Chain Management is a process of streamlining the supply-side activities in order to order to take control over production, shipment and distribution (Cooper et al, 1997). An impeccable supply chain management process should enhance the quality of the production environment and help the organization to gain the competitive advantage. The supply chain management, in a nut shell, looks after the flow of goods within the organization. The flow normally refers to the movement of raw materials from storage area to work-in-progress area to inventory of the finished goods to distribution to the inter-linked networks that reach the end customers. The effective supply chain management would help the organization to reduce the ownership of the raw materials and distribution channels and to enhance the trust and collaboration with the supply chain partners. The globalization, information technology and outsourcing practices have been helping the organizations to successfully operate supply chain networks with the help of the technology

The paper takes a look at one of the most popular topics in all the international companies, which is Supply Chain Management. The study starts by letting you know how it all started, and to explain to the reader what is supply chain, what it is made of, and how it is implemented in companies. The next part will let the reader know how this can help your company going forward, the benefits, and how it improves your company. The next part of this paper will be dealing with the new trends affecting Supply Chain Management, mainly on how technology have let Supply Chain Management improve to make it more effective and sufficient, and also the rising concerns about the environment, and how supply chain management went green.

A supply chain consists of multiple organizations linked together in a partnership and their overall goal is to satisfy the needs of the end customer.

In this paper, it will discuss the challenges and opportunities associated with supply chain integration. Those opportunities and challenges include the push, pull, and push-pull supply chain systems, the impact of lead time, the impact of the Internet on supply chain strategies, e-business, and the impact on the grocery, book, retail, and transportation industries.