Defining Supply Chain Management

Companies that deal with inventory will have to have some sort of system in place to effectively manage the supply chain that exists for any type of sales. A system of inventory needs to be as smooth running as possible so that a company is able to fulfill all its orders in a timely manner. If there is a shortage of inventory, sales fulfillment will fall behind and the company is in danger of losing both its reputation and credibility. More and more companies are using some type of supply chain management to keep track of what inventory they have, what is allotted for current sales invoices, what product has been ordered from the supplier, and what inventory is already on route from the supplier. Once this supply chain is running smoothly and efficiently there is little chance of lost sales or dissatisfied customers due to a problem with supply and demand.

Many companies have some employees that are trained in supply chain management to ensure that someone with a working knowledge of the supply and demand process is in charge. This type of management ensures that someone is capable of making those decisions in an informed and proactive manner. Many times the person in charge of the supply and demand chain will also be responsible for the rest of the employees working in the inventory, shipping, and production area of the company. When someone with the training that is provided by supply chain management is in charge the inventory and production side of a company runs with efficiency and order. The entire company is counting on this efficiency to ensure profits, repeated sales, and future growth.

Supply chain management is becoming more and more popular among many companies as they realize the importance of controlling and managing the product that enters and leaves the company. The more attention that is paid to supply and demand the more success a company will achieve.

Courses in Supply Chain Management and Logistics

One realises the importance of logistics only after knowing what it means to your business when delayed deliveries of raw materials result in frequent downtime and the consequent loss of production. It is the same case when your customers start complaining that their ordered goods do not reach them as promised.

Regardless of whether you are a buyer or a seller, your interest is in delivery of your order and not in the promises made to you. A seller is worth as much as his/her uninterrupted procedures and delivering as promised.

If you have to deliver quality service, you need to know the industry norms, which is easy if you undergo a professional logistics course. While there are many courses in supply chain management and logistics available online as well as regular MBA in logistics, it is imperative that you do the right course from a reputable business school.

If you aspire for a career as a logistics manager in a manufacturing organization or a third party logistics provider, you may try a postgraduate college that offers regular MBA (Logistics). If you have a job or own a business that involves a fair amount of shipping, you may opt for a general course such as a weekend MBA logistics course.

There are immense opportunities in the field of supply chain management. Logistics is a fast growing industry. Practically every business needs to manage logistics, for which purpose it either hires a logistics manager or outsource it to a service provider. If you do a postgraduate logistics course, you can expect to get job in any of the manufacturing or retailing companies or with a service provider. If you have the entrepreneurial spirit in you, you may even pursue a career in operational management or become a logistics service provider yourself.

The fact is that efficient logistics add value to an organization. If you have any doubts, then you may want to know why logistics is rated so high. Efficient logistics and supply chain management is instrumental in lowering transportation costs, increasing cash flows and reducing inventory cost. Logistics is the ability of an organization to deliver the right quantity of the right thing at the right place in the right condition and at the right price.

Production logistics is a logistic process that ensures that each machine or workstation is provided with the right item at the right time and in the right quantity. Logistics management, on the other hand, is a component of supply chain management, which is management of a network of interconnected businesses participating in the process of providing a product or service required by the end user.

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