I am certain that the majority of us, by now, as consumers, have purchased items through an eCommerce platform online, either out of the convenience of not having to pay the physical stores a visit, or sometimes simply being too pushed for time to shop for items any other way.

Across every industry, Supply Chain Management is responsible for the delivery of goods to stores, and directly to consumers. Whether it be through a direct transaction in a physical store, or an electronic transaction via an eCommerce platform, we are all still provided with the service and/or products that we have paid for.

So, what exactly is Supply Chain Management, and why is it so important to how the 21st century consumer has become accustomed to live?

Supply Chain Management is the strategic coordination of business functions within a company with the aim of achieving the most efficient movement and storage of goods from point of origin to point of consumption.

Thinking about this in greater detail, supply chain management is literally involved with everything required to get your product from point of origin to its final destination.

From cafes, to clothes stores, to supermarkets, to eCommerce stores, Supply Chain Management processes are required at every step of the way, including inventory management, production, logistics, storage, transportation, purchasing, finance, operations, and marketing.

With so many businesses now directly impacted by Supply Chain Management, it is important that this is a process which is not overlooked by businesses. However, many organisations still fail to truly coordinate their supply chains and often ‘sub optimise’ by treating each supply chain function as a silo i.e. targeting reductions in finished goods inventory without balancing the implications on economic production batch sizes, or bulk purchasing raw materials without considering the impact on working capital. Consequently, where one cost is driven down, another is increased.

The complete integration of the supply cycle requires an understanding of the complete process. Understanding how the freight flows, where it is at any time, knowing possible choke points and possible problem spots benefits not only the shipper but also the logistics providers, to maximize the use of resources.

At Gideon Hillman Consulting our Supply Chain Consultants will help you to develop an integrated approach to optimising your Supply Chain by offering specialist skills, including but not limited to: sales and operations planning, inventory analysis, business modelling and warehouse management.

Gideon Hillman Consulting, are a Specialist UK Logistics, Supply Chain and Warehouse Consultancy. Their broad knowledge and skill set includes, but is in no way limited, to Supply Chain Management, Warehouse and Distribution Centre Design and Logistics Network Strategy.

Established in 2004, Gideon Hillman Consulting is one of, if not the UK’s Leading, Supply Chain and Logistics Consultancy, servicing its clients throughout the UK and Europe. Read our Customer Case Studies to find out more about the services offered by Gideon Hillman Consulting UK and how we can support your business.

Want Gideon Hillman Consulting to help your business reach its full logistical potential? Please call: 01926 430 883 or visit: www.hillman-consulting.co.uk

GIDEON HILLMAN CONSULTING

Tel: 01926 430 883

Email: info@hillman-consulting.co.uk

www.hillman-consulting.co.uk

Twitter: @gidhillman

uk.linkedin.com/in/gideonhillman

Comments are closed.