Essentials of Supply Chain Management

Streamlining supply chain efficiency to maximize profitability This practical guide describes how the supply chain operates and discusses the issues and techniques that are relevant for companies seeking to improve the management of their supply chains. Organized using the features of the Essentials series, this easy-to-use guide contains tips and techniques for maximizing supply chain innovation strategies, as well as real-world examples developed from working with companies such as Johnson Wax, Starbucks, Borg-Warner, and Premier Health Care. Supply chain expert Michael Hugos analyzes the components of a well designed and managed supply chain, explains the metrics involved in measuring performance, and presents a pragmatic approach to designing and building supply chain systems. Michael Hugos (Chicago, IL) is the Chief Information Officer of Network Services Company, a $6.8 Billion distribution organization serving customers throughout North America. He has extensive experience in distribution, logistics, and applying technology to meet the challenges of supply chain management. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University s Kellogg School of Management.

The bestselling guide to the field, updated with the latest innovations Essentials of Supply Chain Management is the definitive guide to the field, providing both broad coverage and necessary detail from a practical, real-world perspective. From clear explanation of fundamental concepts to insightful discussion of supply chain innovation, this book offers students and professionals a comprehensive introduction with immediately-applicable understanding. The fourth edition has been updated to reflect the current state of the field, with coverage of the latest technologies and new case studies that illustrate critical concepts in action. Organized for easy navigation and ease-of-use, this invaluable guide also serves as a quick reference for managers in the field seeking tips and techniques for maximizing efficiency and turning the supply chain into a source of competitive advantage. The supply chain underpins the entire structure of manufacturing and retailing. Well-run, it can help a company become a global behemoth—or, if poorly-managed, it can sink a company before the product ever sees the light of day. The supply chain involves many moving parts, constantly-changing variables, and a network of other business that may have different priorities and interests—keeping it all running smoothly is a complex, but immensely powerful skill. This book takes you inside the supply chain to show you what you need to know. Understand the fundamental concepts behind supply chain management Learn how supply chains work, and how to measure their performance Explore the ways in which innovation is improving supply chains around the world Examine the supply chain as a source of competitive advantage Whether you’re at the front or the back of your supply chain, your business is affected by every other company and event in the chain. Deep understanding and a host of practical skills are required to accurately predict, react to, and manage the ever-changing stream of events that could potentially disrupt the flow. Essentials of Supply Chain Management prepares you to take on the challenge and succeed.

Increase your knowledge of supply chain management and leverage it properly for your business   If you own or make decisions for a business, you need to master the critical concept of supply chain management. Supply Chain Management For Dummies, 2nd Edition guides you to an understanding of what a supply chain is and how to leverage this system effectively across your business, no matter its size or industry. The book helps you learn about the areas of business that make up a supply chain, from procurement to operations to distribution. And it explains the importance of supporting functions like sales, information technology, and human resources. You’ll be prepared to align the parts of this system to meet the needs of customers, suppliers, and shareholders. By viewing the company as a supply chain, you’ll be able to make decisions based on how they will affect every part of the chain. To help you fully understand supply chains, the author focuses on the Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) model. This approach allows all types of professionals to handle their work demands. • Use metrics to improve processes • Evaluate business risks through analytics • Choose the right software and automation processes • Plan for your supply chain management certification and continuing education A single business decision in one department can have unplanned effects in one or more areas, such as purchasing or operations. Supply Chain Management For Dummies helps you grasp the connections between business lines for wiser decision making and planning.

Learn from leaders across industries to develop a tech-enabled «best-in-class» supply chain Supply Chain Management Best Practices , Third Edition, is the long-awaited update to a classic resource. Since the second edition was published, the demands of the marketplace have radically shifted the dynamics of supply chain management. Transportation and fulfillment must now accommodate the technological gains that have transferred computing power from mainframes and workstations into smartphones in hands around the world. This updated book covers the new concepts, processes, and technologies that today’s supply chain professionals must know—including drones, the Internet of Things, same-day delivery, artificial intelligence, and more. Award-winning author David Blanchard discusses how companies are actively using these technologies and gaining competitive advantage through their implementation. Like its predecessors, this edition focuses on industry trends and case studies, offering the stories, recent examples of supply chain initiatives, and insights into new best practices. You'll learn proven methods for measuring the performance of a supply chain, including traditional core processes and new, extended strategies being used by today’s leading companies. Identifies proven strategies, solutions, and performance metrics for supply chain management best practices Shows how to manage supply chains in a global marketplace and how to choose third-party providers Includes new coverage of today’s game-changing supply chain technologies: drones, the Internet of Things, same-day delivery, omni-channel distribution, artificial intelligence, Uber-style freight transportation apps, blockchain, robotics, and more Discusses supply chain metrics, planning and forecasting, procurement, manufacturing, transportation, distribution, globalization, customer service, risk management, supply chain finance, and workforce management This invaluable guide for supply chain professionals, CFOs, CIOs, and others, also offers guidance on green supply chains and managing logistics in a global environment.

Packed with abundant anecdotes, interviews, case studies, research, and analysis, Supply Chain Management Best Practices offers a comprehensive and unflinching look at the development of supply chain management. Author David Blanchard—Editor in Chief of Logistics Today, the leading supply chain publication—presents success stories through the eyes of practitioners and experts at competitive companies of all sizes and in various industries, who share their secrets, experiences, and accomplishments to help you get your own company on the «best practices» track.

Learn what it takes to develop and have a «best-in-class» supply chain This new edition shows you how to build supply chains that work by illustrating how leading companies are doing it. Identifying world-class supply chains in more than a dozen different industries and explaining in detail how these companies got to where they are, this essential book reveals the proven strategies, solutions, and performance metrics used by leading companies to design their extended enterprises. Identifies proven strategies, solutions, and performance metrics for supply chain management best practice benchmarks Shows how to manage supply chains in a global marketplace and how to choose third-party providers New edition includes new chapters on green supply chains and lean supply chains, and expanded analysis of emerging technologies Includes coverage of supply chain metrics, planning and forecasting, procurement, manufacturing, transportation, globalization, customer service, collaboration, security, and workforce management Written by the Editorial Director of Penton Media's Supply Chain Group and a Contributing Editor to IndustryWeek magazine It also offers guidance on the latest technology, green supply chains, going lean, how to choose third-party logistics providers, and how to manage the supply chain in a global environment.

Everyone can impact the supply chain Supply Chain Management For Dummies helps you connect the dots between things like purchasing, logistics, and operations to see how the big picture is affected by seemingly isolated inefficiencies. Your business is a system, made of many moving parts that must synchronize to most efficiently meet the needs of your customers—and your shareholders. Interruptions in one area ripple throughout the entire operation, disrupting the careful coordination that makes businesses successful; that's where supply chain management (SCM) comes in. SCM means different things to different people, and many different models exist to meet the needs of different industries. This book focuses on the broadly-applicable Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR) Model: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return, and Enable, to describe the basic techniques and key concepts that keep businesses running smoothly. Whether you're in sales, HR, or product development, the decisions you make every day can impact the supply chain. This book shows you how to factor broader impact into your decision making process based on your place in the system. Improve processes by determining your metrics Choose the right software and implement appropriate automation Evaluate and mitigate risks at all steps in the supply chain Help your business function as a system to more effectively meet customer needs We tend to think of the supply chain as suppliers, logistics, and warehousing—but it's so much more than that. Every single person in your organization, from the mailroom to the C-suite, can work to enhance or hinder the flow. Supply Chain Management For Dummies shows you what you need to know to make sure your impact leads to positive outcomes.

A solid introduction to materials management and the tools needed to create a world-class materials management program This nuts-and-bolts guide presents an overview of the inner workings of the materials process, as well as the best practices to achieve a world-class operating system that will help to eliminate ineffective materials management. Coverage includes discussion of material requirements planning, planning parameters, electronic data interchange, and material control graphs and reports, among many other topics. Thorough and practical, Materials Management explains the impact that inadequate inventory control has on a company and how these poor controls can reduce production, cause inefficiencies in labor, create excessive inventory, and increase freight expenses. Stan McDonald (Northville, MI) is an independent consultant on materials management. Throughout his 30-year career, he has held various positions in the supply chain/materials management arena.

Over the past decade organizations have faced relentless customer demand for better value at less cost, individual customization, greater choice, faster delivery, higher quality, exceptional service, and more recently – increased environmental and social consciousness. The organization’s weapon of choice to address this increasing demand has been the supply chain. However, as the supply chain footprint changed (e.g. outsourcing, off-shoring and customer/vendor empowerment) so did the organization’s exposure to uncertainty. Organizations were taken by surprise since this exposure was unanticipated, complex and beyond their ability to manage. As customers become more demanding and change occurs at an even greater pace, supply chain risk continues to propagate like a parasite. Organizations and societies are at much greater risk of systemic failure because of the massive interdependency throughout global supply chains. The priority now is two-fold; play catch-up and address these massive gaps while deploying more intelligent and integrated strategies (i.e. social aware, instinctive, dynamic and predictive) for dealing with continuous change. Single Point of Failure: The 10 Essential Laws of Supply Chain Risk Management uses analogies and dozens of case histories to describe the risk parasite that infects all supply chains while revealing methods to neutralize that parasite. The book addresses the questions: What are the «single points of failure»? How exposed are customers, investors, other stakeholders and ultimately the organization? What is the measurable impact (i.e. brand, financial, strategic, and non-compliance)? Who establishes the «risk paradigm»? How does the organization efficiently and effectively allocate precious resources – time, people, management attention, and capital? How is success measured? This book is both technically powerful and effectively realistic, based on today's complex global economy.