Supply Chain: Outlining efficient logistics management, considering the processes and intermediate links, is still a challenge for everyone involved in the production chain, especially for the industry.
The amount of processes and data to be managed makes communication between the industry and its partners complex. Actions and strategies aimed at results and efficiency aimed at just one agent in the chain no longer fit in today’s highly competitive market.
Therefore, better understanding your supply chain and how to manage it correctly is essential for the success of the industry and its channels in this chain. To learn more about the supply chain and how it works for industries, follow us in the following content!
What Is The Supply Chain?
The production process of an industry depends on a series of internal and external factors: the relationship with primary suppliers, production planning, transportation, the relationship with distribution channels and the demand of the retail sector are just some examples of these factors.
Over time, it was realized that the industry’s performance was separate from its distribution channels, which did not work in isolation from retail. The cycle of a given product to the final consumer requires joint and synchronized action from several sectors to achieve a purchase, sale and consumption transaction at the end.
This joint action, strategically thought out, constitutes an entire chain that involves suppliers, industries, distributors, wholesalers, carriers, retailers and even the final consumer. It is to this chain and its management that the term “supply chain” refers.
A supply chain, also called a supply chain, is nothing less than this set of efforts around the product cycle, from inputs for its production to its arrival to consumers (such as the gondolas at a POS). For this cycle to occur in the most efficient way possible, it is necessary that the agents in the chain work in an integrated manner.
Supply Chain And Channel Integration
For the work in an industry’s supply chain to occur in an integrated manner, it is first necessary to have a series of actions that allow this integration in the short and long term. The first step is to build partnerships based on the cooperation of agents, transparency (of data) and commitment to strategic actions.
An example of the improvement of these processes that bring cost savings and more sales for the agents, obtained through the cooperation of the agents of this productive chain, is the change in the methods of purchase and sale of products with tools such as the VMI or management of the client’s inventory.
Another important strategic step for the supply chain is sharing data between agents in the production chain. We know that information is essential for the decision-making process in the industry and all other links in the supply chain.
We know that the most significant flow of data, and consequently of information, comes from consumers towards distributors and producers. Therefore, the greater the data sharing, the stronger the dimension of the joint strategic scenario between the links in the supply chain.
Nowadays, it is still possible to see agents who refuse or restrict data sharing for fear of compromising their market strategies. However, when done transparently and with the right tools, data sharing only strengthens the links in the supply chain, generating more results and competitiveness in the market.
A good supply chain strategy usually aims at more optimized processes and excellent value delivery to customers, be they other companies or the final consumer (sell-in and sell-out ).
Critical Elements Of Supply Chain Integration
When it comes to building supply chain management that works, each agent in the production chain (which includes industry) has a different strategy, as it permeates factors such as the number of agents in the chain, the infrastructure available between the channels, the segment in which that chain is inserted, among other aspects. However, the supply chain requires several vital factors to build an effectively productive and integrated management, such as:
Obtaining And Processing Data
We live in the age of data, where artificial intelligence and cloud data storage make up a large volume of information available to managers of different companies.
However, this advent also involves several issues related to the initiatives of an industry or other agents, such as data protection law, the lack of tools that process large volumes of data correctly and the resistance of partners in sharing strategies and information.
However, the market trend is increasingly moving towards integrating the production chain channels, and for this to happen, the exchange of data and information between chain agents is essential to build a competitive network in the market. As it is responsible for producing different products, the industry plays an essential role in sharing and managing data from its channels.
Creation Of Strategic Partnerships
Another important aspect is building strong, strategic relationships with your industry partners. See your distribution channels as more than a business channel for your production, include them in the strategic process and create ways to encourage them to maintain or improve their results.
In this regard, the definition of incentive campaigns that reward these partners can be an effective alternative to keep these channels or agents engaged with their objectives and generate mutual benefits. Doing so will ensure that the relationship with your channels is increasingly transparent and based on trust and good results.
Adoption Of Effective Tools
When managing production chain processes, the tools used along the way must also be practical and reliable. Adopting integration software, for example, can guarantee the automation of part of the administrative process, such as obtaining and processing data.
With this information in hand, the administrative process and resource management have a better basis and the decision-making process of control in the industry.
The modernization of the industry is just the beginning of processes increasingly focused on data science and the way to manage them strategically, and adequate tools for this adaptation will be essential for this.
Also Read: How To Build A B2B Sales Strategy With Sales Performance
