Assignment-1: Review Performance and Sustainability
1.1 Key Systems and Processes used by AC Gilbert
Supply Chain:
Supply chains represent the procurement, production and distribution activities of an organisation. Within a supply chain, these activities are viewed as linked and reliant on one another to produce the final outcome. It is believed that if one component of the chain fails, the whole chain is broken and product/service delivery goals will not be achieved.
Supply Chain of AC Gilbert
• Design –Toys are designed by a small and selected group of people who develop the concepts for the products.
• Planning- the planning department translate the concepts into design and determines resources requirements, including raw material. Planning also projects sales and develops production plans for each product, timeframes for production runs and scheduling of production runs.
• Purchasing-Information gained from planning stage used to purchase raw material for products and packaging from supplier.
• Manufacturing-Produces and packages toys for distribution.
• Distribution-Delivers packaged toys to the warehouse for storage.
• Sales Team- Take orders from customers or retail stores.
• Distribution- Arrange for every delivery of goods to purchaser using contract transport.
• Retailer-Sell the toys directly to the end users.
Operational System:
Operational systems are used to process an organisation’s day-to-day business transactions. They are typically focused on a
The main elements of a supply chain include purchasing, operations, distribution, and integration. The supply chain begins with purchasing. Purchasing managers or buyers are typically responsible for determining which products their company will sell, sourcing product suppliers and vendors, and procuring products from vendors at prices and terms that meets profitability goals.
Supply chains manage the movement of products from the acquisition of raw materials through production and finally distribution to the end user. A properly designed supply chain can create many opportunities to drive down cost and increase revenue opportunities. In order to create a supply chain that is sustainable and flexible it is necessary to identify and align company goals and initiatives with the manufacturing and distribution of products.
Supply chain is the process of getting a product from point A to point B. With how advanced technology has become, there are more ways than ever to transport the product. The goal of a supply chain managers is to get the product into their hands. The mangers negotiate with the suppliers to purchase the raw materials. Then, they ship those materials as efficiently as possible through trucks, ships, and trains. Then finally, they do everything they can to make the product gets to the store on time so the consumer can enjoy the product. Why is this so important? Well, without it, we as the consumer wouldn’t enjoy that fresh produce that Kroger provide or the convenient drive thru pharmacy. Everything we own is because of a company’s supply chain, and without these supply
To start, Schroeder, R., Goldstein, S., and Rungtusanatham define supply chain as “the set of entities and relationships that cumulatively define materials and information flows both downstream toward the customer and upstream toward the very first supplier.” Schroeder, R., Goldstein, S., and Rungtusanatham goes on to identify supply chain management as “the design and management of seamless, value-added processes across organizational boundaries to meet the real needs of the end customer.” Organizations have to prepare themselves to the best of their ability in order to provide or their customers. Customers expect to receive the upmost service, regardless of the type of organization they make contact with.
The concept of supply chain is tightly linked to the concept of collaboration. A supply chain by nature involves the interaction of two or more firms, sharing resources, risks and capabilities and jointly working to achieve higher business performance. Therefore, companies involved in a supply chain structure must ensure collaboration among their partners by applying the following interventions :
According to Stevenson, supply chain management is the strategic coordination of business functions within a business organization and throughout its supply chain for the purpose of integrating supply and demand management. Supply chains are sometimes referred to as value chains and have two components for each organization: supply and demand. Suppliers, producers and final customers are connected through the supply chain. Global supply chains have additional complexities that may not exist in domestic supply markets. Language and cultural differences, and increased need for trust and cooperation among the supply market are among some of these complexities. There are also risks that exist among
Many companies produce products from parts of raw materials that are purchased from suppliers, till these products are reach the markets and presented for the customers, then you have the supply chain starting from the purchase of raw material from different areas , through the manufacturing steps and stages till is being sold by the consumer. Some of supply chains are well defined and easy to determined, while there are other supply chains complex to analyze. However, supply chains vary with the size of the facility such as; complexities, performance, abilities, flexibility, quality, speed, dependability and cost of preparing goods for manufacturing and the chain length distribution. So the supply chain is a network of wholesalers, retailers, distributors, workers in the transport, storage facilities, suppliers, and manufacturers who participate in the production, delivery and sale of the product to the last consumer. A supply chain is a group of facilities that coordinate activities among it and to avoid the competitors. Moreover, to ensure the supply chain management is operating efficiently and generating the highest level of customer
What are the basic components of a supply chain? Most companies are utilizing a five supply chain components, in order to bring products to the marketplace. The five supply chain components are Suppliers, Manufacturers, Distributors, Retailers, and Consumers/Customers. Effective integration and management of supply chain components and processes is helping to cost reduction and improve customer service. Supply Chain integration also gives a new set of capabilities which helps to the company to increase revenue and
Every organization strives to ensure that all of its operations are efficient and effective to the highest level, thereby enabling them to achieve a sustained competitive advantage. Over the years, experts have introduced various specializations in various parts of business operations. One of the key aspects of any business that firms are required to manage efficiently is supply chain. Supply chain is an
A supply chain comprise of all parties implicated, directly or indirectly, in satisfying a customer demand. The supply chain not only comprises of manufacturer and suppliers, but also includes transporters, warehouses, retailers, and customers themselves. Inside each business unit, such as supplier, the supply chain includes all functions involved in receiving and filling a customer request.
A supply chain is a network of organizations performing various processes and activities to produce value in the form of products and services for the end customer (Christopher, 1992). In other words, and according to (Stapleton et al., 2006), supply chain management is the integration of all network activities which manufacturers, suppliers, , retailers and distributers are involved to improve products, services, and information flow throughout the chain from suppliers to the end customers, without ignoring the need for cost reduction while maintaining target service level.
Supply chains has been relevantly defined as a “system of organizations which are convoluted through upstream and downstream linkages, in the diverse methodologies and activities that create benefit in the form of services and products in the hands of a definitive consumer”, and is therefore the sum total of efforts in integrating a network of firms and coordination as regards information, material and financial flows. Interestingly, the two main supply chain objectives have moved, from decreasing operating expenses and general inventory levels, to the concerns of how to enhance the customer service and the momentum of product delivery to the business sectors.
The supply chain management basically involves processes and activities which are involved in the planning, organising, controlling and implementing the cost effective flow of goods from the point of origin to the point of consumption. The whole process will have different players like the supplier, manufacturer, distributor, retailers and the customers themselves as the end point of consumption. The supply chain has changed drastically over the years. This days they are very global in nature. Involving various complex interactions and flow of goods, data and funds between companies which are situated in different countries and continents. Even though the companies are spread across the world the manufacturing plants generally follow a similar structure which normally comprises of the suppliers, manufacturing plants, distributors, retailers, inbound and outbound logistics providers. There were a lot of challenges which arose because of the competition which made the companies to rethink their strategies in order to get the product to the right place at the right time at the lowest cost possible. The companies should always look at improving the whole supply chain and every player in the chain should coordinate with one another if they want to increase the efficiency. The organisation should realise the strategic importance of supply chain as it is a key to building a sustainable competitive edge. (Li, Ragu-Nathan, Ragu-Nathan, & Rao, 2006).
Systems serving operational management are transaction processing systems (TPS), such as payroll or order processing, that track the flow of the daily routine
Supply chain management involves various activities from acquisition of raw material to distribution of final goods while logistics involves only transportation of goods. Supply chain plays integral role in business process without effective supply chain management an organization cannot meet its demands on time. So it plays crucial role in business activities.