jeudi 8 septembre 2016

Important Information On Supply Chain Optimization

By Rebecca Jones


The supply chain is what ensures that products, financial resources and information move from the supplier to the consumer. Depending on the nature of the business, a number of intermediaries (manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers) may be involved. There is a need to properly manage the system so as to realize maximum returns. Supply chain optimization is an aspect that every business should strive to implement in its operations.

A number of factors determine the complexity of a supply chain. These include, for instance, the type of business in question, the processes that have to be carried out for the product to reach the consumers, the size of the market (local or international) and the type of technology that is employed. The advancement in technology that has taken place in recent times has helped increase the interaction between the major players (manufactures, suppliers, retailers and consumers).

Optimization uses various tools and processes to ensure that the operations of the system are as efficient as possible. Such will include, for example, minimization of operation costs such as those related to manufacturing, transportation and distribution. The objective is to deliver products to the end consumers at the lowest possible cost and to generate the highest profit. A number of mathematical modelling techniques that are run by computer software are usually used to achieve this.

The adoption of mobile-based technologies by many of the companies involved in the supply chain has gone a long way into creating efficiency. Areas that have experienced improvements include field sales, product marketing and direct provision of goods and services to consumers. The mobile-based platforms can transmit important information such as product origin, content and manufacturing methodology among others to the prospective consumers.

One of the principles of optimization is to try and predetermine demand accurately. This is done by taking into account historical demand and predicting future events. It is possible to use this approach for aggregated data such as a specific group of customers or a type of merchandise. Safety stock levels have to be managed both for products that have steady demand as well as for those whose demand is erratic.

There is a need to analyze the core strengths of your company and its ability to coordinate the supply chain. Consider outsourcing some of the tasks so as to increase efficiency in the process. It has been established that third party providers give better value than the internal mechanism of an organization. This is because they are usually specialized in a small area of the whole process and have learnt the best practices that can be applied.

Appreciate that the process of optimizing can be long, tiresome and frustrating. Always ensure that you have a global mindset when making decisions. This means that you consider the chain in its entirety and not just one aspect when making decisions. Every time a change is made evaluation should be done to assess impact that it has created. This can then inform your next move.

Optimization of a supply chain brings with it numerous benefits. One of them is that the operation costs are significantly reduced. Increased predictability of product demand by suppliers translates into better customer service. Increased collaboration among the players helps reduce the inventory faster than in cases where such cooperation is non-existent.




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