Build better supply chain relationships ‘at half the cost’

The paper, entitled 'Supply Chain Design and Optimisation: Building relationships throughout the extended supply chain', offers advice on how to improve relationships with strategic supply chain partners and work with them to boost service levels while lowering costs. "It is typical for companies to focus on those nodes in the supply chain that are closest to home," says Stewart Kelly (pictured), managing partner at Oliver Wight and author of the paper. "But often when there are issues in the supply chain they are caused by multiple nodes or stem from those further upstream or downstream." The report champions supply chain collaboration, whilst positioning it as a journey of maturity. "Businesses must establish internal control and efficiency before they can think about supply chain design and connecting with customers and suppliers. Once they have done that, improved communication and integration ultimately mean the supply chain can work more closely to the demand signal, providing the opportunity to become more efficient, lean and agile." The culture needed to elicit lasting change is also tackled. Kelly says two-thirds of change initiatives fail due to lack of leadership. "To prevent this happening, active engagement and visible leadership is needed to motivate people across fiscal boundaries and within different companies," he says. Click on the link below to download the white paper.