Operate with One Plan You cannot ‘do’ supply chains – it is a planning concept. Developed in the early 1980s, the term reflects an effective plan that goes across operational disciplines for moving and storing items to meet end user needs. The ‘doing’ is performed by disciplines that are brought together as the Supply Chains group. At the minimum, the … Read More
Supply Chains terms and understanding by senior managers
The challenge of words At a recent aerospace conference, the CEO of a major company stated that he expected the sector to be affected by supply chain issues until the end of 2024. Of greater concern for supply chain professionals, he stated that “we have to resolve the supply chain issues and the surprises associated with them; and we have … Read More
Planning Operational Capacity in your Supply Chains
Capacity challenge Flows of materials and items through an organisation’s supply chains are governed by inventory, lead times and capacity – the triangle of operational resources that provide Availability of products for customers. Of the three, operational capacity within a business is the resource least influenced by external events and decisions and therefore more able to be planned. Operational capacity … Read More
The changing role of Procurement is wider and deeper
Manager of external risks Disruption in the worlds supply chains are unlikely to reduce in number or severity, especially as the influence of climate change increases. There is an increasing need within companies to identify and understand the risks attached to the supply of materials and components, especially those from a single source supplier or country or geographical cluster. Every … Read More
Procurement sourcing change a challenge in this decade
Procurement strategy varies The disruption experienced in the recent past highlighted that complex supply chains can delay the planned introduction of new products, shipping schedules can (and do) change at short notice so that lead time are doubtful and the total cost of ownership (TCO) becomes difficult to calculate. However, within the new terminology of flexibility, resilience and sustainability there … Read More