5 key elements in supply chain management

Introduction

Effective supply chain management remains a challenge for lots of companies.  Many are due to lack of communication, poor management and poor visibility. 

COVID 19  disrupted many businesses especially within the supply chain. Infact, globally 12% of outlets reported heavy disruptions 

While many countries,  especially the more developed ones, are on the road to recovery, lots more supply chains elsewhere still remain severely disrupted.

In this article, we’ll take a glance at  the 5 key elements necessary for an efficient supply chain management

The goal of supply chain planning is to fulfill the demand for consumers

Suppliers are an integral part of any company’s supply chain management system

What is Supply Chain Management?

According to Investopedia “A supply chain may be a network between an organization and its suppliers to provide and distribute a particular product to the final consumer.

This network includes various components i.e activities, people, entities, information, and resources. The supply chain also represents the steps it takes to induce the product or service from its original state to the customer.

5 key elements in supply chain management

Effective planning

The whole supply chain starts with a strategy. It’s essential to finalize the strategies and put them into place before any other steps are taken, like checking demand for products or determining if they’re viable in terms of cost-effectiveness; but it doesn’t stop there!

 

You also have to take into account such things as manpower levels that will be required once your plan has been set up so you can realize future benefits from this point on – effective immediately even.

 

The goal of supply chain planning is to fulfill the demand for consumers while avoiding product overstock and other inventory management inefficiencies that bite into profits.

 

To do this, it’s important to have a good understanding about what products will be needed by your customers as well as how much they’re currently consuming so you can plan ahead accordingly with both increases or decreases based on changing needs.

Sourcing raw materials 

The cost of raw materials can be prohibitive for small businesses that are not able to negotiate supplier discounts. It is important, then – especially in these times when every penny counts-to make sure you’re getting what’s the best price possible by doing your research beforehand and asking about delivery costs too!

 

Suppliers are an integral part of any company’s supply chain management system because they provide raw materials that help create high-quality products.

 

When suppliers cannot deliver on time or within budget, businesses suffer losses and gain a bad reputation in the market. 

 

A powerful role for suppliers involves them being involved from start to finish with planning as well as monitoring progress so there is no arising issue later down the line when it comes to production deadlines etc.  CICOD Merchant enables you to easily source for raw materials from suppliers.

Lean Manufacturing

Lean manufacturing is all about eliminating waste in order to maximize efficiency. Supply chain planning can help with this because it coordinates multiple departments and increases visibility between them so you’ll always know what materials are needed for production, giving your company more confidence when they have an ample amount on hand at any given time.

 

The goal of lean practices like these isn’t just to lower costs but also better customer service by making sure that every detail falls within your expectations without running out before getting started or receiving too many extra shipments (which would happen if not planned properly).

 

The potential for a company to avoid wasting money and time while increasing their output is immense when they implement Just-In Time Supply Management. The benefits of implementing this system far outweigh the costs, which will be eradicated by lean manufacturing practices such as just-in -case planning or kanban systems that limit unnecessary warehousing of inventory due in part from its implementation into production lines where there’s no need for extra space because products can always go back onto an already established schedule based on demand instead.

Delivery Management

When an organization wants to maintain a healthy relationship with their third-party vendor, they should work towards ensuring that the product or service gets delivered on time.

 

In order for this process of delivery and managing relationships between both parties to succeed, it is important not only do we have trust but also transparency so there are no hidden fees involved in either party’s end goal.

 

 CICOD Merchant makes it very easy to please your customers with seamless and uncomplicated delivery service by setting app delivery boundaries and charges via the app or collaborating with a third party logistic partner

Validated Returns Procedure

The returns process is a vital part of any company’s supply chain. In order to ensure that consumers are protected, businesses must have an efficient and effective way for returning goods with errors or malfunctions committed by either party in the transaction at all times – this includes both retailers who sell products as well as manufacturers shipping them out!

 

When a business makes an error in its production or supply chain, it must immediately issue an apology for the mistake. This not only creates good customer bonding but also maintains goodwill over time as well

 

The five key elements listed above create a smooth supply chain management system. It is important to place emphasis on all these components in order for your business or organization’s needs to be met smoothly and without any hiccups along the way!

 

CICOD Merchant is an easy to use application that enables businesses like yours to improve supply chain performance. 

With CICOD, you can  

  • Connect with other buyers and sellers across the value chain. Expand your product offering and profitability
  • Achieve greater visibility across the supply chain
  • Please your customers with seamless and uncomplicated delivery service
  • Implement a valid returns and refunds procedure and lots more

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