Network of organizations involved in the movement of materials, information and money

The supply chain links all the components together in order to meet customer demand Strong supply chains help lean six sigma organizations optimize quality,cost and productivity.

When designing a supply chain , they ask the following questions: I. What products will travel through the supply chain? II. What services will travel through the supply chain? III. What information will travel through the supply chain? IV. What is the structure of the supply chain? V. How will each segment of the supply chain be managed and optimized?

Inventory management Information sharing E-commerce Logistics purchasing

Supply chain in global economy are vulnerable for a variety of reasons , including that organizations cannot identify or plan for all the risks involved .

Schedule leveling Schedule fixing Pull systems Short cycle times Safety stocks safety lead times Small batch sizes Flexible job sequencing Workforce flexibility Capacity planning

Information is the key component of a supply chain. Carefully selected supply chain ensures the integrity of the link between suppliers and customers.

Refers to electronic technology in business transactions. Allows organizations to reach global markets with little efforts . Products and services can be accessed through the web Allowing consumers to make their decisions But it requires significant investment and qualified workers .

Is the process of determing the best methods of procuring, maintaining, packaging transporting and storing materials in order to satisfy customer demand. Including the material handling, packaging, warehousing, staging and transportation of equipment, parts ,tools and anything else needed to keep the organization functioning

What is being shipped? How will it be packaged? What type of handling care will be needed? When will it be needed? When will it shipped? What is the best way to ship it ? What are the optimal shipping practices? What will it cost ?

Material , parts , supplies and services are all purchases necessary for operating a business. Purchases are driven by several factors including quality of the goods or services , timing of the deliveries and the cost .