Strategic Supply Chain Management - Course Notes
Summary – Strategic Supply Chain Management
Content
Introduction and Course Organization (140917)
“Students will learn how to develop supply chain strategies and supply chain networks based on firms’ competitive strategies and marketing priorities."
Assigned Reading – Dressing for the Weather, Top Supply Chain challenges motivate action
Manufacturing firms increasingly use their supply chains to outperform competitors and to gain market share -> notable on the top management agenda. In the end, business strategy (Which must adapt to changing customer preferences and competitive environments etc.) and supply chain strategy must match and support each other. The article presents a survey that the authors did where they asked a large number (259) of manufacturing firms two questions: What major improvements or changes were implemented for the underlying supply chain of your manufacturing firm’s main product line in the past two years? What major improvements or changes will be implemented in the next two years? Answers for the upcoming supply chain challenges in 09-10 are:
Demand planning and forecasting improvement:
Key capability for manufacturers is to be able to respond rapidly to changes in demand
Need to transition from a supply chain driven strictly by forecasts to a demand-driven one -> customer-focused mindset
Rationalizing and optimizing what firms are best at selling, making and delivering — and aligning the sales force with that mindset — will help a manufacturing firm to create a more customer-focused mindset without sacrificing operational efficiency
New standard reporting systems based on consolidated data for demand planning are needed
Cost reduction:
Process efficiencies drive costs down as teams find best practices and streamline the end-to-end system of supply and delivery
Shorter cycle times and visibility across the supply chain increase responsiveness and customer satisfaction, reduce customer turnover and help to retain valuable
Content
Introduction and Course Organization (140917)
“Students will learn how to develop supply chain strategies and supply chain networks based on firms’ competitive strategies and marketing priorities."
Assigned Reading – Dressing for the Weather, Top Supply Chain challenges motivate action
Manufacturing firms increasingly use their supply chains to outperform competitors and to gain market share -> notable on the top management agenda. In the end, business strategy (Which must adapt to changing customer preferences and competitive environments etc.) and supply chain strategy must match and support each other. The article presents a survey that the authors did where they asked a large number (259) of manufacturing firms two questions: What major improvements or changes were implemented for the underlying supply chain of your manufacturing firm’s main product line in the past two years? What major improvements or changes will be implemented in the next two years? Answers for the upcoming supply chain challenges in 09-10 are:
Demand planning and forecasting improvement:
Key capability for manufacturers is to be able to respond rapidly to changes in demand
Need to transition from a supply chain driven strictly by forecasts to a demand-driven one -> customer-focused mindset
Rationalizing and optimizing what firms are best at selling, making and delivering — and aligning the sales force with that mindset — will help a manufacturing firm to create a more customer-focused mindset without sacrificing operational efficiency
New standard reporting systems based on consolidated data for demand planning are needed
Cost reduction:
Process efficiencies drive costs down as teams find best practices and streamline the end-to-end system of supply and delivery
Shorter cycle times and visibility across the supply chain increase responsiveness and customer satisfaction, reduce customer turnover and help to retain valuable