In addition to the departments within the organization, these partners include suppliers, distributors, transportation carriers, third-party logistics companies, and information systems providers. The world-class supply chain leaders display certain common characteristics. For one, they focus intensely on actual customer demand. Instead of forcing into the market product that may or may not sell quickly, they react to actual customer demand. The supply chain can be a powerful competitive weapon as market leaders such as Wal-Mart , Dell Computer , and Avnet have demonstrated convincingly.
Technology is a critical supply chain enabler.
Sophisticated manufacturing, warehousing, and transportation systems are helping supply chain partners integrate their operations up and down the pipeline. Satellite communications technology now can track the progress of raw materials and finished goods as they move from source to end user. Advanced planning and scheduling systems allow companies to more closely match production with actual consumer demand. Technology has become so important to supply chain management, in fact, that the professionals working in this field must become technologically proficient to achieve any measure of success. Now, that doesn't mean knowing how to program Java or write some esoteric code.