Implementing Supply Chain Strategies

Abstract

This chapter emphasizes the key elements required to implement supply chain strategy in a firm. It highlights the differences in supply chain strategies, its alignment with corporate strategies, and the associated drivers of supply chain management. This chapter also highlights the dynamics associated with inventory and success of supply chain of a firm. It tries to provide a framework to resolve the supply chain managers' dilemma as to hold inventory for order fulfilment or to enhance the inventory turnover ratio to maximize profitability. The chapter discusses all facets of inventory management – it includes inventory management of constant as well as dynamic demand. This chapter introduces the concept of adaptive inventory control for non-stationary demand. There are situations when all assumptions of conventional approach may fail and hence points out the importance of application of artificial intelligence and data science in inventory management. This chapter brings out the varied dimensions of contracts that are crucial to have an effective supply chain system. Here the author attempts to put forward an outsourcing decision framework to facilitate make or buy decision. This chapter relates the concept of materials requirement planning (MRP) with independent items. Since supply chains are going global, this chapter introduces the concepts behind global sourcing including the significance of INCO (international commercial) terms.