The importance of supply chain management in today’s competitive market landscape cannot be undermined. With the expectations of both shareholders and consumers soaring, the collective capability, technology, resources, and scale of most supply chains have become insufficient.
Moreover, it can be said that the exponential increase in business complexities is one of the biggest challenges facing the supply chain. This surge in the complexity has been further fueled by challenges such as supply chain globalization, acquisition pace, new retail channels (i.e. omnichannel), regulations, and a rapid increase in the pace and complexity of new product introductions. This has forced companies to adopt supply chain best practices and renew their supply chain approach.
At SpendEdge, we understand that adopting supply chain best practices requires both knowledge and capabilities. Therefore, our team of experts has highlighted the supply chain best practices that companies can adopt to increase value creation across the supply chain.
Want to know how supply chain best practices can help you manage complexities? Get in touch with our experts and implement supply chain best practices for your organization.
Supply chain best practices for companies
#1 Align supply chain responsibilities
Often, the decision-making power is divided among different people in organizations. This not only slows down the operations but also makes it difficult for companies to make quick decisions. Aligning supply chain responsibilities will ensure better supply chain management and greater efficiency for organizations.
#2 Utilize technologies
Companies integrate too many software to increase their efficiency without analyzing the needs of their organization. Instead, companies should analyze the efficacy of their processes that need improvement and then implement technologies that can address those needs. This is one of the supply chain best practices that can help companies to make better utilization of their supply chain.
#3 Devise strategic sourcing strategy
Strategic sourcing is imperative for supply management. It ensures the availability of supplies, lowers total cost, streamlines processes, and increases responsiveness to customers’ changing needs. Companies looking to implement supply chain best practices should focus on strategic sourcing rather than considering it the sole responsibility of the purchasing department.
#4 Consider value over price
It is never advisable for companies to cut costs at every point of time, especially if they are aiming to achieve long term business goals. At times, they need to put value over price to retain their customers, keep business flowing, and establish themselves as a reliable supply chain partner. This requires companies to implement supply chain best practices and achieve better profits in the long run.
#5 Better inventory management
Inventory management is one of the supply chain best practices that companies are intending to improve upon in the years to come. It helps companies to substantially improve the bottom line and minimize their working capital. Even the top-notch companies are paying attention to inventory at the highest levels as it could represent over 50% of the cost of an item.
#6 Taking social initiatives
Reducing a supply chain’s carbon footprint is no more a choice for companies. It is one of those supply chain best practices that necessarily needs to be practiced. The reason being, buyers and consumers take it into consideration while choosing products or services. Any company not having productive social responsibility programs risks criticism from one or the other sources.
Implementing supply chain best practices is pivotal to increase the efficiency of the global supply chain. To know how your organization can benefit from these practices, request a free demo from our experts now!
