Operations Management: Processes and Supply Chains, 12th Edition

Strategic Options for Supply Chain Design

A supply chain is, of course, a network of firms. Thus, each firm in the chain should design its own supply chains to support the competitive priorities of its services or products. Even though extensive technologies such as the Internet, computer-assisted design, flexible manufacturing, and automated warehousing have been applied to all stages of the supply chain, the performance of many supply chains remains dismal. One possible cause for failures is that managers do not understand the nature of the demand for their services or products and, therefore, cannot design supply chains to satisfy those demands. Two distinct designs used to competitive advantage are efficient supply chains and responsive supply ...