Supply Chains: A Manager's Guide

Choosing a Strategy

In the new, chain-based competition, success depends on formulating and executing a clear strategy for your chain. This is not yet a common insight; the very idea that supply chains require a strategy would come as a surprise to many managers. This is perhaps understandable; in years past, when logistics was viewed as a support function, managing the chain was primarily a matter of finding the best way to move whatever the company chose to sell. But in the new competition, the priorities are reversed: If you can't create and deliver products in a timely, cost-effective manner, it doesn't matter much how well you design and market them. This reversal places supply chain decisions at the very heart of corporate strategy.

Supply ...