More than one third of senior supply chain executives believe a market-driven policy is the most critical issue for supply chain excellence. That's the finding of a poll conducted by business improvement consultancy Oliver Wight.
The poll took place during a recent webinar on supply chain excellence. Delegates were asked to cite their top three business-critical aspects for supply chain capability.
The top answer, cited by 35% of respondents, was to have a market-driven supply chain, which Oliver Wight's Stewart Kelly (pictured) says demonstrates the importance of being agile and responsive: "In today's dynamic market, the ability to adapt to changes in customer demand is a key differentiator between those who are successful and those who are not." A further 30% of delegates ranked this as their second most critical issue.
Other aspects highlighted as being critical were working to 'one set of numbers' and having 'formal partnerships with key customers and suppliers', at 26% and 17% respectively.
Supply chain segmentation was also discussed and was selected as a top three issue by a combined 22% of attendees, all of whom are likely to have a more mature supply chain, according to Oliver Wight.