Supply Chains: A Manager's Guide

Assembling the Goods

The supply phase of the fulfillment cycle begins with the selection of one or more facilities to fill the order. This is usually an easy decision; the supplier just ships the goods from the storage facility closest to the customer. But, as always, there are variations to take into account. One variation has to do with production strategies; make-to-order products, by their very nature, are created on demand at a production facility, so they won't be found waiting in a warehouse. Another variation arises from the centralization of order management, in which a company provides a single order point for two or more of its operating divisions. In this case, an order might be dispatched to several different locations, each of which ...