Supply Chain Management

Supply Chain Management “Supply Chain Management is the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplier to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer.” From Search Manufacturing ERP

Supply Chain Management is Get the right product In the right condition To the right place At the right time To the right customer At the right cost In the right quantity

Supply Chain Managers work in Manufacturing Retailing Transportation Warehousing Really any industry….

Manufacturing Supply chain managers try to get raw materials at the lowest possible cost. Then they make sure that the manufacturing process itself is as cheap as possible. Then that each step in the manufacturing process is efficient, and that the product is shipped out at the cheapest cost.

Retailing Supply chain managers monitor prices at the manufacturer. They make predictions about how much of a product that consumers will buy. This is known as a forecast. Then they make sure that the product is available at the cheapest cost possible at the time that consumers need it.

Transportation Transportation is an important link in all areas of the supply chain. Transportation brings raw materials to the manufacturer. It delivers the finished goods to the retailer. There are five modes of transportation that can be used: Motor carriers, Railroads, Air Carriers, Water Carriers, and Pipelines. The goal is to deliver products at the right time and at a cheap cost.

Warehousing All products are stored in a warehouse at least one time during their life cycles. The goal of the warehouse is normally used to provide a place to store goods so that when they are needed they can be quickly sent to a retailer.

Supply Chain Management is about the Inventory Raw Materials from a supplier are moved to a manufacturer to be converted into finished goods (inventory). Inventory can be stored in a warehouse. Inventory will be moved with one of the transportation modes. Inventory is moved to a retailer (customer) where it is sold to a consumer (you).

This career is broad… There are many things that you can do. You can manage costs for a manufacturer or obtain raw materials to produce a product. You can estimate how much product you think you might need to sell. You can make sure that products are delivered. At a retailer you could estimate how much product you think you will need, negotiate costs/pricing, and make sure that products are delivered to the store on time. You will work closely with the manufacturer.

The career is broad… In warehousing you are managing the inventory and storing it. You are also often doing things to make sure that costs on the inventory are reduced such as using the warehouse briefly to obtain better transportation rates by being able to ship larger quantities of inventory at a time. Transportation is often concerned with cutting costs. In this field you would work to make sure that you had full loads, find transportation vehicles to deliver inventory, make sure that inventory is delivered on time, and work with multiple modes of transportation in the delivery of inventory.

There’s a need There is a need for 1.4 million supply chain management professionals by 2018. Inbound Logistics Magazine There are not enough students to meet the demand for jobs in Supply Chain Management. Supply and Demand Chain Executive More supply chain management majors are needed. Supply Chain Management Review Supply chain management will save companies $3 trillion dollars in the next few years. Supply Chain Trends Not enough students are majoring in supply chain management currently to meet the demand for employees. University of Arkansas

Things students want to work at to be good at SCM Understanding how all parts of businesses work Good use of excel Strong information systems skills The analysis of statistical data A willingness to work globally Good leadership skills Ability to make decisions