This document discusses supply chain management across six parts. It defines supply chain management as involving procurement, operations, and logistics. The goals of supply chain management are to generate profit, cut costs, and create high-quality products. It also discusses inventory management, supplier relationships, manufacturing, logistics, supply chain integration, and issues in supply chain management such as going global and creating ethical and sustainable supply chains.

1. Supply Chain
Foundations
Conor Almoney

2. Part One: What is Supply Chain
Management

3. Understanding parts of a supply chain
 The main “parts” of a supply chain are procurement, operarations and
logistics.

4. The changing nature of supply chain
management
 Today, the steps within the supply chain are far more complex and involve
factions such as engineering and IT.

5. Establishing SCM goals
 The main goals of a Supply Chain are to generate profit, cut costs, and create
high-quality products.

6. Understanding SCM across industries
 The earliest adopters of this system were the Automotive, Aerospace,
Electronics, Clothing, and Textile industries, but it is essentially being used to
some degree by every company that sells a product.

7. Part 2: Purchasing and Supplier
relationships

8. Understanding inventory
 It is important the manager in charge of the raw materials department always
has everything in stock, as this is where it all starts.

9. Choosing a supplier
 It is important that a supplier is reliable and provides material that the
customer will consider to be of adequate quality.

10. Developing good buyer and supplier
relationships
 Buyers and suppliers must have reasonable expectations of one another and
observe each other in order to get a grasp on how the relationship can benefit
both parties.

11. Part 3: Manufacturing and Operations

12. Understanding manufacturing and
operations
 It is important that each department communicates with one another
properly so that they know what needs to be done and by when.

13. Marketing and designing your product
 Find a reliable location for manufacturing that isn’t too remote from
employees and potential customers, but is still within a reasonable price
range.

14. Managing quality
 Reconsider outsourcing if it is only for low cost-you may end up sacrificing
quality, which could be disastrous in the long run.

15. Part 4: Logistics

16. Understanding logistics
 Logistics is the coordination of a complex operation involving a large amount
of people facilities, or supplies.

17. Packaging your product
 It is important to have a multitude of strategies to package your products and
store all of said packaging to prevent damage and safety hazards.

18. Containerization
 The standardized container allows for storage and protection of countless
different products.

19. Transporting and distributing your product
 The four most effective ways of transporting merchandise is through the
mediums of trucks, airplanes, ships, and trains.

20. Delivering your product
 Distribution centers are an efficient way of preventing overflow in suppliers
and inadequate inventory in stores by acting as an intermediary between the
two.

21. Delivering the last mile
 Delivering from the distribution center to the stores can be quite taxing, as
there are often a plethora of stores that all require differing quantities of
varying products.

22. Part 5: Supply Chain Integration

23. Integrating and coordinating the entire
supply chain
 Supply Chain Managers must be willing to take charge when problems and
opportunities arise in order to adapt to constantly changing economic
circumstances.

24. Mitigating the bullwhip effect
 Be sure to communicate and build trust with customers/suppliers in order to
prevent unnecessary inventory from over complicating the process.

25. Basic supply chain strategies
 Have some steps of creating your product completed in advance, but leave
just enough undone so that your customer can customize it to their liking.

26. Understanding lean systems
 Do not overschedule to point of having no ability to make any kind of change
to your company’s routine.

27. Part 6: Issues in Supply Chain
Management

28. Going global
 A supply chain that tries to grow too quickly is at risk of communication
disasters to language/cultural differences and working with the schedules and
needs of all these new partners.

29. Creating and managing ethical supply
chains
 Be sure to develop a strong and reliable ethical system to monitor the
behavior of both your supplier and your supply chain partners.

30. Creating sustainable supply chains
 Be willing to make environmentally and socially conscious choices in running
your supply chain.

31. Dealing with disasters
 Be willing to provide products for humanitarian organizations and be a part of
the forces that will improve the lives of victims of disaster.

32. Conclusion
 Supply chains are the muscle and bone of an organization and we would have
nothing without them.