A new trade agreement. Your business is satisfied with its current arrangements with suppliers and service providers through each supply chain. But, due to external events, the equilibrium that has existed between your organisation and the parties in your supply network will change. As the equilibrium changes, then change may need to be imposed on the structure and contracts within … Read More
Supply Chains for management of intermediate products
An intermediate product. In commercial supply chains, supply chains can take different forms in response to the needs of particular markets. It is a role of logisticians to evaluate the supply chains and structure them to best meet the needs of their markets. The previous blog discussed the situation of a franchise based fresh food services business and the need … Read More
Increase and decrease purchased items in supply chains
Improve performance by ‘doing something’. Increase sales and/or profitability or reduce cost. This is the pressure that a new CEO or division manager can often be under; preferably to ‘do something’ that affects all three – and the pressure is increased if the business is not performing to expectations. But can ‘doing something’ lead to sub-optimal supply chain decisions? A … Read More
Responsiveness potential of your core supply chains
Definition or measure of achievement. Agile, like Lean before it, is a concept that has existed for decades. It contains much merit, but commentators have tended to promote both concepts as vital to business survival, have minimal ‘steps to success’ and by themselves will solve an organisation’s problems. So, like the introduction of new technologies, we go through the “Hype … Read More
Operations Planning in a changing demand market profile
A changing business landscape. Organisations tend to take a safe path when selecting an enterprise resources planning (ERP) system. The desire from senior management and corporate IT for an ‘integrated’ system can override calls from functions to implement applications that best suit the needs of the organisation. This situation can occur for Operations Planning, a core part of your supply chains. … Read More