Different size companies have employees in various positions in order to make sure everything gets done to keep the business running. Throughout these positions are many that relate to supply chain planning. This is an important function and any business that sells a product needs to have the people in place to make it happen effectively. Without them in place, there can be disastrous consequences that cause product delivery delays, increase needs for customer service, and can cost the company money.
One of the first positions to fill is purchasing. This person will be responsible for making sure everything from raw materials to pens and paper are on hand and available for use. They will work out deals for good products, lower shipping rates, keep the supply available.
If you manufacture the product, you will need raw materials. If you assemble premade products, you need to be sure they are available as well. If the products cannot be made or put together, they cannot be sold and shipped. This part of the process is the second of the critical functions.
It is important to track the inventory. Regardless of what you purchase, you need to know how much you have and where it is. This position will keep track of it using software and digital scanners. At least monthly a full hand count needs to be done. Electronic systems can fail and it is important to reconcile them often enough to prevent running out of anything necessary.
A well-maintained warehouse will keep things running smoothly. Losing time hunting down what you need is wasted money. It is important to be able to find what is needed quickly and get it to the people that need to use it. Managing one or more warehouses requires the right kind of software and knowledge to work well.
Transportation is a key function. If you can ship the product through a regular company, you need to be able to track each shipment. For those companies that have their own transportation, they will need to know when and where each truck is and needs to be. Even if your employees are not the ones driving, you still need a shipping and transportation manager to make sure the products get to their destination.
Customer service provides the customers with information and uses the systems in place to do this. The tracking and ordering systems need to be accessible to the customer representatives so they can quickly provide status updates to customers and work to resolve problems.
Having someone do demand planning will make sure you are not overspending or running out of inventory. This person is required to analyze sales trends and other aspects of the business. Spending too much on a product that is moving slowly removes funds for other products and business needs. There is a fine balance that needs to be maintained so there is enough product to sell without having too much on hand, which costs money.
Getting the product from the raw material to the customer takes a concerted effort of many different positions. Even if the same person fills many positions, the work of each one is critical to making sure customers are happy, the company is profitable, and the product gets from one end of the chain to the other.
One of the first positions to fill is purchasing. This person will be responsible for making sure everything from raw materials to pens and paper are on hand and available for use. They will work out deals for good products, lower shipping rates, keep the supply available.
If you manufacture the product, you will need raw materials. If you assemble premade products, you need to be sure they are available as well. If the products cannot be made or put together, they cannot be sold and shipped. This part of the process is the second of the critical functions.
It is important to track the inventory. Regardless of what you purchase, you need to know how much you have and where it is. This position will keep track of it using software and digital scanners. At least monthly a full hand count needs to be done. Electronic systems can fail and it is important to reconcile them often enough to prevent running out of anything necessary.
A well-maintained warehouse will keep things running smoothly. Losing time hunting down what you need is wasted money. It is important to be able to find what is needed quickly and get it to the people that need to use it. Managing one or more warehouses requires the right kind of software and knowledge to work well.
Transportation is a key function. If you can ship the product through a regular company, you need to be able to track each shipment. For those companies that have their own transportation, they will need to know when and where each truck is and needs to be. Even if your employees are not the ones driving, you still need a shipping and transportation manager to make sure the products get to their destination.
Customer service provides the customers with information and uses the systems in place to do this. The tracking and ordering systems need to be accessible to the customer representatives so they can quickly provide status updates to customers and work to resolve problems.
Having someone do demand planning will make sure you are not overspending or running out of inventory. This person is required to analyze sales trends and other aspects of the business. Spending too much on a product that is moving slowly removes funds for other products and business needs. There is a fine balance that needs to be maintained so there is enough product to sell without having too much on hand, which costs money.
Getting the product from the raw material to the customer takes a concerted effort of many different positions. Even if the same person fills many positions, the work of each one is critical to making sure customers are happy, the company is profitable, and the product gets from one end of the chain to the other.
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You can find a summary of the advantages you get when you use professional supply chain planning services at http://www.adexa.com/solutions/supply-chain-planning right now.
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