Supply Chain, is a concept that is part of the daily logistics routine. It includes the entire business operation, from the acquisition of raw materials to the delivery of the product to the consumer. Despite being an essential process, there are companies that fail to manage it properly.
In other words: they do not maintain the harmony, alignment and integration of all the stages, causing losses and, mainly, dissatisfaction of the final customer. So that you do not run that risk, we suggest you continue reading.
What is supply chain?
The supply chain is defined as a set of activities and tasks involved in the process that range from the purchase of supplies by the company to the delivery of the product to the customer who made the purchase.
Its management must include processes such as:
- Purchase of raw materials;
- Inventory control;
- Creation of barcodes;
- Choose the most suitable packaging;
- Production and storage of products;
- Processing of orders placed by customers;
- Internal movement and transportation;
- Distribution logistics.
All this must be managed in an integrated and organized way to generate positive results for the company. Which means that there is a need to plan, align officials, suppliers, outsourced services, retailers and buyers.
What is supply chain management for?
Its main objective is to adapt the entire process that involves the development and delivery of a product. In this way, it is able to help reduce costs, increase quality and, in the end, generate customer satisfaction.
Do you want an example? Imagine that the sectors of a company do not communicate with each other. The trend is that everyone adopts the process that suits them best, right? This means that the marketing sector can develop super cool and modern packaging without worrying about whether it is resistant to the type of transport adopted.
Therefore, we can say that the supply chain exists so that there is an exchange of information between the sectors, causing them to act in a structured way.
How to properly manage a supply chain?
There is no magic formula for supply chain management, as companies have their own production processes. Therefore, the first step is to carry out a general analysis of the organization, in order to describe how each step occurs.
As we have already mentioned, this mapping must be broad, ranging from the acquisition of inputs to delivery to the final consumer. Ask a few questions, including:
- How is the contact with the supplier? Is it recurrent that the deadlines are met and according to the requests of the productive sector?
- Is your stock structure suitable for your product profile? Do you have control over the amount stored?
- Does the marketing and sales sector operate according to production?
- Are the machines maintained preventively, to avoid sudden stops?
- Is the logistics process planned to meet the deadlines promised to customers?
In addition, it is essential to have an integrated and well-informed team, as well as supply chain consulting firm helps companies to optimize their supply chains through a range of consultancy services.
