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Supply Chain Management - Linking a Company to its Customers and Suppliers

The supply chain determines how 100 percent of the company's value is delivered to its customers.

Supply chain management as an integration of the planning, management, and control of value chains, encompassing suppliers, production, physical logistics, and customers.
The objective is to achieve superior customer service with minimal total supply chain cost.
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Featured Profile
Knut, Expert - Stuttgart
"My role as a specialist - someone who's been in industry and understands where the client is - helps to make the process smoother; we get client trust from the start."
Launch profile
McKinsey identified four dominant yet very different supply-chain types, helping us focus and tailor our approach. - President, North American Retailer

The McKinsey Quarterly
Building a flexible supply chain for uncertain times
(2009, March)
The "bullwhip effect" means that distortions in data cascade through a company's suppliers. Businesses must remain flexible to protect themselves.


Management practices that drive supply chain success
(2009, February)
The results of in-depth interview with operations executives represent major implications for companies in high tech, manufacturing and assembly, packaged goods, pharmaceuticals, and retailing.


Freeing up cash from Operations
(2008, December)
As the economy slows, companies should avoid the impulse to batten down their operations indiscriminately. Taking short-term steps and a balanced view of operations can keep cash flows healthy.


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