Supply Chain Management

This article discusses supply chain management, compares Dell's supply chain and logistics innovations with competitors like Apple, and explores emerging factors affecting computer chain stores. It also explains how technology-driven factors were not enough to enable some businesses to survive the online competitive entrance into the market. Subject: Supply Chain Management, Course Code: N/A, Course Name: N/A, College/University: N/A.

Running head: SUPPLY CHAIN 1
Supply Chain Management
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Supply Chain Management
Introduction
Supply chain management has been an issue of concern all over the world. The process
through a product is manufactured and passed through machinery until it reaches to the final
consumer is referred to as the supply chain process. Some process may be automated while
others may be manualized. In either case there are both cost and benefits of using either.
Therefore, it remains paramount for organizations to have a lean supply chain management
process that will be able to manage the needs of clients and customers in the effective way
possible (Monczka, 2015). The process deals with the flow of goods from the manufacturer to
the final consumer. Both goods and services can go through a given form of supply chain
management process. The process differ from one organization to another based on the type of
commodity supplier by the firm. Some have a long process while others have a short one (John,
2014). The aim of the process is to optimize efficiency and increase speed in delivery of goods
and services to the final consumers at the end of every business day.
Compare Dell's supply chain and logistics innovations with the competitive responses from
competitors such as the Apple Store and others.
The solid difference between Dell and Apple is the inventory management system. More
often Dell uses a direct strategy in handling its customers while ensuring it maintains zero stock.
It manages to achieve so by ensuring that it only makes a computer only when the customers
place an order (Gao and profile, 2018). Additionally, the order is made to meet the customer
specification in all material aspects. This does not only saves Dell the inventory cost but also it

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saves it the storage costs as well as providing it with pricing advantage over other organizations.
Real-time manufacturing process to ensure it has zero inventories (Gao and profile, 2018). On
the other hand Apple deal with large volumes of inventory that they purchase before time,
hedging the prices and also creating barriers that deter competitors from getting them. The two
methods of managing inventory are the risk and distinctive in their own ways. However, the
companies have different ways of mitigating risks that may come along with their risky
strategies. Dell always directs its attention to forces of demand and supply and critical analysis of
data kept in their huge databases. A lean system has always been the way for Dell to remain
competitive in the PC markets which is ever changing and diverse (Gao and profile, 2018).
However, Apply uses vigorous marketing strategies to attract its pool of customers who go about
purchasing its products and that no inventories will be left out. Dell customizes its products as
per customer specification while Apple follows a unified strategy that focuses on a push
approach where products are sold to the customer rather than the other way round where
customers demand the products (Gao and profile, 2018).
To a great extent, both Dell and Apple tend to have a simplified kind of supply chain
process where they ensure that most of the middlemen between the manufacturer and the
customers are reduced. Therefore, much focus has been made on direct sales in an attempt to cut
off the retailers from the supply chain process. Through their own processes, they are in a
position to inventory costs considerably.
Discuss the emerging supply chain and logistics management factors shown in the video that was
already negatively affecting large computer chain stores.
Use of trolley in loading and the offloading computer is a major issue that has really
affected the way computer industry has been performing over decades (Gao and profile, 2018).

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From the video, it was evidently clear that after the computer was ready, they were on-boarded in
a trolley pushed and pulled by employees. The pulling and pushing of such trolley may cause the
way computers to wear and tear thus reducing the quality of the product produced. With the
automated process as evidenced in Dell assembly process where all materials were fed into the
system by employees and then later assembled and tested to confirm it is good working condition
was not convincing enough since a lot of time wasted (Gao and profile, 2018). Additionally, the
assembly took 4 hours for a single computer. However. Strategies were being put in place to
ensure that the time was reduced to 2 hours. This will ensures that the lead time is reduced and
that customers receive their order on a timely basis. Transportation of products has also been
another issue of concern since it has made many laptops obsolete and has made the company lose
asset thus suffering huge losses. Theft during transportation is another thing that managers are
trying to manage to ensure that huge losses are not incurred within the organization (Gao and
profile, 2018). In an attempt to curb the issues proper mechanisms are being put in place that will
see all processes are automated in a bid to meet the customer's expectation at the cheapest and
friendly price possible.
Integrated solutions are other things that are emerging in supply chain in different
organizations and thus firms have to understand the importance of integration. However, many
firms fails to understand the vitality of consolidating solutions in order to achieve synergy as the
end goal (Wilson, 2018). Flexible infrastructure is one thing that management in an organization
should look into to facilitate proper communications protocols with an effective highly integrated
supply chain system (Scm.ncsu.edu., 2018). The integrated systems allow employees to view the
data easily to facilitate analysis in the long term with a goal of identifying nuances or issue
within the system that need redress. Additionally, competition in business results from supply

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chain process have been integrated in a bid to achieve all the set goals in an organization
(Christopher, 2016). An effective supply chain system ensures that organization meets all its
goals in a cost effective manner.
Collection of data is another aspect that has influenced the supply chain process
considerably and business are working to ensure that they can keep up with changes in data
collected in order to boost the mechanisms in which a customer is fairly executed. Having
accurate data will ensure that all customers’ specifications are met in wider perspective and
responded to in a short while (Jacobs et al., 2016) This reduces margin of error and makes
everything runs smoothly as expected by the management.
Explain how these technology-driven factors were not enough to enable some businesses to
survive the online competitive entrance into the market.
Dynamics in the technological market have made the world of supply chain management
to be so breathtaking to many industries all over (Stadtler, 2015). Any organization which has no
stamina to withstand the competitive technological world has to chuck the market and allow the
real giant firms to deal with the changes in the market. Interestingly is the fact that an
organization has to develop ways that will ensure it still remains in the market as much as
possible (Fan et al., 2017 The technology to a better degree was fully outdated and this
insinuated that they were not in a better position to compete with another firm all over the world
making them extinct. Therefore, it is upon the management of a firm to keep up with the current
technology for it to remain within the market.
Conclusion

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Supply chain makes a business stand if properly managed and additionally it helps the
organization understand its full potential by ensuring it can meet all its costs in regard to supply
chain process. A well-managed chain reduces lead time, avoid stock out and matches the
customer's expectation at all costs.

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References
Gao, S. and profile, V. (2018). Supply Chains in Dell and Apple. [online]
Cmuscm.blogspot.com. Available at:
http://cmuscm.blogspot.com/2013/02/supply-chains-in-dell-and-apple.html
[Accessed 12 Jun. 2018].
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=http://fod.infobase.com/
PortalPlaylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=10070
Wilson, M. (2018). 2014: 5 Emerging Trends in Supply Chain Management. [online]
Afflink.com. Available at: https://www.afflink.com/blog/2014-5-emerging
Scm.ncsu.edu. (2018). Emerging Issues in Supply Chain | Supply Chain Resource Cooperative |
NC State University. [online] Available at: https://scm.ncsu.edu/scm-
articles/article/category/emerging-issues-in-supply-chain [Accessed 13 Jun.
2018].trends-in-supply-chain-management [Accessed 13 Jun. 2018].
Christopher, M. (2016). Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.
Jacobs, F. R., Chase, R. B., & Lummus, R. R. (2014). Operations and supply chain
management (pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Stadtler, H. (2015). Supply chain management: An overview. In Supply chain management and
advanced planning (pp. 3-28). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg.
Fan, T., Tao, F., Deng, S., & Li, S. (2015). Impact of RFID technology on supply chain decisions
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Economics, 159, 117-125.
Monczka, R. M., Handfield, R. B., Giunipero, L. C., & Patterson, J. L. (2015). Purchasing and
supply chain management. Cengage Learning.

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John, F. R., Chase, R. B., & Lummus, R. R. (2014). Operations and supply chain
management (pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.