Apple is known for its innovative electronic devices and strong supply chain management. It was named the company with the best supply chain practices for the third year in a row. Apple manages both digital and physical supply chains efficiently at low cost by setting impossible targets, prioritizing action, simplifying processes, and enhancing supplier relationships. This operational excellence gives Apple a competitive advantage through high control over costs, speed to market, demand-based delivery, and high quality.
The document presents on material and logistics management at Apple. It discusses Apple's founding in 1976 and rebranding in 2007. Apple's supply chain management prioritizes customers, cost cutting, setting impossible targets, prioritizing actions, adopting process views, simplifying products and processes, and enhancing relationships. The document also lists four reasons for Apple being a global supply chain leader: focusing on excellence, technology, trusted suppliers, and efficient logistics. It provides references for further information on Apple's supply chain improvements and leadership.
Apple has the best supply chain according to AMR Research for three years running. Apple is able to efficiently bring together digital and physical supply chains at low cost. Key suppliers for the iPhone include Samsung, Infineon, Primax Electronics and Foxconn. China serves as the assembly hub. Benefits of Apple's supply chain include reduced costs, real-time information flow, and a collaborative framework. Competitive advantages include simplicity through intuitive interfaces, quality from hardware/software integration, and innovation control.
A Study under Prof. James Hogan for understanding Apple’s Supply Chain with focus on Apple iPhone, supplier selection and global supply chain management.
Full strategic case analysis for Apple incorporation including industry , competitor's and firm's self analysis. It covers all the strategic issues facing the industry and Apple inc. as well as the recommended solutions for these issues on business and corporate levels.
The study shows the development on the Apple Inc. mission& vision and the strategic objectives over time.
1) The document discusses how Apple, Google, and Microsoft have used competitive strategies against each other in different technology areas like internet search, mobile advertising, software, smartphones, and music players.
2) It analyzes their relationships and competitive interactions over time in these areas using principles of game theory, such as strategic foresight, understanding their own and others' strengths, and differentiating between one-time and repeated interactions.
3) However, it notes that real-world behavior is more complex than game theory assumptions due to factors like personal relationships, distrust between companies, and changing business strategies.
Apple is known for its innovative electronic devices and strong supply chain management. It was named the company with the best supply chain practices for the third year in a row. Apple manages both digital and physical supply chains efficiently at low cost by setting impossible targets, prioritizing action, simplifying processes, and enhancing supplier relationships. This operational excellence gives Apple a competitive advantage through high control over costs, speed to market, demand-based delivery, and high quality.
The document presents on material and logistics management at Apple. It discusses Apple's founding in 1976 and rebranding in 2007. Apple's supply chain management prioritizes customers, cost cutting, setting impossible targets, prioritizing actions, adopting process views, simplifying products and processes, and enhancing relationships. The document also lists four reasons for Apple being a global supply chain leader: focusing on excellence, technology, trusted suppliers, and efficient logistics. It provides references for further information on Apple's supply chain improvements and leadership.
Apple has the best supply chain according to AMR Research for three years running. Apple is able to efficiently bring together digital and physical supply chains at low cost. Key suppliers for the iPhone include Samsung, Infineon, Primax Electronics and Foxconn. China serves as the assembly hub. Benefits of Apple's supply chain include reduced costs, real-time information flow, and a collaborative framework. Competitive advantages include simplicity through intuitive interfaces, quality from hardware/software integration, and innovation control.
A Study under Prof. James Hogan for understanding Apple’s Supply Chain with focus on Apple iPhone, supplier selection and global supply chain management.
Full strategic case analysis for Apple incorporation including industry , competitor's and firm's self analysis. It covers all the strategic issues facing the industry and Apple inc. as well as the recommended solutions for these issues on business and corporate levels.
The study shows the development on the Apple Inc. mission& vision and the strategic objectives over time.
1) The document discusses how Apple, Google, and Microsoft have used competitive strategies against each other in different technology areas like internet search, mobile advertising, software, smartphones, and music players.
2) It analyzes their relationships and competitive interactions over time in these areas using principles of game theory, such as strategic foresight, understanding their own and others' strengths, and differentiating between one-time and repeated interactions.
3) However, it notes that real-world behavior is more complex than game theory assumptions due to factors like personal relationships, distrust between companies, and changing business strategies.
This summary provides an overview of the key points from the Apple Inc. case study document:
1. Apple has grown tremendously since its inception in 1976 to become one of the largest companies in the world in 2015, however, maintaining success and innovation without Steve Jobs' visionary leadership presents challenges.
2. The document identifies some potential human resources issues Apple may face, including employee selection and retention problems at retail stores, as well as labor and safety compliance issues with outsourced manufacturing in China.
3. Apple's large size and reliance on manufacturing brings environmental sustainability concerns as the company's carbon footprint and resource use increases along with production demands. Ensuring compliance with social and environmental standards across its extensive supply
Competitive Strategy Porter with Patent Wars Game Samsung Vs AppleWissam Saleh
A chapter summery of Porter's great book : "Competitive Strategy" with a simple game of patent wars ( Prisoners Dilemma ) applied on the case of Samsung and Apple .
The document discusses Apple's supply chain processes and challenges. It indicates that Apple's success depends on how well it manages supplier relationships, including early supplier involvement in product development and close communication. This allows Apple to minimize costs and maximize service levels. Some challenges Apple faces include potential impacts from the global economy, risk of obsolete inventory, reliance on single sources for some components, and dependence on outsourcing partners for logistics.
This document outlines an introduction to marketing presentation given by Harryadin Mahardika. It discusses the history and evolution of marketing from sales departments to cross-functional departments. It covers key marketing concepts like market segmentation, the marketing mix of product, price, place and promotion, consumer behavior, relationship marketing, and digital/mobile marketing. The presentation also addresses major marketing strategies including strategic marketing, consumer behavior, marketing communications, channel management, and marketing contexts.
The document discusses Apple's product and corporate strategy, distribution channels, and conclusions/recommendations. It notes that Apple leverages its ability to develop software, hardware, and services for personal computers and portable devices. It also describes Apple's various distribution channels including flagship stores, online stores, and partnerships with select retailers. It analyzes the advantages and challenges of Apple's multichannel strategy. The document concludes that Apple may need to increasingly focus on services as the hardware market becomes less differentiated.
This document provides an overview of Apple's operations including its manufacturing locations, current products, demand forecasting approach, layout, inventory management, capacity management, and competitive advantages. The manufacturing plant is located in Silicon Valley, known for technology corporations. Current products include desktops, laptops, iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Apple uses a bottom-up approach to forecasting sales over two quarters. It employs a cellular layout and manages inventory through manufacturing methods. Capacity is increased through diversification, new product development, and new plants. Apple's competitive advantages include integrating multiple products and developing hardware, software, and services.
Global supply chain management involves coordinating activities across countries. A global supply chain connects organizations worldwide to source materials and produce goods for customers. Managing such a complex network introduces challenges like long distances, currency fluctuations, and differing business environments. However, companies also benefit from expanded markets, lower costs, and competitive advantages. To operate efficiently, firms must integrate worldwide operations and have the agility to respond to various global factors. For example, a large computer company redesigned its supply chain from 33 plants across many countries to 12 plants within 3 regional zones, reducing costs and improving profits.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computers Inc. on April 1, 1976 to sell the Apple 1 personal computer kit. The name "Apple" was chosen by Jobs, and the first logo depicted Sir Isaac Newton under an apple tree. In 1977, Rob Janoff designed the iconic rainbow-colored Apple logo. The logo was simplified in 1997 to a solid color. Apple is committed to bringing innovative hardware, software, and internet offerings to students and consumers worldwide.
The document provides an overview of computer hardware and software components. It discusses the main physical components of a computer including input devices like keyboards and mice, processing units, storage devices, and output devices like monitors. It also describes the basic units of digital information like bits and bytes and how they are used to store and represent data. Common storage media are explained such as hard drives, flash memory, CDs/DVDs, and floppy disks. An overview of computer specifications and performance from 1982 to 2007 is also presented.
Coffee Value Chain: a blend of upgrading - Duke viu workshop2009ConectaDEL
This document summarizes the global coffee value chain, including key actors and issues. It discusses the environmental, social, and economic challenges and opportunities for upgrading at different stages of the chain. Specifically, it examines questions around how the chain structure impacts upgrading potential, driving upgrading strategies, and who captures the gains. It outlines a methodology to study upgrading in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Vietnam through case studies and causal explanations.
This document provides an overview of Apple Inc. including its history, leadership, products, strategy, and industry environment. Some key points:
1. Apple started in 1977 and is now the largest US company, known for innovating products like the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
2. Its mission is to define the future of mobile media and computing devices. Core values include innovation through research-driven strategy and an intentional lack of external disclosure.
3. Apple faces opportunities like growing demand for education and mobility technologies, but also threats like intense competition and increasing regulations.
- 95% of customers don't consider Apple products, but there are huge growth possibilities with superior products. Apple stores display products fully operational to match their "hit product" strategy and convey value with an inspiring buying experience.
- Apple aims to set the standard buying experience as inspiration for resellers. 75% of overall sales are to consumers and small/medium businesses who are emotionally driven and sensitive to the purchasing experience.
- Education emphasizes simplicity and reliability with standardized laptops and wireless networks. Enterprises, government, and creative professionals require high performance and service levels.
This document provides a situational analysis and recommendations for Lenovo's strategy in India. It summarizes Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC business, its focus on innovation, and challenges in changing perceptions as a Chinese company. It evaluates options to continue the innovation strategy or adopt new marketing, and recommends continuing innovation while improving product value and customer relationships through better services.
E-commerce is emerging as a way to provide solutions to problems along the supply chain. It facilitates buying, selling, and collaborating between partners in the supply chain. While integrating e-commerce with existing ERP systems leverages prior investments, such integration can be difficult due to the complexity and inflexibility of ERP systems. Order fulfillment is a key area that sometimes faces problems with e-commerce supply chains, especially for B2C transactions, but innovative solutions around delivery times and returns processing are helping to address these issues.
Global supply chain management involves planning and coordinating all supply chain activities, including sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and distribution. It aims to integrate supply and demand management across companies and their suppliers and customers. The global supply chain includes suppliers, corporations, and customers, with the flow of information, products, and funds between them. Key supply chain activities are purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, distribution, transportation, and marketing. The supply chain can be simple, involving a supplier, company, and customer, or extended to include additional suppliers, customers, and service providers.
Students should be able to:
Use simple game theory to illustrate the interdependence that exists in oligopolistic markets
Understanding the prisoners’ dilemma and a simple two firm/two outcome model. Students should analyse the advantages/disadvantages of being a first mover
Students will not be expected to have an understanding of the Nash Equilibrium
Apple inc. Strategic Case Analysis PresentationMahy Helal
Apple Inc. is an American technology company headquartered in California. The document provides an overview of Apple, including its history, products, competitors, financial analysis, key success factors, and SWOT analysis. Recommendations for Apple include focusing on differentiated branding, expanding Apple stores internationally, and emphasizing its integrated product ecosystem in marketing. An action plan should prioritize tasks and monitor progress to efficiently implement strategies.
This document discusses achieving strategic fit between a company's competitive strategy and its supply chain strategy. It outlines three key steps: 1) Understanding customer needs and how they impact supply chain uncertainty. 2) Understanding the company's supply chain capabilities and how to balance responsiveness and efficiency. 3) Aligning the supply chain strategy to best meet customer needs given the company's supply chain capabilities. Strategic fit is achieved when a company's supply chain strategy supports its competitive strategy to satisfy customer priorities. The document also discusses factors like product life cycles and competitive changes that require evolving the supply chain strategy over time.
Beyond the Basics of A/B Tests: Highly Innovative Experimentation Tactics You...Aggregage
This webinar will explore cutting-edge, less familiar but powerful experimentation methodologies which address well-known limitations of standard A/B Testing. Designed for data and product leaders, this session aims to inspire the embrace of innovative approaches and provide insights into the frontiers of experimentation!
This summary provides an overview of the key points from the Apple Inc. case study document:
1. Apple has grown tremendously since its inception in 1976 to become one of the largest companies in the world in 2015, however, maintaining success and innovation without Steve Jobs' visionary leadership presents challenges.
2. The document identifies some potential human resources issues Apple may face, including employee selection and retention problems at retail stores, as well as labor and safety compliance issues with outsourced manufacturing in China.
3. Apple's large size and reliance on manufacturing brings environmental sustainability concerns as the company's carbon footprint and resource use increases along with production demands. Ensuring compliance with social and environmental standards across its extensive supply
Competitive Strategy Porter with Patent Wars Game Samsung Vs AppleWissam Saleh
A chapter summery of Porter's great book : "Competitive Strategy" with a simple game of patent wars ( Prisoners Dilemma ) applied on the case of Samsung and Apple .
The document discusses Apple's supply chain processes and challenges. It indicates that Apple's success depends on how well it manages supplier relationships, including early supplier involvement in product development and close communication. This allows Apple to minimize costs and maximize service levels. Some challenges Apple faces include potential impacts from the global economy, risk of obsolete inventory, reliance on single sources for some components, and dependence on outsourcing partners for logistics.
This document outlines an introduction to marketing presentation given by Harryadin Mahardika. It discusses the history and evolution of marketing from sales departments to cross-functional departments. It covers key marketing concepts like market segmentation, the marketing mix of product, price, place and promotion, consumer behavior, relationship marketing, and digital/mobile marketing. The presentation also addresses major marketing strategies including strategic marketing, consumer behavior, marketing communications, channel management, and marketing contexts.
The document discusses Apple's product and corporate strategy, distribution channels, and conclusions/recommendations. It notes that Apple leverages its ability to develop software, hardware, and services for personal computers and portable devices. It also describes Apple's various distribution channels including flagship stores, online stores, and partnerships with select retailers. It analyzes the advantages and challenges of Apple's multichannel strategy. The document concludes that Apple may need to increasingly focus on services as the hardware market becomes less differentiated.
This document provides an overview of Apple's operations including its manufacturing locations, current products, demand forecasting approach, layout, inventory management, capacity management, and competitive advantages. The manufacturing plant is located in Silicon Valley, known for technology corporations. Current products include desktops, laptops, iPhones, iPads, and iPods. Apple uses a bottom-up approach to forecasting sales over two quarters. It employs a cellular layout and manages inventory through manufacturing methods. Capacity is increased through diversification, new product development, and new plants. Apple's competitive advantages include integrating multiple products and developing hardware, software, and services.
Global supply chain management involves coordinating activities across countries. A global supply chain connects organizations worldwide to source materials and produce goods for customers. Managing such a complex network introduces challenges like long distances, currency fluctuations, and differing business environments. However, companies also benefit from expanded markets, lower costs, and competitive advantages. To operate efficiently, firms must integrate worldwide operations and have the agility to respond to various global factors. For example, a large computer company redesigned its supply chain from 33 plants across many countries to 12 plants within 3 regional zones, reducing costs and improving profits.
Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak founded Apple Computers Inc. on April 1, 1976 to sell the Apple 1 personal computer kit. The name "Apple" was chosen by Jobs, and the first logo depicted Sir Isaac Newton under an apple tree. In 1977, Rob Janoff designed the iconic rainbow-colored Apple logo. The logo was simplified in 1997 to a solid color. Apple is committed to bringing innovative hardware, software, and internet offerings to students and consumers worldwide.
The document provides an overview of computer hardware and software components. It discusses the main physical components of a computer including input devices like keyboards and mice, processing units, storage devices, and output devices like monitors. It also describes the basic units of digital information like bits and bytes and how they are used to store and represent data. Common storage media are explained such as hard drives, flash memory, CDs/DVDs, and floppy disks. An overview of computer specifications and performance from 1982 to 2007 is also presented.
Coffee Value Chain: a blend of upgrading - Duke viu workshop2009ConectaDEL
This document summarizes the global coffee value chain, including key actors and issues. It discusses the environmental, social, and economic challenges and opportunities for upgrading at different stages of the chain. Specifically, it examines questions around how the chain structure impacts upgrading potential, driving upgrading strategies, and who captures the gains. It outlines a methodology to study upgrading in Brazil, Costa Rica, Ethiopia and Vietnam through case studies and causal explanations.
This document provides an overview of Apple Inc. including its history, leadership, products, strategy, and industry environment. Some key points:
1. Apple started in 1977 and is now the largest US company, known for innovating products like the Mac, iPod, iPhone, and iPad.
2. Its mission is to define the future of mobile media and computing devices. Core values include innovation through research-driven strategy and an intentional lack of external disclosure.
3. Apple faces opportunities like growing demand for education and mobility technologies, but also threats like intense competition and increasing regulations.
- 95% of customers don't consider Apple products, but there are huge growth possibilities with superior products. Apple stores display products fully operational to match their "hit product" strategy and convey value with an inspiring buying experience.
- Apple aims to set the standard buying experience as inspiration for resellers. 75% of overall sales are to consumers and small/medium businesses who are emotionally driven and sensitive to the purchasing experience.
- Education emphasizes simplicity and reliability with standardized laptops and wireless networks. Enterprises, government, and creative professionals require high performance and service levels.
This document provides a situational analysis and recommendations for Lenovo's strategy in India. It summarizes Lenovo's acquisition of IBM's PC business, its focus on innovation, and challenges in changing perceptions as a Chinese company. It evaluates options to continue the innovation strategy or adopt new marketing, and recommends continuing innovation while improving product value and customer relationships through better services.
E-commerce is emerging as a way to provide solutions to problems along the supply chain. It facilitates buying, selling, and collaborating between partners in the supply chain. While integrating e-commerce with existing ERP systems leverages prior investments, such integration can be difficult due to the complexity and inflexibility of ERP systems. Order fulfillment is a key area that sometimes faces problems with e-commerce supply chains, especially for B2C transactions, but innovative solutions around delivery times and returns processing are helping to address these issues.
Global supply chain management involves planning and coordinating all supply chain activities, including sourcing, procurement, manufacturing, logistics, and distribution. It aims to integrate supply and demand management across companies and their suppliers and customers. The global supply chain includes suppliers, corporations, and customers, with the flow of information, products, and funds between them. Key supply chain activities are purchasing, manufacturing, logistics, distribution, transportation, and marketing. The supply chain can be simple, involving a supplier, company, and customer, or extended to include additional suppliers, customers, and service providers.
Students should be able to:
Use simple game theory to illustrate the interdependence that exists in oligopolistic markets
Understanding the prisoners’ dilemma and a simple two firm/two outcome model. Students should analyse the advantages/disadvantages of being a first mover
Students will not be expected to have an understanding of the Nash Equilibrium
Apple inc. Strategic Case Analysis PresentationMahy Helal
Apple Inc. is an American technology company headquartered in California. The document provides an overview of Apple, including its history, products, competitors, financial analysis, key success factors, and SWOT analysis. Recommendations for Apple include focusing on differentiated branding, expanding Apple stores internationally, and emphasizing its integrated product ecosystem in marketing. An action plan should prioritize tasks and monitor progress to efficiently implement strategies.
This document discusses achieving strategic fit between a company's competitive strategy and its supply chain strategy. It outlines three key steps: 1) Understanding customer needs and how they impact supply chain uncertainty. 2) Understanding the company's supply chain capabilities and how to balance responsiveness and efficiency. 3) Aligning the supply chain strategy to best meet customer needs given the company's supply chain capabilities. Strategic fit is achieved when a company's supply chain strategy supports its competitive strategy to satisfy customer priorities. The document also discusses factors like product life cycles and competitive changes that require evolving the supply chain strategy over time.
Beyond the Basics of A/B Tests: Highly Innovative Experimentation Tactics You...Aggregage
This webinar will explore cutting-edge, less familiar but powerful experimentation methodologies which address well-known limitations of standard A/B Testing. Designed for data and product leaders, this session aims to inspire the embrace of innovative approaches and provide insights into the frontiers of experimentation!
The Building Blocks of QuestDB, a Time Series Databasejavier ramirez
Talk Delivered at Valencia Codes Meetup 2024-06.
Traditionally, databases have treated timestamps just as another data type. However, when performing real-time analytics, timestamps should be first class citizens and we need rich time semantics to get the most out of our data. We also need to deal with ever growing datasets while keeping performant, which is as fun as it sounds.
It is no wonder time-series databases are now more popular than ever before. Join me in this session to learn about the internal architecture and building blocks of QuestDB, an open source time-series database designed for speed. We will also review a history of some of the changes we have gone over the past two years to deal with late and unordered data, non-blocking writes, read-replicas, or faster batch ingestion.
State of Artificial intelligence Report 2023kuntobimo2016
Artificial intelligence (AI) is a multidisciplinary field of science and engineering whose goal is to create intelligent machines.
We believe that AI will be a force multiplier on technological progress in our increasingly digital, data-driven world. This is because everything around us today, ranging from culture to consumer products, is a product of intelligence.
The State of AI Report is now in its sixth year. Consider this report as a compilation of the most interesting things we’ve seen with a goal of triggering an informed conversation about the state of AI and its implication for the future.
We consider the following key dimensions in our report:
Research: Technology breakthroughs and their capabilities.
Industry: Areas of commercial application for AI and its business impact.
Politics: Regulation of AI, its economic implications and the evolving geopolitics of AI.
Safety: Identifying and mitigating catastrophic risks that highly-capable future AI systems could pose to us.
Predictions: What we believe will happen in the next 12 months and a 2022 performance review to keep us honest.
Learn SQL from basic queries to Advance queriesmanishkhaire30
Dive into the world of data analysis with our comprehensive guide on mastering SQL! This presentation offers a practical approach to learning SQL, focusing on real-world applications and hands-on practice. Whether you're a beginner or looking to sharpen your skills, this guide provides the tools you need to extract, analyze, and interpret data effectively.
Key Highlights:
Foundations of SQL: Understand the basics of SQL, including data retrieval, filtering, and aggregation.
Advanced Queries: Learn to craft complex queries to uncover deep insights from your data.
Data Trends and Patterns: Discover how to identify and interpret trends and patterns in your datasets.
Practical Examples: Follow step-by-step examples to apply SQL techniques in real-world scenarios.
Actionable Insights: Gain the skills to derive actionable insights that drive informed decision-making.
Join us on this journey to enhance your data analysis capabilities and unlock the full potential of SQL. Perfect for data enthusiasts, analysts, and anyone eager to harness the power of data!
#DataAnalysis #SQL #LearningSQL #DataInsights #DataScience #Analytics
The Ipsos - AI - Monitor 2024 Report.pdfSocial Samosa
According to Ipsos AI Monitor's 2024 report, 65% Indians said that products and services using AI have profoundly changed their daily life in the past 3-5 years.
06-04-2024 - NYC Tech Week - Discussion on Vector Databases, Unstructured Data and AI
Round table discussion of vector databases, unstructured data, ai, big data, real-time, robots and Milvus.
A lively discussion with NJ Gen AI Meetup Lead, Prasad and Procure.FYI's Co-Found
ViewShift: Hassle-free Dynamic Policy Enforcement for Every Data LakeWalaa Eldin Moustafa
Dynamic policy enforcement is becoming an increasingly important topic in today’s world where data privacy and compliance is a top priority for companies, individuals, and regulators alike. In these slides, we discuss how LinkedIn implements a powerful dynamic policy enforcement engine, called ViewShift, and integrates it within its data lake. We show the query engine architecture and how catalog implementations can automatically route table resolutions to compliance-enforcing SQL views. Such views have a set of very interesting properties: (1) They are auto-generated from declarative data annotations. (2) They respect user-level consent and preferences (3) They are context-aware, encoding a different set of transformations for different use cases (4) They are portable; while the SQL logic is only implemented in one SQL dialect, it is accessible in all engines.
#SQL #Views #Privacy #Compliance #DataLake
ViewShift: Hassle-free Dynamic Policy Enforcement for Every Data Lake
Apple global supply chain supply chai analytics trim 4th 2015 (2014 2016)
1. Company: Apple Inc
Industry: Technology/Computer Hardware & Software
CEO: Tim Cook
Web References: Apple Inc
Overview of Apple Inc.
Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer, Inc. was founded by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak
and Ronald Wayne on April 1, 1976. By the summer of 1976 Ronald Wayne had left the
company but the two Steve’s persevered and launched the Apple 1 Computer. This was
the first of many trend setting products to be developed and released by Apple over it’s
now near 40 year history.
While under the leadership of John Sculley, Jobs and Wozniak left Apple in 1985. Steve
Jobs returned to his roots in 1997 and eventually became CEO, taking control of the
company and bringing Apple back from near bankruptcy toprofitability by 1998. Under
the legendary leadership of the late Steve Jobs, the Apple brand was successfully re-
established, and is arguably the most innovative company in the world today with a loyal
customer base devoted to the brand.
Tim Cook, joined Apple in 1998 just after Steve Jobs re-entered the company, and
helped transform Apple’s messy operations into a global supply chain
success. He become Chief Operations Officer in 2005 and was handed picked by Jobs to
take over as CEO in 2011. Cook is a world-renowned supply chain expert whois credited
with streamlining Apple’s supply chain, helping create the most powerful supply chain
in the world.
2. Today Apple Inc. is a world leader in innovation, product design and development,
branding, marketing and software ecosystems. Its products and services
include: iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac, Apple TV, Apple Watch, a portfolio of software
applications, operating systems, iCloud, accessories, service and support offerings. They
sell Apple products through their retail stores, online stores, direct sales force, third-
party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, and retailers. They also sell digital content
and apps through the iTunes Store, iBooks Store, and Mac App Store.
Apple Inc. has evolved over the years, from its humble beginnings of products being
assembled in Steve Jobs garage to the “World’s Most Valuable Brand“, worth
$741.8 billion today. Last year alone Apple reached 170.9 billion in revenues under
Cook’s leadership. Much of Apple’s recent success is attributed to Cook streamlining
its supply chain by outsourcing manufacturing and helping the company
to reduce inventory levels.
A Glimpse into Apple’s Ever Evolving Supply
Chain:-
3. Information about Apple’s complete supply chain is secretive, for the most part, and
highly complex, but I was able to find a great example from financesonline.com,
breaking down the global relationship between Apple, its suppliers and manufacturers
and the people whose livelihood depends on the iPhone’s success, to give some
perspective.
Simplicity seems to be effective for Apple in more ways than one. From their sleek logo,
to their clean product designs, to their slogan “think different”, right down to these
simplified supply chain planning and management models.
4. “Apple purchases components and materials from various suppliers and ships them via air, to
save time and money, to the assembling plants in China. From there, products are shipped (via
FedEx or UPS) directly to consumers who purchased Apple products from their on-line store.” –
Sourced from supplychain247.com
5. “Other distribution channels (retail stores and distributors), Apple stores products at their
central warehouse/call centre in Elk Grove, California and ships products from there. At the end
of product’s life, customer can send products back to nearest Apple Stores or dedicated recycling
facilities.” – Sourced from supplychain247.com
Key Factors Contributing to the Success of Apple’s Supply Chain
When Tim Cook came onboard he realized Apple’s supply chain was too complex. He
made drastic changes over the years tostreamline the process, generating huge cost
savings and improving service by:
focusing on making great products using ground breaking innovation
supplying products that are not seasonal and have a life cycle of more than 12
months
reducing the number of warehouses to one centralized location in California
6. synchronizing data between the central warehouse and its own stores and customers,
making operations more efficient and cost-effective
outsourcing manufacturing and as a result reducing the manufacturing cycle time
reducing the number of key suppliers involved in manufacturing, shipping and
storing
requesting price reductions and asking suppliers to relocate closer to Apple’s
factories
reducing the number of sku’s to approximately 26,000, to simplify and help develop
more accurate demand forecasts
extraordinary inventory management
– Source Econlife
Apple’s Supply Chain Challenges
According to this case study Is Apple Supply Chain Really # 1?, their supply chain is very
risky and they have many challenges to overcome, for example:
Global economy could affect the Company
Some re-sellers may also distribute products from the competing manufacturers
7. Inventories can become obsolete or exceed the anticipated demand
Some components are currently obtained from the single or limited sources
Some custom components are not common to the rest of the industries
Ability to obtain components in sufficient quantities is important
Supply chain disruption such as the natural and man-made disasters can be serious
Company depends on logistical services provided by outsourcing partners
Company also relies on its partners to adhere to supplier code of conduct
Although Apple is recognized as a global leader in supply chain management, the
company has received criticism for its suppliers unethical labor practices; including
child labor, workers being seriously injured from repetitive motions during long shifts,
and stress-related worker suicides.
The Impact of Social Media on Apple’s Supply Chain
There is no evidence suggesting Apple uses social media to streamline its supply chain,
however social media has played a role in the evolution of its supply chain.
It’s no surprise that Apple’s supply chain has faced challenges. A blog written in 2012 by
former student, Cory Kingsbury, drew my attention to allegations of labour abuses at an
Apple supplier factory in China including child labor, serious physical injuries of
workers from repetitive motions during long shifts, and stress-related worker suicides.
Apple was called out by one of their fans, using social media to launch a protest
on Change.org over the allegations of suppliers violating labour laws. The message
spread like wildfire through various social media channels and “In less than 48 hours,
the petition grew from a few hundred supporters to more than 140,000, many of whom
identified themselves as Apple fans.” – Cory Kingsbury
These allegations caused many to question the strength and ethics of Apple’s supply
chain and demanded Apple “think different” and use their power to improve worker
conditions.
Apple’s Response to Outcry on Social Media
Apple responded by implementing a Supplier Code of Conduct and pledged to fight
worker abuses, committing to the highest standards of social and environmental
responsibility and ethical practices.
8. “Around the globe, Apple employees are united in bringing equality, human rights,
and respect for the environment to the deepest layers of our supply chain.” – Jeff
Williams, Senior VP of Operations
9. They also vowed to conduct internal audits to ensure suppliers are compliant, and any
violations of the Code could jeopardize their business relationship with Apple, up to and
including termination. Apple committed to providing updates and reports on their
findings. Here is Apple’s most current report: 2015 Apple Supplier Responsibility
Report.
In an effort to make themselves even more transparent and gain back the trust of their
customers. Apple being notorious for keeping secrets, also shocked everyone when they
unveiled 97% of their overall supply chain, revealing names of 156 of their key suppliers.
This is a great example of how Apple took a negative situation, spread quickly through
social media, and used it to strengthen their supply chain further.
Lessons Learned
While challenges with supply chain responsibility are not unique to Apple, the
company’s record profits and tremendous brand value make it an easy and highly visible
target. Despite the fact that Apple’s supply chain has faced challenges, they continue to
be a global leader in SCM. Key factors attributing to their success include: putting their
customers first, streamlining processes to create exceptional inventory
management, outsourcing manufacturing, and by continuing to evolve their supply
chain to adapt to customer demands.
Web References: