The imperative to build a resilient supply chain has been made clear, but many companies struggle to identify the right steps to take.
By Wil Knibloe III and Michael Taelman
When it comes to managing the supply chain in a globally connected world, the one thing companies can count on is volatility, whether geopolitical uncertainty, environmental events, or trade disputes. To enable consistent execution despite the certainty of uncertainty, companies need to be diligent in the design, planning and execution of supply chains.
A comprehensive, strategic approach to supply chain design begins with the right team: Are the best teammates and leaders in place? From there, executives must consider whether materials should be made or purchased, identify prospective suppliers, and create a plan for forecasting and service levels, inventory planning and management, and more.
Following are key questions and areas of potential exposure that all supply chain managers should review on a recurring basis. For most companies, this review should take place on a prioritized, segmented, and regular cadence.
While the supply chain includes both suppliers and manufacturing locations and the logistics, planning, and coordination between the two, the following discussion relates to supply base planning, not manufacturing.
A cornerstone of supply chain management is robust strategic sourcing. Some questions to guide the supplier selection process include:
Next is forecasting and planning – a structured process of understanding customer demand and sequencing production schedules to meet customer needs based on product mix and attributes. Questions companies can ask themselves regarding planning and forecasting include:
From there, companies need detailed stock-keeping unit (SKU) level inventory plans, which involve setting inventory levels, ordering, storing, sorting, and tracking raw materials, work in process (WIP), and finished good inventory. Questions companies can address regarding the inventory plan include:
Finally, in the ongoing process of supply chain management, companies must be prepared to monitor suppliers and react to issues as they arise.
To stay on top of their game, operations leaders and executives should establish a regular practice of evaluating the above areas on an ongoing basis. By doing a pulse check every six to 12 months, executives can see what is working well and what needs revision.
With active management and optimization, companies can create a more efficient and resilient supply chain.
Learn more about supply chain management solutions at Crowe.
Wil Knibloe III is the managing principal of supply chain at Crowe.
Michael Taelman is a performance improvement manager at Crowe.
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