Supply Chain Management (SCM): all about supply chain management in the digital age

Supply Chain Management is a process in which products are manufactured and made available to end users. It can be achieved through direct sales to customers or indirect sales through intermediaries. This management discipline is highly interconnected and involves several departments, including finance and customer service. Together, they set revenue goals and determine how to spend the money generated from sales. Customer service plays a key role in building an organization’s brand and handling customer inquiries and problem resolution. In the digital age, we often talk about Supply Chain 4.0.

Demand planning

Demand planning is an important part of supply chain management, as it allows companies to provide the best value to customers while keeping their costs as low as possible. This technique consists of collecting data on customers’ buying habits and identifying trends for the coming months. This data allows business owners to make inventory decisions in advance to ensure they have enough stock to meet their customers’ demands.

To make the process as accurate as possible, the demand planner must consider all of the products offered by the company. This is important because the demand for each product will be different. For example, if a company sells smartphones, but continues to sell its older models at a discount, the older model will not be in as much demand as the new one. Therefore, the demand for each product must be calculated separately.

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A good demand planning process will ensure optimal inventory availability, which will allow customers to receive their products on time. It is estimated that companies with good demand planning processes can improve their ability to meet customer orders by 17%. It also means that they can eliminate excess inventory by minimizing the risk of stock outs.

Another important aspect of demand planning is its ability to manage product life cycles. It is about determining the impact of new products on existing products, which is crucial for increasing market share. In addition, demand planners must understand how new products will affect overall planning strategies and overall product cost. For these reasons, it is essential to monitor and control product lines to ensure they are well positioned for the future.

A demand planning model combines technical knowledge with business knowledge and collaboration skills. The Demand Planner must be able to influence department heads and communicate effectively with all levels of the organization. This is key as supply chain initiatives often span multiple business units.

A demand plan can help companies reduce costs on many levels. Not only can it help companies calculate the amount of supplies they need, but it can also help them negotiate better terms with suppliers. With a demand plan in place, you’ll be able to reduce your costs everywhere from production to warehousing.

Logistics management

Logistics management is the process of moving goods and materials through a company’s supply chain in the most efficient manner possible. Its main objectives are to meet customer demand and improve customer service. A well-managed logistics process also helps companies increase profits and protect their reputation.

By controlling the flow of products, companies can ensure timely delivery to their customers. In addition to managing the flow of materials and products, logistics managers implement and coordinate strategies that benefit the business, including using software to coordinate supply chains and develop supplier relationships.

supply chain management

A logistics coordinator may oversee an organization’s purchasing, distribution, and customer service efforts, as well as manage logistics personnel, systems, and coordination with other departments to ensure that material and work flows are optimized. The goal is to enable the company to meet production deadlines and ensure that it is able to provide the highest level of customer service.

The logistics management process also identifies problem areas in the supply chain. These problems usually involve waste and high costs. For example, a product may be ordered in large quantities and remain in a warehouse for several days, resulting in a significant waste of space. In addition, the product may be overproduced, which is costly for the company and has a negative impact on the market price.

The process of moving goods is not easy to predict, and the logistics function is critical to the overall success of a business. It involves planning the transportation network, contracting with third-party logistics providers and implementing a plan. It also includes processes such as promotional bundling and flow of goods documentation.

Supply chain management and logistics are closely related to each other, but the two processes are not identical. Supply Chain Management covers all aspects of the supply chain, such as transportation and inventory, while Supply Chain Management covers these activities, as well as the distribution of finished goods to the customer. It is an integral part of the supply chain, and its main objective is to meet customer needs.

Product portfolio management

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Product portfolio management is a powerful strategy for organizations that want to streamline the flow of products from manufacturing to the sales floor. It can significantly increase sales efficiency, reduce overhead costs and improve the customer experience.

As product demand changes from time to time, it is important to identify and focus on the products that are most valuable to the company. Product portfolio management allows managers to compare related products to assess risk, revenue and cost.

Product portfolios also help identify and allocate resources for the life cycle of each product, as well as how each product relates to others. With this visibility, product managers can choose which products to develop, as well as which strategies to implement to support those products.

In addition to providing visual evidence for product decisions, product portfolio management also helps companies determine which products are most profitable and provide the best customer experience. This practice can help companies identify market opportunities and determine where to invest their resources to increase their market share. It also helps them make more informed decisions when they have to decide to discontinue a product. One of the key challenges in managing a product portfolio is to ensure that it is aligned with the company’s overall strategy.

For example, management may want to focus on immediate profitability, while investors may want to innovate to increase revenues in the future. While these are different priorities, product portfolio management can help companies find the best mix.

Choosing the right technology tool is important for product portfolio managers. It should be flexible enough to grow with your business, and should also allow you to easily visualize your product roadmaps. This will help you determine which products are profitable and which will grow faster. In addition, the right tool will help you track the product development process and allocate resources efficiently.

Product portfolio management is an important part of the supply chain. With the right tools and protocol in place, it can help your business grow in any market.

 

Sales and Operations Planning or S&OP
(sales and operations planning)

The goal of sales and operations planning is to create cohesion between the demand and supply sides of a business. It must be led by an active central figure who oversees and maintains standards and alignment throughout the organization. The organizational structure defines the processes, people and data that support the planning process.

S&OP is a collaborative process that relies on data to help guide decisions. It is an essential element of successful supply chain management and requires close collaboration between departments. It is important to ensure that the data is available to all departments in the company. By focusing on the financial and business impact, S&OP can help companies maintain a profitable supply chain. Here’s how:

 

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Analyze the data

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Anticipating risks

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Optimize the existing

S&OP meetings typically involve senior executives and key stakeholders in the company, including marketing, operations and finance. They use a structured review process to identify opportunities and risks, as well as areas of concern. Participants also assess the capabilities of their systems, personnel and processes.

S&OP should be a medium-term process, with a time horizon of 3 to 18 months. Planning ahead can help ensure that important issues are resolved on time and at a reasonable cost. Large companies typically develop several supply response scenarios, and plan accordingly. This means they can find the most effective solution for their business.

Modern S&OP solutions integrate real-time data, such as user behavior and market information. They allow management to anticipate and adapt to changes in supply and demand. They can also support advanced analytics and what-if simulations, eliminating real risks.


Modern S&OP solutions use cloud-based software, artificial intelligence and machine learning to automate and integrate S&OP processes
.

Sales and operations planning is an integral planning process that aligns supply and demand in the way that best suits a company. It supports management decision-making by comparing anticipated demand with available supply, as well as resources, manpower and physical capacity. Ultimately, this helps companies establish a sustainable competitive advantage.

The concept of sales and operations planning (S&OP) has been around for several decades. It is a practice that involves a unified business plan based on the contribution of the entire company. This cross-functional collaboration results in plans that stakeholders understand and can support. However, this discipline is not suitable for all companies. Many start-ups and small businesses may only need inventory and demand planning. S&OP is most useful for organizations that sell differentiated products.

Supply Chain Management in the digital age:
how does it work?

An effective supply chain management model must be robust and capable of querying data. This is essential to proactively address supply chain issues. It must be able to anticipate peaks and valleys in demand. It must also allow a continuous flow of information. Choosing the right supply chain model depends on your industry and business model.

An effective supply chain management model must be robust and capable of querying data.

This is essential to proactively address supply chain issues.

It must be able to predict peaks and valleys in demand. It must also allow a continuous flow of information. Choosing the right supply chain model depends on your industry and business model. The data from these technology tools allows them to develop accurate forecasts and optimize the use of their workforce and machinery. It also reduces production disruptions that can impact the entire supply chain, creating long delays that add significant costs.

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This makes supply chain management more efficient and reduces production costs. This improves product quality, smoothes out budgets and therefore improves the health of your business.

Supply Chain Management: the importance
of communication and the contribution of technological tools

The role of communication in the supply chain is critical to a company’s effectiveness. When communication is poor or non-existent, the rest of the supply chain suffers. For example, if a supplier delivers the wrong material, it stalls production and distribution and negatively impacts the relationship with customers, which can have a negative impact on sales and revenue. This problem will continue to worsen if companies do not invest in better communication within the supply chain.

Effective communication within the supply chain is the key to its optimization. It ensures seamless communication between the different systems of an enterprise. It maximizes productivity by aligning the goals of the entire organization. With better communication, people in different parts of the supply chain work smarter and more efficiently, which ultimately benefits the customer.

Again, technology tools based on IoT, AI or other technological innovations can help organizations and ensure good communication within their supply chain.

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