Operating a supply chain at peak efficiency used to be the key to success. However, fluctuating customer demand and shifting requirements put a strain on past attributed models as the need to combine efficiency with agility and responsiveness are required to stay ahead and competitive.
A Supply Chain Strategy fit for today’s business environment revolves much more around the customer than previously, which requires a customer-oriented setup that balances services, costs and inventories to create value for all parties involved.
Combined with long term supply chain objectives it ensures a rooting in customer relation management, supplier relationship management and performance review. These objectives serve as indicators to not get lost from the value perspective of the supply chain when times are prosperous… and when challenging.
The global footprint of supply chains is critical to success and must support the company’s strategy to achieve its goals. Analysing the production setup, distribution network & inventory setup are three key areas as they reveal if the company’s capabilities are fit for market and strategy.
A modern footprint is therefore a balance between multiple factors such as cost, quality and flexibility, but also sustainability and accountability as they are becoming critical-to-success factors.
To manage the supply chain most effectively, core principles are to be used in supply chain management. Some of these principles include:
By operating with core principles, it ensures that all managers are aware of the impact each decision has through the whole supply chain, but also on how to approach decisions so that the whole supply chain experiences more value and not individual parts of the chain.
Wrapping all the things together are the strategic choices that are necessary to be taken, so that the overarching strategy and objectives are met. It’s just as important to align and communicate the choices being taken with the rest of the organisation as the development of the strategy itself, which isn’t considered by all companies.
Therefore, having developed a communication plan for all stakeholders both internally and externally is crucial for success when starting to roll out implementation plans and involving the whole organisation.
Typical deliveries in a Supply Chain Strategy process with ZCG:
Global setup of factories, supporting functions, and warehouses to optimize your service, costs, and cash flows. Is your footprint ready for next-gen digital commerzing? And how to foresee and reduce risks from disruptions in your supply chains and/or from competitors?
Translate service objectives into dynamic and decisive inventory models throughout your supply chain. We support you in balancing your cash to be as active and demand driven as possible - increase your stock turns substantially. Segmentations of markets and material characteristics combined with market insights and statistical models will be your reference on how to decide & deploy your availability to serve effectively.
Implementation on effective 'order to cash' processes with organisation and compentences to support those effectively - including correct balance between centralized process framing and decentralized ownerships & ongoing improvements. Our viewpoint is to create as agile and locally owned process ownership as possible, framed by process frames and rules where needed.
As supply chains expand into more global customer markets and supply chains, substantial complexity can occur, if not managed by enabling technologies, simplifying your footprint and offerings, focus on your core compentecies, and improving strategic partnerships with your suppliers and customers.
Through end-to-end analysis of the supply chain gain a comprehensive examination of the processes and critical-to-business highlights
With the holistic perspective, the supply chain can now be rooted in the whole setup and create value across the aligned processes
Convert the strategic objectives into initiatives, that the organization can respond to and execute on
We work with ambitious leaders who want to define the future, not hide from it. Together, we achieve extraordinary outcomes.