Supply Chain Coordination:
Definition:
Coordination in the supply chain involves harmonizing the activities and efforts of different entities (e.g., suppliers, manufacturers, distributors) to work together seamlessly. It aims to eliminate inefficiencies, reduce costs, and enhance overall supply chain performance.
Key Aspects of Coordination:
Information Sharing: Coordinated supply chains involve sharing real-time information among all stakeholders. This helps in making informed decisions and responding quickly to changes in demand or supply.
Joint Planning: Entities within the supply chain collaboratively plan and set common goals. This includes production schedules, inventory levels, and order quantities to avoid conflicts and ensure synchronization.
Risk Management: Coordination helps in identifying and addressing risks collectively. Strategies are developed to manage and mitigate risks that may affect any part of the supply chain.
Performance Measurement: Establishing shared performance metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) allows all participants to assess their contributions and identify areas for improvement.
Advantages of Coordination:
Efficiency: Eliminates redundancies and reduces operational costs by streamlining processes.
Improved Responsiveness: Enables a faster response to changes in demand, supply disruptions, or market conditions.
Enhanced Customer Satisfaction: Coordinated efforts result in better service levels, meeting customer expectations more effectively.
Challenges:
Information Sharing Concerns: Entities may be hesitant to share sensitive information due to competitive concerns.
Resistance to Change: Existing processes and practices may face resistance when transitioning to a more coordinated approach.
Supply Chain Integration:
Definition:
Integration in the supply chain involves the seamless connection of different functions, processes, and entities within the supply chain to operate as a unified whole. It aims to break down silos and create a more cohesive and collaborative network.
Key Aspects of Integration:
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Integrating functions such as production, marketing, and logistics ensures that decisions and actions are aligned across the entire supply chain.
Technological Integration: Implementing integrated information systems and technologies facilitates real-time communication and data sharing between different stages of the supply chain.
Unified Planning: Integrated supply chains have unified planning processes that consider the entire supply chain, from procurement to distribution, in a coordinated manner.
Shared Resources: Resources, such as warehouses or transportation, are shared efficiently to optimize costs and improve overall resource utilization.
Advantages of Integration:
Improved Visibility: Enhanced visibility across the supply chain allows for better decision-making and responsiveness.
Cost Reduction: Integrating processes and sharing
2. Introduction
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A well managed supply chain links the suppliers,
manufacturers, distributers and customers by a
suitable information system for controlling across
boarder in order to achieve optimum productivity,
overall satisfaction and joyful relation at cheaper
cost.
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Need of IT
Information technology offers many opportunities for companies
to cut cost and improve responsiveness to customer’s needs.
Some of the positive points of IT enabled services are:
IT is comparatively less capital intensive.
It is environmental friendly and clean.
It is not location specific and can be undertaken from
anywhere.
It does not require expensive infrastructure facilities
5. Apart from the above-mentioned basic roles, there are
three functional roles of IT in supply chain management.
These are:
1. Transaction Execution
2. Collaboration and Coordination
3. Decision Support
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6. Types of e-Commerce or Forms of E-Business
1. Business-to-Business (B2B)
2. Business-to-Consumer (B2C)
3. Consumer-to-Consumer (C2C)
4. Consumer-to-Business (C2B)
5. Consumer-to-Administration (C2A)
6. Business-to-Administration (B2A)
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7. Impact of Internet and E-Business
Electronic Commerce
Electronic Data Interchange
Bar coding and Scanner
Data warehouse
Enterprise Resource planning (ERP) tools
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8. The future of supply chain management
1. Technology complements teams
2. IoT makes warehouses smarter
3. Pre-fulfillment speed becomes vital
4. Customization along the supply chain
5. Inventory flow optimization
6. Further optimization of working capital
7. Enhanced relationships with suppliers
8. Blockchain provides universal visibility
9. Capacity ‘crunch’ continues, or does it?
10. Integration into overall operations
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