Supply chain managers must look beyond logistics

“In general there is a complete lack of synchronicity between supply chain management and organisational strategy,” says Alyda le Hane, chapter chair Supply Chain Council (SCC) Southern Africa. While organisational strategy is driven by the product or service a company offers, the structure of the company is often inconsistent with achieving optimal results. “At a functional level you could be sabotaging the core of your business in terms of various customer groupings. It is therefore essential for companies to take a holistic approach as the supply chain has no boundaries and every individual needs to know where they fit in. The supply chain manager must be managing all the activities in the supply chain, not just the logistics,” says Le Hane. She notes that the SCOR training offered by SSC starts at a strategic level then drives down into efficiencies. It allows companies to extrapolate from the supplier all the way through to the consumer and has a significant impact on inventory and on lead times. “In this highly competitive world it is no longer enough just to benchmark yourself, there is a growing recognition that you need to look at best practices, and SCOR is the tool that allows you to do that. “Product parity has become common place in the market and it is important to look at how you differentiate yourself. Sometimes it is the ability to be the most reliable and consistent that gets you the business,” Le Hane concludes.