Posts Tagged ‘Strategy & Business’

Problems and solutions for the planning of supply and demand in an outsourced manufacturing environment

Sunday, July 5th, 2009

The greatest threat to your business is the lack of timely and accurate information’ Without all the facts, to shoot a business decisions and assess risks and opportunities based on conjecture’ These decisions in May because of major financial loss or loss of revenue opportunities for your business’ Electronics manufacturers face a number of problems when trying to predict the supply and demand’ Web-based solutions are available to address this complex problem and allow companies to model multiple levels of the supply chain network and share data on supply and demand’ Supply chain collaboration in aligning business processes and suppliers to reduce inventory, has the right product at the right time, and reduce inefficiencies’

APPLICATION

Problem:

It is very difficult to forecast demand’

a’ Unstable environment? competitors, prices, technologies, rapid changes

b’ Many customers, complex and overlapping distribution channels, direct sales, indirect sales’

c’ Lengthy sales cycles, from design wins, the interdependencies of software, hardware, design and systems integration’

Solution:

Collaborate online with customers, distributors, sales force, and retail POS’ This is where knowledge of customer demand is true’ Staff through a dialogue, not only the aggregation of demand forecasts from various sources’

FOOD

Problem:

It is very difficult to answer the question, my suppliers can supply enough to meet demand forecasting?

Solution:

Collaborate online with their key suppliers through the exchange of demand forecasts, to offer their predictions, and identify and quickly resolve the obstacles’

a’ Concentrate on the main suppliers of critical components (A and B)’

b’ C’ Ignore suppliers

c’ Browse through several levels of the supply chain to determine the limitations or exceptions’

THE KEY TO SUCCESS OF COLLABORATION:

Bring value to its suppliers and customers, as well as for you’ This ensures accurate and enthusiastic participation’

a’ Make reliable forecasts can not be overstated or updated’

b’ Allow providers to publish their true abilities in its ability to signal through the service level agreements and soft capacity in the system’

c’ Keep the simple model of supply chain and allow suppliers to maintain its own line, rather than creating a fixed, complex, in the model of supply chain’ This ensures that the suppliers? capacity is accurate and current’ As providers add lines or plants or to transfer the production, can change their piece of the supply chain model with the simple point and click Tools’

d’ Access to simple, intuitive and easy to connect to other enterprise systems’

i’ The use of a Web application so that no client software, you can access from anywhere

ii’ Data can be entered in multiple ways: through manual entry of the Web browser, the transfer of EDI, XML for the transfer and exchange files in Excel’

iii’ Make the screen and easy access to data on the screen through the web browser, export to Excel, export via EDI or XML’

e’ It’s easier to send and receive alerts when changes to critical data

i’ Via email, pager, cellular phone’

ii’ Configure the reporting of events and exceptions’

iii’ Through board type of application to make changes and alerts

f’ Implement performance measures in the supply chain

i’ Standardize performance metrics and definitions for the various algorithms to measure performance at all levels of the supply chain’

ii’ Report and daily monitoring of results and corrective actions’

The strategic vision

Beyond the tactical benefits of reducing inventory across the supply chain and thus reduce costs for OEMs, and more responsive to the supply chain less lost sales due to products not available when necessary, collaborative planning Collaborative Planning of supply and demand, offer important strategic advantages for the user’ The outsourcing of manufacturing, ultimately, the battle is won by competitive firms which can operate an engineering and supply chain for greater efficiency and greater responsiveness’ The strategic imperative is not only a manufacturer to select lower cost (tactics discussion today), but to make sure you can create a lower cost, more flexible supply chain on an ongoing basis in the future’

Supply Chain Management Software-as-a-Service IBM A lean global supply chain

Wednesday, July 1st, 2009

IBM aims to practice what it preaches’ The company was quick to support the process fully automated? Such as order management, service requests and work orders from OEM manufacturing? Served to enhance customer satisfaction and operational efficiency’ And over the years, the company has remained committed to continuous improvement through the intelligent application of new technologies, becoming a fully automated business model using the most advanced supply chain solutions and practices’

IBM defines the next level of efficiency of business processes as a model for the application: “An enterprise whose business processes can respond quickly to any customer demand, market opportunity or external threat’” This transparent model requires end-to-end internal business processes to IBM, while the expansion of key partners, suppliers and customers’

THE CHALLENGE

With one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the world, IBM is investing $ 41 billion per year in orders for more than two million pieces per year, with 33,000 suppliers and 45,000 business partners’

“IBM is very focused on creating and building an integrated, end-to-end supply chain,” says Kevin O’Connell, director of IBM’s manufacturing and procurement process’ “Now, we wanted to experience new levels of collaboration’ To achieve our objectives in the implementation, we must expand the integration of business processes in a multi-level and supply chain systems, clients and partners’”

IBM realized that its own supply chain is not sustainable’ With its old system, based on IBM’s suppliers and partners reporting and management systems of the visibility of their supply chain’ Sourcing compliance by electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers IBM supply base in any near-real time’ Instead, IBM operates in reactionary mode, based on self-reporting and EMS provider for the final quarter of the information’

After a lengthy analysis, IBM decided it needed a standard in the industry supply chain that enables the management solution for the synchronization of supply and demand and visibility in Category 2 and 3, suppliers and manufacturers contract for all manufacturing sites around the world and the divisions of IBM’ The solution should be flexible and robust enough to support customer demand scenarios with proactive planning of supply and demand’

THE SOLUTION

IBM addressed two E2open to provide evidence of customer management solutions in the supply chain:

* E2open supply and demand synchronization solutions: IBM can detect and respond rapidly to changes in supply and demand? Principles of the imbalances and signs of possible shortages’ These capabilities allow IBM to meet its objective of creating an integrated approach throughout the supply chain that meets supply and demand is changing rapidly and accurately’

* Multi-tier Visibility Solution E2open: Provides Level 1, 2 and 3 suppliers consolidated visibility of forecasts, commits, the quantities and positions of inventory? If each level of the supply chain can continue the execution of the supply chain and respond quickly to imbalances, errors and shortcomings’ The scope and depth of visibility is essential for high levels of supply of insurance’

Work together without problems, E2open provide supply chain management solutions provider and IBM with a consolidated view of customer demand, available supply and imbalances’ Enable IBM to proactively manage supply and demand for performance, and recovery of the global pool of IBM through the supply chain, providing a more accurate picture of supply positions’ Using the information gathered by E2open solution, each provider has the information needed to make decisions in the supply chain’

RESULTS

The solution is expanding at 37 manufacturing facilities and 10 of the replenishment (VMI) service centers, representing more than 85 percent of manufacturing costs IBM markets’ IBM and offers levels 1, 2 and 3 suppliers a consolidated view of supply and demand’

E2open with the solution, IBM is able to proactively manage supply and demand for performance, and replenishment of stocks through their global supply chains, and may climb further in resolving the majority of the chain supplies to board members through acquisitions and expansions’

IBM reached very quickly the value of time of rapid global integration and deployment of third party sites and suppliers, reducing the total cost of ownership, the streamlining and increasing the flexibility and response operations within its supply chain’ IBM estimates that 50 percent savings on the costs of deployment and operations in their solution and other approaches’ Benefits include:

* Reduction of supply and demand planning time from 45 to 10 days +

* Increased levels of replacing 85 percent shooting

* Improvement of the alien in the rates of delivery from 90 to 95 percent

* Improved inventory turns over 42 percent

Get time to qualify for less than nine months

These solutions help IBM in its quest to build a chain of highly responsive which can meet customer demand quickly and effectively’

ABOUT E2open

E2open is the leading provider of software for managing the supply chain as service visibility and control over global supply networks’ Industry leaders that power their supply chain with E2open Agere, The Boeing Company, Hitachi, IBM, LG Electronics, Matsushita Electric Industrial (Panasonic), Motorola, Seagate Technology, Solectron and Wistron’ E2open software as a service to recover faster delivery models, increased ROI and reduced risk and require fewer IT resources and business’ Over 15,000 companies worldwide currently use E2open’ Headquartered in Redwood City, Calif’, E2open is a private company’

The design of a supply chain to demand and supply uncertainty

Saturday, June 27th, 2009

Supply Chain Management is a powerful tool for winning the competition’ Well-designed supply chain for different products are different’ The supply chain for the supply of pulp will be different from the supply chain for the sale of fashion jewelry or precipitate airlines spares’ The supply chain for the production and delivery of pasta is designed for productivity and efficiency’ The supply chain for airlines of the spare parts or equipment for offshore drilling of the utmost importance to the delivery and availability at any price’ The nature of the product, the customer expects, production method and the parts used are all factors to consider when designing an assembly supply chain’ Supply and demand uncertainty are the determining factor in designing a supply chain of a product’ Well-designed supply chain is appropriate for a product or category is a competitive advantage’

Nature of the product may be classified as functional or aesthetic’ Functional products like pasta with a stable demand, while demand for products such as the way of aesthetics is erratic’ Innovative cosmetic products with high profit margins, while the seasonal demand and short product life cycle’ It is difficult enough stock of each of the broadest product portfolio, but a condition of an item may tarnish the reputation of the brand’ Moreover, functional products, like pasta or pain are foreseeable demand’ The nature of the product that determines the uncertainty in turn, determine the nature of the supply chain’ Although the nature of product demand is uncertain, the uncertainty of supply may result from several factors’ Uncertainty in production performance may come from unpredictable changes in the shape or the production technology or process change’ Certain time, a small supply base and the weather conditions are also among the non-production of the factors contributing to the uncertainty of supply’

When supply and demand, fluctuations are small, operational efficiency is the key to the success of the supply chain’ Industries can improve operational efficiency by optimizing the production process and eliminating the value-added activities’ An important issue to take into account when designing the supply chain visibility is a real demand of the customer’ The stability of consumer demand in late May they become irregular and unpredictable, in the second and third tier suppliers because of the practice of orders at wholesale distributor and retailer’ Planning the supply chain becomes difficult when demand is unpredictable’ Of collaboration based on trust between supplier and buyer to share actual demand information is the solution to most of the supply chain’ Stable and able to facilitate the submission of the anticipated demand, effective planning, an optimal level of safety stock, improved service levels, less waste and improved margins’ Logistics is at the heart of the exploitation of the distribution companies’ Distribution companies in sectors such as retail and 3PL should focus on improving logistics efficiency’ A careful examination of transport, storage and distribution network and practice through the light of tasks of value-added logistics’ Recast the entire supply chain can improve the logistics efficiency’ WalMart, a pioneer in the retail supply chain, stability of demand for vessels to store the products directly from their supplier, which eliminates costs due to handling, inventory management and transportation’

When supply is high uncertainty, the risks of raw materials can contribute to the inventory can be stacked for the raw materials of little value’ Usually there is a risk associated with the creation or pieces of great value’ Stocks can be shared, managed and shared with other users, if inputs are rare in high-value products that are difficult to obtain in large quantities’ The maintenance of alternative materials and suppliers is a time tested tactic used to manage the risks of supply’ The practice of replacing the parts or materials in the previous design time is also a supply risk management known as the famous “Design for Supply Chain’” Companies in the supply chain with parts adapted to differentiate their products from competitors’ Special attention is necessary to maintain an uninterrupted supply of these essential parts for product differentiation’ Several suppliers of strategies such as control of the game, the association, the future supply contracts and other coatings to ensure a regular supply of critical parts’

Demand is unpredictable, for items such as clothing and fashion accessories of high technology’ These products rarely meet the conditions of supply uncertainty’ The demand for items like clothing fashion, film and books are known only when the product reaches the store shelf’ If the market reception of new evidence is not good, the excess inventory is sold at a discount’ Strategies such as store configuration, in parallel and the Internet can help in the fight against the orders of surplus stock due to unpredictable demand’ HP, a leading manufacturer of electronics, a problem of uncertainty in their demand for high-end printers as the ratio of the minor, but important tasks of mounting regional distribution centers’ Generic products are personalized, just before the deadline for meeting the demand for different types of identical products’ Seller or distributor in the configuration can be used to customize products that are easy to configure’

Low value such as self-service manuals and warranty cards, printing and packaging in multiple languages is an effective strategy for multi-cultural and multi-national supply chains’ Opening in May of channels for the objects of work as well as music, games, etc’ Apple’s iTunes website for iPod is a notable example’ Dell? Gathering people for the manufacture of PC is an example of the revolution in the supply chain for the design of the volatility of demand’ Products with variable demand and supply can use a combination of the above’ Anticipating the demand for collaboration with clients and collaborative planning with suppliers can maximize the value of the entire chain’

The supply chain for manufacturing reflection

Thursday, June 25th, 2009

The type of advertising production companies in the United Kingdom resulted in an increase in demand reduction and internal costs, now more than ever, the emphasis has been on the cost of the supply chain’ The nature of supply chains and their structure is often neglected, and many internal costs can be eliminated by examining the overall strategy of the supply chain’ The development of a supply chain that reflects the needs of internal customers, a large number of faults mentioned above can be eliminated and performance improved’

There are three categories of products that can be used to define the strategy of the supply chain of a typical manufacturing enterprise’ First, are the products that are manufactured on a continuous basis and the bulk of production in a given period’ Second, there are products that are made regularly to meet customer needs or respond to a request several times and, finally, there are products that are manufactured to customer needs in an irregular manner’ The three categories are sometimes referred to as runners, repeaters and strangers’

There is a clear relationship between the classification of product types and the supply chain organization has an obligation to support them’ Each category is a need for an alternative strategy and policy of stocks in order to maximize inventory turnover’ For example, the recovery of Kanban systems in May as well apply to the components used in the group of riders due to the consumption rate, but applied to the group in May to introduce a strange increased inventory in the long sides’ The selection of strategies for supply chain, thus giving rise to two separate systems, one for cyclists and one for foreigners’ The runners of the supply chain tend to be very efficient with a focus on cost, quality and delivery performance of suppliers’ Foreigners in the supply chain will be necessary to respond to the customer and the irregularity of the focus will be the supplier of time and the ability to meet these requirements are difficult to predict’ Repeaters are capable of integrating the two systems and which require decisions on a case by case basis for each component’ Repeaters are usually holding a strategic reserve that requires a periodic review, but gives some capacity’

The classification of products that precisely meet the needs of production and, in turn, determines the type of supply chain support to achieve production volumes’ More important, and often more news, strategies based on this simple analysis is more likely to support customers’

After defining the product groups and styles of the supply chain to support the diverse needs of these groups of products, supply chains must be developed in accordance with those needs’ The supplier development program can be adapted to different needs of the supply chain and supporting the needs of production and in turn the end customer in the most appropriate manner’

There are many tools and techniques available to improve the overall performance of the supply chain, but few have been developed to help define a development strategy for suppliers’

A technique called “Map provider positioning customer perception of risk and the importance of their suppliers, and also the largest, providers of the perception of customers in terms of importance and ease of business’ This can provide useful information in the Identification of suppliers that are not likely to support improvements in the supply chain’ For example, many manufacturing companies continue to purchase relatively small volumes of retail sales, that part of the cost, quality and delivery is beyond the control of the supplier to the customer, due to the perception of customers as “low value”‘ These providers have a disproportionate power to undermine the productive capacity of their young clients’

In improving the supply chain and the creation of development strategy, positioning Provider can be used to ensure that the integrity of supply is maintained, reflecting an understanding of how different vendors for the client and the degree of interaction necessary to maintain good relations’ This technique has an additional advantage in that they identify any deficiencies or shortcomings in the chain of relationships that, once identified, can not be resolved’

The application of the classification of products and development of the supply chain to meet the needs of production can help to identify strategic directions for improving the supply chain’ The activities are not only ease the supply chain, but to introduce greater control of inventory and a better understanding of the needs of internal customers’

Extricable there a link between the three main influences in any manufacturing enterprise’ Identification of customer demand, production capacity and the flow of materials to meet the needs Combiner with clearly defined parameters and processes needed to generate the output’ Deficiencies in one area causes a domino effect that will result in failure to deliver full-time and, ultimately, customers’

The rate of demand defines the requirements of parents in the capacity and material flow, but should never be isolated or not, as often happens’ Changes in demand or customer orders can not be met effectively by having a balanced circle’

Each function of this model depends on others and must work with the same limits for a common goal’ The key to reducing inefficiencies in the supply chain is in the understanding and management of these relationships is the point of reflection to achieve a supply chain’

Supply Chain Management – the backbone of the service economy

Sunday, June 21st, 2009

The rate of production of the service economy indicates whether a country is a developed or developing’ Developed countries tend to have healthy and strong service industry’ The backbone of many service operations are Supply Chain Management or SCM’ If you frequent Wal-Mart and commentary wonder they can offer quality products at low prices, you? Ll eventually lead to an end? Managing the supply chain?’ In simplest terms, management of the supply chain is usually provided by a flexible cooperation between different departments in an extended enterprise, including the company that l? Suppliers and distributors’ Wal-Mart was a pioneer in managing the supply chain’

A supply chain system consists of software for managing the supply chain teams to carry out the planning, execution or other processes and the implementation of the supply chain is a major, but the successful implementation of managing the supply chain has the ability to create a sustainable competitive advantage over their rivals’ The implementation of the supply chain involved in strategic planning, system analysis, supply chain implementation and coordination of the supply chain’ In general, SCM software includes features that allow companies to manage inventory, production planning, tracking sales, managing payments, and to see if their shipments’ All this information can also be used to communicate with other members’ The core of the MEC or inventory software is developed from the demand forecasts for inventory management practices’

The benefits of SCM are enormous – the coordination between providers of return, distributors and partners, strengthening customer relationships and reduces operating costs’

For a medical services company that distributes medical supplies and medical and surgical health care industry, a system for managing the supply chain coordination with manufacturers of medical providers, retailers, the logistics department of large hospitals’ By keeping track of usage patterns, the management of the supply chain will be able to predict the demand for medical and surgical products for the season, region and type of customer’ This will have an inventory cost savings for the medical service companies and major hospitals for medical supplies’

For a large retailer Wal-Mart, which has many regional distribution centers, a system for managing the supply chain, will be effective coordination among suppliers of garments, paper products and Wal-Mart? S retail stores to reduce inventory costs’ Wal-Mart is able to move the economy of the value of inventory to offer customers lower prices for many everyday products’ The backbone of many service operations are Supply Chain Management or SCM’