
4 pillars of Supply Chain Strategy
- 1) People
- 2) Process
- 3) Systems
- 4) Execution.
- Pillar 1 – Vulnerability.
- Pillar 2 – Management Culture.
- Pillar 3 – Procurement.
- Pillar 4 – Operations.
- Pillar 5 – Demand & Visibility.
What are the challenges of a supply chain?
“The biggest challenge to supply chain management is finding the right partner to compliment your skill set…” Supply chain is complicated and it has two sides — getting product from a manufacturer to a distribution center takes a different set of skills from getting that product from the distribution center to your customer.
What are the parts of Supply Chain Management?
Supply chain management has five key elements—planning, sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, delivery, and returns.
What are the benefits of supply chain?
What Are the Benefits of Supply Chain Sustainability?
- Reduced environmental impact. ...
- Greater business efficiency that can reduce operating costs. ...
- Better continuity of supply. ...
- Improved organizational reputation. ...
- Opportunities to expand corporate partnerships. ...
- Helps you to win business. ...
- Facilitates innovation. ...
- Improved talent attraction and retention, and increased employee satisfaction. ...
What are supply chain tools?
Supply Chain Management Tools Reduce cost, eliminate waste, and streamline different areas of the supply chain. Supply chain management is a monumental task for businesses to manage. Thankfully, a wide range of supply chain management tools exists that can help businesses perform better.

What are the 4 pillars of supply chain?
Managing the “4 pillars” of global procurement – people, process, technology, and supply chain – is crucial for ensuring a global approach to standardizing technology infrastructure for the enterprise.
How many pillars are in supply chain?
three pillarsThere are three pillars to supply chain management, each of these points hold indispensable value for a business.
What are the three pillars of supply chain management?
Our three pillars (or fundamentals) of great supply chain management excellence are strategy, service, and cost.
What is the most important pillar of supply chain management?
The 5 Pillars of Procurement and Supply Chain ManagementValue for Money. In short this means that it is not necessarily the tender with the lowest price that is going to win the bid. ... Open and Effective Competition. ... Ethics and Fair Dealing. ... Accountability and Reporting. ... Equity.
What are 5 pillars of SCM?
The five pillars of supply chain resiliencePillar 1 – Vulnerability.Pillar 2 – Management Culture.Pillar 3 – Procurement.Pillar 4 – Operations.Pillar 5 – Demand & Visibility.
What are the five elements of supply chain management?
The Top-level of this model has five different processes which are also known as components of Supply Chain Management – Plan, Source, Make, Deliver and Return. Let's deep dive into each component: Plan: Planning is imperative to control inventory and manufacturing processes.
What are the 12 logistics elements?
Terms in this set (12)Design Interface. ... Sustaining Engineering. ... Supply Support. ... Maintenance Planning & Management. ... Packaging, Handling, Storage, and Transportation. ... Technical Data. ... Support Equipment. ... Training & Training Support.More items...
What are the three main functional areas of the supply chain?
Supply chain management (SCM) is the management of operations that are involved in the procurement of raw materials, its processing into finished goods, and distribution to the end consumer.
What are the 5 principles of procurement?
5 Procurement Principles UN Staff Members Should KnowBest value for money. ... Fairness, integrity, and transparency. ... Effective international competition. ... The interest of the Contractor. ... Client centricity.
What are the 7 core principles of public procurement?
The most important of these general principles of law for you to be aware of in the procurement context are: equality of treatment. transparency....Treaty obligationsnon-discrimination.free movement of goods.freedom to provide services.freedom of establishment.
What are the 12 logistics elements?
Terms in this set (12)Design Interface. ... Sustaining Engineering. ... Supply Support. ... Maintenance Planning & Management. ... Packaging, Handling, Storage, and Transportation. ... Technical Data. ... Support Equipment. ... Training & Training Support.More items...
What are the three pillars on which SCM make vs buy decision depends on?
This report explores the dynamics of make-or-buy decisions and presents a framework to help companies make the right decisions. The framework is built on three key pillars — business strategy, risks, and economic factors.
Why is supply chain management important?
Because it concerns all departments in the company, supply chain management relies on fundamentals that it is vital to master, such as rigorous management of stocks, forecasts and procurement, sales planning, definition of KPIs, control over total costs, etc.
Why is data sharing important in supply chain management?
They provide an end-to-end view, from products and services offered, forecasts, capacities, stocks, order and delivery tracking, etc. to measuring customer satisfaction – the objective remains the same: to share information in order to improve efficiency.
Is supply chain management attractive?
Supply chain management is increasingly attractive. This attractiveness is accelerating with the growth of digital technology and the need for the skills and profiles required to support its development. Talented employees specializing in digital/data are increasingly sought after by startups, as well as large groups. There is real competition for talent and this needs to be managed properly.
How many pillars are there in supply chain management?
There are three pillars to supply chain management, each of these points hold indispensable value for a business.
What is the role of suppliers in supply chain?
Suppliers provide the materials and critical infrastructure necessary for product realization. They act as agents of delivery for products and they provide the tools, utilities and even training necessary for everyday operations. Managing suppliers and understanding the intricacies of operational supply chain management ensures performance metrics like on time delivery and product quality are repeatable, consistent data points that can contribute to strategic planning.
What is the first pillar of risk management?
The first pillar (Vulnerability) assesses the risk exposure of a company, followed by the risk identification pillar (Management Culture) and the actual mitigation pillars (Procurement, Operations, and Demand & Visibility).
Is supply chain resilience a priority?
When it comes to the attention of top management, 33% of our survey participants indicate that supply chain resilience is a “High” priority for top management and for a further 27%, it is even considered a “Very high” priority. Table 2 indicates that for 85% of the companies surveyed, the topic has an increased importance either within the entire organization (44%) or in some parts of the organization (41%).
Is there a strong vulnerability at first tier suppliers?
But, despite these efforts, a strong vulnerability at first-tier suppliers remains (table 1) . Efficient risk mitigation strategies call for an increased multi-stakeholder dialogue.
What is a supply chain?
Hence, a firm’s supply chain includes firms providing raw materials and subassemblies, transportation, warehousing, retailing, and anyone else who touches anything related to the product.
Why is it important to have a supply chain?
An important aspect of almost every supply chain is the fact that members of the chain represent independent firms with their own goals and priorities. Also, just like every other chain, a supply chain is only as effective as its weakest link. Therefore, loading up on one raw material when there’s an insufficient supply of another represents waste as you must store and protect the plentiful raw material until needed based on the limiting factor of the other raw materials.
What is a supplier information management?
Supplier information management. You must have unrestricted information flows from one member of the supply chain to others in the chain to allow effective planning by each member. JIT (just in time) manufacturing offers an example of how information flows. An order comes in to the manufacturer, which triggers an order to suppliers ...
What is the purpose of vendor relationship management?
The overall purpose of this vendor relationship management process is for an organization to recognize the value offered by their suppliers and harness that value by making them key players in the procurement processes.
What are the three pillars of supply chain management?
Our three pillars (or fundamentals) of great supply chain management excellence are strategy, service, and cost. Now as any architect will tell you, it’s a mistake to build on top of wonky pillars, so throughout this post, we’ll concentrate on aligning the three supply chain pillars … and the benefits of doing so.
How are planning and policies related?
Planning and policies are closely related to one another in the drive for supply chain management excellence . It’s important to plan carefully for example, in the development of policies to ensure they align with the needs of your business and its customers.
Why are policies important in supply chain management?
Effective policies are vital for inventory management in particular. Policies ensure consistency, and consistency reduces uncertainty – the nemesis of every supply chain.
Why is alignment important in supply chain?
Aligning strategy, service, and financial factors in your supply chain operation is essential to support your company’s overall business strategy, mission, and objectives. If you want to win the approval (and perhaps even admiration) of the C-suite, this alignment must be your primary supply chain management objective.
How does transportation cost affect supply chain?
The cost of transportation within your supply chain is closely linked to the number and placement of your facilities. If you optimise your company’s supply chain network effectively, you’ll enjoy lower transportation costs.
How can financial alignment be improved?
Even if you have just the right number of distribution nodes in your network, in just the right locations, financial alignment can be improved further with some keen attention to what goes on inside your distribution centres and warehouses.
Why is it important to balance inventory levels and deployment strategy?
Hence it’s critical to balance inventory levels and deployment strategy to meet availability and cost requirements. Striking such a balance requires attention to the two other elements of service mentioned previously—policies and planning.
Why is supply chain management important?
Why is Supply Chain Management essential at this time? There is now an increasing need to create net value, build a competitive infrastructure, leverage worldwide logistics, synchronizing supply with demand, and measure performance globally. Only Supply Chain Management has a systematic process to satisfy these increasing demands.
What are the trends in supply chain management?
Today, the field has broadened and shifted over time. Current supply chain trends—differentiation, outsourcing, compression, and collaboration —are being used to restructure supply networks and improve coordination. As more companies integrate their networks, capabilities are improving. The levels of product customization and business complexity are also increasing. As this continues, Supply Chain Management is being used in new ways to create uniquely defined customer relationships anchored on appropriate Customer-centric Design.
What is SCM in business?
Supply Chain Management (SCM) is the design, planning, execution, control, and monitoring of Supply Chain activities. It also captures the management of the flow of goods and services.

The Supply Chain – What Is It ?
Revealing and resilient
- Everything would be perfect in an ideal logistics world… but life also includes crises which can reveal malfunctions within these well-oiled mechanisms. Especially since supply chains are often organized from end to end, i.e. based on “just-in-time” flows, and must meet the expectations of buyers who are now used to the ultra-fast delivery times popularized by e-commerce giants. Thi…
1 – Mastering The Basics of The Profession
- Because it concerns all departments in the company, supply chain management relies on fundamentals that it is vital to master, such as rigorous management of stocks, forecasts and procurement, sales planning, definition of KPIs, control over total costs, etc. No long-term action can succeed without respecting the basics of the profession. At Saint-Gobain, several procedure…
2 – Aligning Functions to Improve Collaboration
- As we have seen, the supply chain aims to align the company's various functions. Major competitive factors are at stake and many questions need to be asked. What do I want to offer? What services will be included? Will they be the same for all my customers and all my products ? What stock strategy do I need to adopt so that what I offer is seen and...
3 – Creating A Digital Twin of Your Supply Chain
- In view of recent developments (customer expectations for ever-greater speed, reliability and services and demand for cheaper or even free delivery) and the crises we have experienced (particularly the health crisis), the supply chain strategy must be reviewed increasingly frequently. This ambition is only possible with regularly updated processes that can be rapidly implemented…
4 – Having Precise Knowledge of Costs
- No strategic decision can be made without understanding the costs. It is vital to provide decision-makers with a financial insight into the various supply chain scenarios available to them. The objective is to gradually move from volume-based analysis to cost-based analysis and, ultimately, to margin-based analysis. The prerequisites are having a good understanding of costs througho…
5 – Digital – The Cornerstone
- The creation, enhancement and sharing of data are absolutely vital in supply chain management. They provide an end-to-end view, from products and services offered, forecasts, capacities, stocks, order and delivery tracking, etc. to measuring customer satisfaction – the objective remains the same: to share information in order to improve efficiency. Digital is a real lever to ac…
6 – Surrounding Yourself with Talent and Supporting It
- Supply chain management is increasingly attractive. This attractiveness is accelerating with the growth of digital technology and the need for the skills and profiles required to support its development. Talented employees specializing in digital/data are increasingly sought after by startups, as well as large groups. There is real competition for talent and this needs to be manag…
7 – Moving Towards A Sustainable Supply Chain
- A sustainable business needs a sustainable supply chain. Transportation has a significant impact on carbon footprint and the logistics chain therefore has an important role to play in controlling scope 3. The term “scope 3” covers all greenhouse gas emissions not directly linked to the manufacture of a product, i.e. procurement, transport, customer use, etc. A sustainable supply c…
Diligent Supply Chain Management Is Essential to Every Successfulenterprise.
- Suppliers provide the materials and critical infrastructurenecessary for product realization. They act as agents of delivery for productsand they provide the tools, utilities and even training necessary for everydayoperations. Managing suppliers and understanding the intricacies of operationalsupply chain management ensures performance metrics like on time delivery andpro…
Supplier Selection
- Just a few decades ago, supplier options were considerablymore restricted. In many cases, options were limited to one or two possibleproviders of any given part or service. In today’s global economy, that hasshifted drastically. In many cases there are now dozens of options for purchaseof most parts and materials. Time and caution should be taken in selecting thesupplier…
Metrics and Feedback
- Once a supplier has been vetted as capable and dependable,metrics and feedback must become part of the equation. Successful businessesprovide customers with on time delivery and quality product. These aretrackable metrics every company can maintain with critical-component suppliers.Even the most basic enterprise systems and receiving processes will allow ameasure …
Security
- The final pillar of successful supply chain management issecurity. Security comes in many forms that must be addressed. First and mostobvious, is physical security. The assurance that the material, part, shipmentetc. being provided remains secure from damage, theft, or contamination byweather and external forces. Physical security does not happen o...