The globalisation of markets has increased customer demand and product differentiation. Higher quality products and shorter delivery times are essential for maintaining customer satisfaction in highly competitive markets like the consumer electronics industry. Consequently, supply chain management is an important process in all businesses, and if managed effectively, can give companies a competitive edge. However, it often requires a lot of time and resources. Businesses that manage the entire supply chain in-house will usually find this process almost impossible, especially when supply chain management is not a core competency of the firm. Therefore, a third party logistics provider (3PL) can take the pressure off these companies and allow them to focus on what they are good at. They can offer greater flexibility and access to more advanced supply chain technology. However, this does not mean companies can simply take the back seat. Businesses that are successful work together with their supply chain partners in a close relationship. Only then do they realise the full potential of a 3PL.…
the associated frequent delivery are typical, economy of time has assumed immense importance for business. It is no exaggeration to say that saving time in a company’s supply chain is a key to its success in the market place. Furthermore, a growing community of e-commerce retailers have begun to rely on strategically located ‘‘fulfillment centers” to enable speedy…
According to the case study, Westminster’s vice president of SCM Alex Coldfield visualized three important changes to the supply chain. First, introducing a new and faster technological system such as POS driven information system, with the help of a team-work it will give the company and customers accurate information at the point of sale. Second, Westminster Company should have the ability to reduce order cycle times. At this point, the company will be able to mix merchandise from the three different companies and create a customize order and increase the demand for direct store delivery. Third, by creating customize orders, the need of new programs such UCC 128 and RFID will facilitated the procedures and modify the traditional order fulfillment.…
This creates a complex intra-company and external supply chain consisting of all business processes and information used to provide our product to the customers; this includes everything from procurement of raw materials, through production, and to distribution. Because of the relationship of these facilities they are suppliers and distributers to one another, making the need for…
Westminster Company is a giant Global manufacturer of health products whose brand has been recognized by the world. As the company they have three different operations which produce and distribute different product lines. Their main strategy on which they are working and which is a major success for them is decentralized management. Now they are re-evaluating their traditional supply chain strategy because the company is getting too much pressure from their large domestic’s customers and global customers. Now the company has to study on customer’s composition and customer service requirement. The Westminster Company has to identify accurate and efficient inventory delivery would be another key to success in future. Westminster Company is trying to implement three major changes for their company which are focus on reducing of their order cycle time, focus on customer requirements and changing to forecast response based on sales information.…
Thanks to consistent growth of economy and multidomestic exchange, the logistics industry has been witnessing buoyant growth and will continue this growth momentum in years to come (Rajaram, 2011). The demand for logistics services in China has been largely fueled by consistent growth of economy, and key industries such as automotive, engineering, pharmaceuticals and food processing. Similarly, individuals’ demand for logistics service has been also dramatically increased because of the convenience provided by modern technology such as online shopping. As a result, express companies were founded and promptly expanded to fulfill the customers’ demands for a rapid, efficient and secure shipping service. In China, there are currently more than 1,000 registered express companies operating and offering logistics services to either individuals or organizations. However, it is true that various problems are existing within those companies, which lead to significantly negative impacts on organizational effectiveness and relationship with clients. This report will focus on one representative express company in China, which is called Shentong Express and investigate the company’s problems and underlying causes behind them. This report will also recommend solutions that address the symptoms and causes to improve the organization’s performance and productivity.…
Laura Ashley’s (LA) performance in the recent years leading up to 1999 was poor it was bleeding from its North America operations and was not doing well on the whole. Even after with MUI’s injection of cash, the company was still making a loss which resulted in banks not willing to provide additional funding. LA’s situation can be described as a sinking ship and without the additional funding and drastic measures to control the damage, the ship will sink.…
This report will examine Durham International Manufacturing Company’s (DIMCO) need to implement supply chain management and whether integration efforts should begin with their suppliers, distributors, or both. The author of this report will determine the benefits to DIMCO for leveraging business-to-business e-Commerce strategies; as well as, the steps necessary to improve relationships with current suppliers. Finally, tactics to eliminate waste in the supply chain will be discussed.…
This case study analysis is based on the 2009 case study from Stanford Graduate School of Business titled Zappos.com: Developing a supply chain to deliver WOW! It begins with the general overview of the background, philosophies and current problems faced by Zappos. This is followed by a hierarchal ranking of the four major presenting problems for the company, which are: maintaining the “wow” image without overspending, inventory management/distribution problems, transportation efficiency problems and customer behavior problems.…
Holt Renfrew, is high-end retail chain for designer fashions and cosmetics that imports their products from Europe, Asia and USA. They are facing some challenges regarding the size of their current warehouse and inventory levels. The warehouse is not big enough to accommodate all their inventory and as such goods are always scattered everywhere. They are also finding it difficult to track their orders, due to the fact that they do not have an updated Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to help them track these orders. They follow up over the phone which is never accurate. For this reason, they hardly how much goods are coming in and what to expect at a particular time. This has also created an issue of stock outs. These issues need to be addressed to ensure customer order fulfillment.…
This project paper will describe six components of the FedEx’s supply chain. Also this paper will examine the potential problems related to each of the components and describe and explain the approaches of the organization for solving the problems.…
Sainsbury as the third largest supermarket in United Kingdom is facing a big problem sustaining their business. They have applied IT into its business which eventually caused the supermarket to write off $140million in IT assets, and a further $120million on its distribution system and also failed investments which led to tremendous loss on its sales and market sales. In 2000, Sainsbury’s began its “business transformation programme”. The main plan was the need to cut costs. However, internal research found that the company’s cost-per-case was significantly higher than its nearest rivals like Tesco. Sainsbury’s had been managing distribution in the same way for more than 40 years which is mainframe-based warehouse management system and its distribution centre was very old. Compared to the age of the average Tesco depot of 7 years, Sainsbury’s depots were nearing the end of their useful life. The old depot systems were designed for the purposes such as packing for meat and own brand goods. However, it means that one store could be receiving goods from five or six different depots in any day, which was inefficient. The old delivery system was ill suited to change in customer tastes, habits and store locations.…
1. Stella McCartney is a long-life vegetarian and an animal rights activist, which is evident in her designs as she does not use any leather or fur in her designs. Stella’s style is elegant and feminine, but her style also involves power dressing, with womens suits, stiff jackets and feminine lingerie. Her designs focus heavily on emphasising strong prints such as leopard and floral. There is a feminine, schoolgirl touch to her designs, as she includes loveheart prints and lips. Many of her designs, such as in the Spring 2014 collection, have very stiff structures, and the general silhouette for most designs, is pointed stiff shoulders, with a straight dress or pants, like one long rectangle. Some designs have an hourglass silhouette, as the skirt is fuller and the waist is thin, with stiff shoulders. In this collection, she uses deep mustards and dark browns, pale creams, and reds for the floral designs, subtle pinks and yellows, bright oranges, and blacks with dark greens and blues. Stella has used fake leathers, knitted wool, cotton/polyester, and satins in this collection. There is a range of textures used in this collection. The fake leathers would have a rubbery texture and the print used on them would create a bumpy surface, while the floral cotton/polyester designs would be a soft and smooth texture. The garments with prints would be smooth with a rough surface where the print is, while her designs with applique and beads would be rough and bumpy. Her designs are ‘ready to wear’ garments for women, childrens clothing, and lingerie. Her lingerie is very feminine and petite. The underwear and bras are centred around intricate floral lace that is very sheer and delicate. Stella uses mainly satin and lace in designing her lingerie range, and some designs, such as the bedwear, are made from cotton and polyester. Many of her lingerie designs, are solid colours such as light pinks, apple greens and oranges, while others are shades such as…
The goal of the Laura Ashley and FedEx alliance was to alter the customer service levels of Laura Ashley by offering improved reliability, speed, and frequency. The alliance was a good strategic move for both parties, but more so for Laura Ashley. The agreement had its pros and cons, but overall benefits both companies. The agreement strengthens the competitiveness for both companies. This helps Laura Ashley focus on its product, by having FedEx focus on more efficient, lower cost distribution. This also affects the future retail capabilities for Laura Ashley, while adding onto FedEx’s business with LA. The BLS division of FedEx now has an opportunity to utilize its global assets and potentially open up new future markets. However the steps to achieve these goals have barriers to overcome as well. The major strength is transparency. Making all data available to all parties involved is crucial for success with this alliance. This improves the overall efficiency of the distribution process and saves money in the process. Inventory carrying costs are significantly lower now that all products can be recorded and seen. The two companies are also going to integrate their information technology systems. This will also enhance the distribution and logistics for Laura Ashley. There will be significantly less errors and confusion with the same technology. Logistics and distribution were a major problem because each market area would have different systems within the same company. However, consolidating systems can also be troublesome. Some of these projects can be expensive, counter-productive and overwhelming. The company could have built a common database that combines data from the old system. More importantly, there can be a high degree of disruption with the alliance. With already horrible customer service levels, enhanced disruption could be the “last straw” for some…
Coyle, J, Bardi, E & Langley, J, (2003), The Management of Business Logistics: A Supply Chain Perspective, 7th Edition, South Western, Thomson learning, Canada.…