Suhail Sulaiman

Topics covered during the course are: Concepts: demand and supply management; push and pull models; enterprise resource planning (ERP); vendor managed inventory (VMI); efficient consumer response (ECR); value chains; lean supply; global SCM; contribution to business objectives Development: physical distribution management; materials management; logistics management and SCM (upstream and downstream) Key drivers: facilities; inventory; transportation; information; sourcing; pricing; globalization; technology; customer expectation Integrated supply chain: strategic goals; culture change; roles and responsibilities of staff; organizational rationalization; higher volume and speed of transactions; enhanced market position; reduced supply chain complexity; potential for smooth process operations following complex initial set-up; enhanced, lean and agile systems Different types of relationship: alliances eg. adversarial, developmental, collaborative, strategic; supplier development; e-tailing; business to business, business to consumer; intermediation and disintermediation; networks; supplier associations; supplier tiering; organizational networks; personal networks; auctions. Use of information systems: intranets; extranets and virtual private networks (VPNs) for supply chain integration; opportunity to use sales service staff in call centres dealing with supply exceptions; order processing, web-based EDI, tracking systems, online communication systems; online business communities; decrease in transaction costs; closer buyer supplier relationships; improved purchasing, order processing, EDI, inventory management, production scheduling; Just in Time (JIT) programmes; tracking shipments; reducing lead times; information sharing; lean organizations Individual elements: the use of intranets and extranets in building value chains for organizations linked in the supply chain, order processing, web-based electronic data interchange (EDI), tracking systems. Procurement: supplier selection; optimal procurement policies; reliability; quality. Logistics: role within supply chain management; planning; implementation and control of the movement and storage of goods; management of raw materials; link between the marketplace and operating activity of the organization; customer satisfaction; coordination of materials and information flows; point of origin to point of consumption Barriers: inappropriate distribution networks; ineffective distribution strategies; trade-offs in logistical activity eg a full truckload of a product is ordered to reduce transportation costs resulting in increased inventory holding costs; inability to integrate processes through the supply chain to share information; poor inventory management; cash flow problems