Supply Chain Management--Case Study on Ibm

Supply-chain management consists of developing a strategy to organize, control, and motivate the resources involved in the flow of services and materials within the supply chain. A supply chain strategy, an essential aspect of supply chain management, seeks to design a firm’s supply chain to meet the competitive priorities of the firm’s operations strategy.

Mellat-Parast and Spillan (2014) defines supply chain management as the method of handling material and information moves from the beginning, through the organization, and to the end-user. This is a very important factor of organizational strategy.

Supply Chain Management (SCM) has been defined by Supply Chain Management Institute to be “the management of relationships in the network of organizations, from end customers through original suppliers, using key cross-functional business processes to create value for customers and other stakeholders”(SCM-Institute, 2016).

To start, Schroeder, R., Goldstein, S., and Rungtusanatham define supply chain as “the set of entities and relationships that cumulatively define materials and information flows both downstream toward the customer and upstream toward the very first supplier.” Schroeder, R., Goldstein, S., and Rungtusanatham goes on to identify supply chain management as “the design and management of seamless, value-added processes across organizational boundaries to meet the real needs of the end customer.” Organizations have to prepare themselves to the best of their ability in order to provide or their customers. Customers expect to receive the upmost service, regardless of the type of organization they make contact with.

The Supply-Chain Council defines supply chain management as “[m]anaging supply and demand, sourcing raw materials and parts, manufacturing and assembly, warehousing and inventory tracking, order entry and order management, distribution across all channels, and delivery to the customer” (Wisner, Leong & Tan 2005).

The Bose Corporation is a world renowned manufacturer of high-fidelity speakers and audio equipment. The company’s ability to meet customer demand for their products is dependant on the supply chain and availability of components needed to complete customer orders. The company uses a supply chain network that is spread across the globe, with their primary source of over 50% of purchased components coming from the Far East. Logistics managers within the company bear the responsibility of moving the vast amounts of equipment into production, based on a real-time inventory management system called “ProterLink”. This system

Supply chain is one of the critical aspects that can make or break any company. The research will also concentrate on aspects of supply chain.

This article is about supply chain management (SCM). Its importance in the field of operation management. Supply chain management was discussed from the past three decades. This article tells about how supply chain management developed and how it will proceed in the future. The term “supply chain management” first appeared in the practitioner literature in 1982, which said that SCM is a way to manage resources and assets in a better way.

Supply chain management plays a very crucial role in the success of any organization and how it can cater to a customer’s need and provide the maximum satisfaction. Supply chain management is essentially managing the flow of goods/services of an organization. It involves raw materials storage, transportation, inventory management, distribution and procurement.

According to Hugos (2013), The term Supply chain management arose in the late 1980s, and prior to that time, many business used terms such as operation management and logistics, and supply Chain management can be defined as :” A supply chain consist of all stages involved, directly or indirectly, in fulfilling a customer request. The supply chain not only includes the manufacturer and supplier, but also transporters, warehouses, retailers and customer themselves”

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 cover everything from production by supply chains.

A critical aspect of logistic management is managing inventory moving raw materials into the facility and moving finished goods out to customers. Moving finished goods out to customers is known as distribution. Distribution refers to the process through which goods and services go on their way to customers. The faster and more accurate accompany can fill customers order , the lower the cost for the organization the greater the likelihood that the customers will return .Dell uses a direct channel of distribution. Logistics management helps to contain costs as it relates to transportation when it is well coordinated. Example :when a customer orders a pc from Dell using the direct channel of distribution a courier is contracted to deliver the product to the customer in a specified. With logistics management a customer will be able to receive products ordered on

Supply chain management is a main process in all kinds of companies. That’s because an optimized supply chain results in lower costs and a faster production cycle.

* By now, there’s no doubt that the supply chain will continue to be a driving force in the business.  As a result of the management and measurement changes, IBM’s inventory is at the lowest it’s been in more than 30 years. Further, the ISC reduced supply chain expenses by nearly $300 million in 2004.  The reduced assets and expenses provided cash that could be used for acquisitions to make IBM more competitive.  In addition, the IBM sales team opened up about 25 percent of their time to uncover new client opportunities because of reduced time required to follow-up on orders.

Supply Chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources related to the transfer of products or services from suppliers (supply chains) to customers. Supply chain operations involve converting natural resources, raw materials and components into a finished product to be delivered to the end customer. In complex supply chain systems, the products used can re-enter the supply chain at any point where the residual value can be recycled. Supply chain links the value chain. Supply chain management includes all planning and management related to supply, procurement, conversion, and logistics management activities. Equally important is that it also involves coordination with partner channels such as vendors, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. Essentially, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and outside the company. Supply chain management is an integrated function with the primary responsibility for connecting the core business functions and business processes within companies into a high-performance and engagement business model. It covers all of the logistics management activities outlined above, as well as manufacturing activities, and it promotes collaborative processes and activities with marketing, sales,