Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the management of suppliers and goods, storage of raw materials, transportation of goods, etc. to the point of consumption.
To gain skills in the management of supply chains, consider participating in Supply Chain Management Training Course delivered by pdtraining in Auckland, Dunedin, Christchurch and other cities in New Zealand.
Definition of Supply Chain Management
The term “supply chain management”came into being when a consultant, Keith Oliver, at the then Booz Allen Hamilton coined the term in an interview in 1982. Though the term was slow to pick up, today it is commonly used to refer to the handling of supply chains.
A supply chain is made of interconnected and interlinked networks between the supplier and the manufacturing units, and between the place of manufacturing and the point of consumption. Management of supply chain is conducted to maximise customer value, minimise costs, and gain competitive advantage.
Benefits of Supply Chain Management
Supply chains may include production, product development, supply of information and technology, etc. Creation of an efficient supply chain ensures the satisfaction of customer demands, minimising of costs, and sustenance of a steady supply chain.
To guarantee quality and timely delivery of goods and services, companies plan, measure, analyse, coordinate and control their supply chains to optimise them. To develop an end product and deliver it to the final point from where the consumer purchases it, an organisation uses various sources, channel partners, collaborations, third-party suppliers, service providers, etc. An efficient supply chain enhances value for the customers, prevents delays and disturbances, and reduces wastage.
Removal of Wastage
An important goal of supply chain management is to identify and remove wastage caused due to:
Unnecessary transportation of material from one place to another
Excessive storage
Waiting
Needless processing
Loss due to miscommunication or lack of communication
Confusion
Inefficiency or incompetence
According to the changes in demand, the supply also increases or decreases across the companies. For effective supply chain management, companies need to plan to prevent problems and accidents from happening, and create backup plans to handle emergencies or errors.
Some of the operations conducted under supply chain management include planning, sourcing, making, delivering, and returning. It also involves management of inventory, tracking and monitoring of goods and services, and the measurement of results.
By expertly managing their supply chains, companies can create steady and efficient supply chains, ensure customer satisfaction, minimise costs, gain competitive advantage, and measure performance.
Pdtraining delivers 1000’s of professional development courses each year in Wellington, Auckland, Napier, Christchurch, Hamilton, Dunedin and Tauranga, so you can be assured your training will be delivered by a qualified and experienced trainer.
All public Supply Chain Management Training courses include am/pm tea, lunch, printed courseware and a certificate of completion. Customised courses are available upon request so please contact pdtraining on 1300 121 400 to learn more.