Understanding Supply Chain Management Across Industry – opportunity | changes | managers
Understanding Supply Chain Management Across Industry
If you make something, you are managing a supply chain whether you’re making a car or a plane, a meal or a bed, a computer program, or maybe you’re making a movie. We all make something and if you do it right, you’ll make some people happy, your boss, your kids, some friends, a customer, an audience, or maybe the beneficiary of your hard work might just be you but no matter what we make and how we make it, we’d love to find ways to make it better, make it faster with less effort, with fewer materials and less money.
This is what supply chain managers do. Companies in all sorts of industries have taken notice. At first, it was the most obvious industries, the ones that actually manufactured tangible stuff, automotive, aerospace, electronics, clothing, and textiles. They started taking supply chain management seriously a long time ago, long before anyone decided to call it to supply chain management. From there, it took over retail sales. Ever heard of Walmart, Amazon, and Home Depot? Whether or not you like those companies, their development and expansion is an outgrowth of buying, storing, and moving products in the most efficient ways possible.
The success of these companies is largely due to modern supply chain management but these companies not only brought all sorts of products to people all over the world, but they also introduced us to the power of supply chain management.
Hypercompetitive industries such as energy or banking, industries under pressure to serve more and more people and still provide them great services such as healthcare, education, and food management. They are all interested in having employees with supply chain savvy.
Without money can’t buy or make anything, without a well-designed product and good marketing may not have customers. We are all supply chain managers and the world needs us now more than ever. So let’s bring this back to you. How can the supply chain positively impact your life?
We all have busy lives cluttered with important and not so important things. Well, perhaps thinking like a supply chain manager can help provide some clarity. Consider your job or maybe just life at home. What is something important that you do quite often? Now, how would you define success? What is the desired output? Answering these questions gives a supply chain manager focus.
Second, how much time, effort, and materials are typically required to reach success? In other words, what are your inputs? This helps supply chain managers look for opportunities to be more efficient. Finally, a supply chain manager prepares for change and stress. So now you must ask yourself what is likely to happen in the future? My boss or customer may want more faster. My life and job will become busier. Now, ask yourself am I prepared for those changes?
Supply chain management gives us the opportunity to make our lives better. Ask yourself these questions to help discover ways to make things better with less effort today and into the future.