The Advantages of Supply Chain Management Systems....

Effective supply chains give businesses a competitive advantage in the marketplace

and help mitigate risks associated with acquiring raw materials and delivering products or services. By implementing supply chain management systems, businesses are able reduce waste, overhead costs and shipping delays in a scientific way. The benefits of this systematic approach impacts areas ranging from product quality to order turn-around times.

Quality Assurance

Many manufacturers in the U.S. have relocated their operations to countries such as China, India and Russia in an effort to cut production costs. This has caused experienced domestic personnel to opt for other job assignments. As a result, product quality within the supply chain has become a pressing issue. Defects and rework attributable to poor systems are raising the costs of doing business. One of the advantages of supply chain management is that it incorporates quality techniques, such as quality management systems, to improve operations.

Inventory Buffers

In almost every type of business, there is variability in customer spending. This requires companies to manage their inventories in a way that minimizes holding costs while providing enough flexibility to meet customer demands. If inventory levels fall too low, businesses may have to pay overtime to produce products or lose out on revenue by making customers wait or shop somewhere else. Supply chain management systems typically include inventory buffer levels that are pre-determined with careful analysis of historical trends.