Operations Logistics and Supply Chain Management

This report analyzes operations, logistics, and supply chain management at Bentley, a luxury car manufacturer. It examines key operational challenges, explores relevant theories, and analyzes the impact of technology and software solutions. The report concludes with recommendations for improving Bentley's performance in these areas.

UNDERSTANDING
OPERATIONS LOGISTICS
AND SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT

TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
CRITICAL REVIEW.......................................................................................................................1
ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION.......................................................................................................4
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................................................6
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................8

ILLUSTRATION INDEX
Illustration 1: Supply Chain Management (SCM)...........................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
Automotive industry is one of the key sectors across world. So, it is very important for
the organizations to manage the work effectively in order to enhance their performance in
respective industry. Understanding operations, logistics and supply chain management is very
important for any organization in order to perform well in the relevant sector. It is crucial for the
industry to increase their sales and production as well. Present report will study about Bentley
which is a British manufacturer and marketer of luxurious cars and SUV's. Company was
founded by H. M. Bentley and W. O. Bentley on 18th January 1919 in Cricklewood, North
London, United Kingdom. It is headquartered in Crewe, England, United Kingdom. This
assessment will focus on operational and supply chain issues in company by considering its
operational management. Managing people in operations and supply chain and logistics mix i.e.
channels, networks, transportation, managing inventory and capacity are the two core areas of
Bentley which will be addressed in this report. Various theories related to operations, logistics
and supply chain management (SCM) will also be explained in this report which will be very
helpful in enhancing their services.
CRITICAL REVIEW
Automobile industry is the major component of economic growth in all industrialized
countries. Operations, logistics and supply chain management (SCM) plays an important role in
automotive industry as these help in managing their work effectively and it is a widespread
activity embracing all sectors of the economy. Operational management plays an important role
for Bentley as it helps in identifying their potential future. Having a good command in operations
will lead Bentley to achieve their goals and targets which will eventually increases their sales
and production (Christopher, 2016). It has become very crucial for them to deliver the best
services to the customers in order to increase their profitability ratio.
In order to get competitive edge, it is crucial for Bentley to have good logistics and
supply chain management (SCM). Logistics is a process in organization which helps in
managing the flow of their goods and services, that is, from the origin point to their final
destination i.e. to its customer. For Bentley, this logistics will involve elements like materials,
machines, equipment, etc. Logistics is concerned with both material and information flow
(Wisner, Tan and Leong, 2014). This process is very helpful in understanding the link between
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the manufacturing processes and marketing operations, respectively. Logistics has several areas
in which Bentley has to perform better in order to get the best outcomes in terms of network
design, transportation and inventory management. Supply chain management (SCM) is the
process which helps in managing the outflow of all their services and goods which can include
tranportation and storage of their raw materials, work-in-process inventory, etc (Prajogo, Oke
and Olhager, 2016).
Two main elements in which Bentley has to make significant changes uin order to
enhancee their performance in operation, logistics and supply chain management component
which has an important role in automotive industry are managing people in operations and
supply chain in the organization and logistics mix, which includes factors like, channels,
networks, transportation, managing inventory and capacity (Govindan, Soleimani and Kannan,
2015). Bentley is a famous brand in automotive industry and so, it is crucial for them to have
effective management in their organization. For this, they have used high quality of technology
in their service delivery systems or manufacturing processes. Bentley uses Bentley and Siemens
PLM Software in their company to manage all their processes smoothly. These two systems help
them in improving their services (Swink, M. and et.al., 2017).
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Siemens PLM Software helps them in providing the best product life cycle management
(PLM) software, systems and services which are useful for them, whereas, Bentley system helps
in giving services like engineers, professionals, constructors and owner-operators along with
software solutions which can be used in company for various functions, for example, in
designing, constructing and in operations of their infrastructure as well (Tatoglu and et.al., 2016).
These two software together can be a great tool for them in enhancing their services and
processes which ultimately helps in growing their business. For gaining improvement in their
system, they can apply some other technologies as well. These can also assist them in delivering
their services in the market in which it serves. This helps in attracting more customers to buy
their services (Bozarth and Handfield, 2019).
Operations can help any organization in improving their performance as it can help in
transforming the resources or data in a desired good or service, respectively and creates value to
their customers. Supply chain includes various components in it such as supplier, manufacturer,
distributor, retailer and finally consumers. So, it becomes difficult for them sometimes to manage
all these effectively. For the improvement, there are various theories related to operations,
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Illustration 1: Supply Chain Management (SCM)
Source: (Difference between logistics and SCM,
2016)

logistics and supply chain management which can help them in managing their work effectively.
It is also important to emphasize the synergies in between practice and the development of
theory in operations management and in supply chain management. Operations management
typically focuses on improving processes within an organization whereas, supply chain
management uses and advances theory, tools and practices for operations across organizations
(Wang and et.al., 2015).
Managing people in operations and supply chain in the organization is a very tough task
for Bentley. It is very important for them to train their staff accordingly which can help them to
understand the supply chain of company effectively. Having effective operational management
can be very helpful for them. Logistics mix includes elements like channels, networks,
transportation, managing inventory and capacity. All these play an important in the supply chain
management of Bentley (Asset Performance Management Solution, 2018). Channels and
networks are crucial in order to maintain the distribution of their services in market effectively.
Working in an automotive industry has become very important for them to manage the
transportation of their goods to the customers. Having all these facilities will help in giving them
a positive impact.
For Bentley, they have to enhance their logistics and supply chain management in order
to achieve their aim and objectives from business. Theories like Network Theory (NT) which
helps in understanding the wider concept of the inter-organisational interactions. It also assists in
highlighting the network environments within organization and helps in recognizing the
influence of partner–partner relationships on an organization’s operations system. This can be a
very useful theory or practice for Bentley to make significant improvement in their channels and
network section. Other than this, there are theories like Resource Dependence Theory (RDT)
which can help in focusing on exchange of resources which company lacks (Bentley Systems and
Siemens PLM Software, 2014). It will be beneficiary for Bentley to have all the resources which
they require and can also enhance the process of value creation for their employees and
customers as well. Various strategies, such as, resource manipulation and control exertion can
help them in managing uncertainty and business transactions in the organization.
All these factors which are included in the operations, logistics and supply chain
management have to be managed properly in order to perform their work effectively, hence this
will help them in enhancing their performance as well. Bentley has a strong and good
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management team which helps them in performing every duty in the organization with
responsibility (Hazen and et.al., 2018).
ANALYTICAL DISCUSSION
Operations management is a concept which helps the organization in designing, in
making significant improvement and transformation processes which can help them in creating
value for their customers by converting inputs, such as raw materials, labor, and/or customers
into outputs, such as goods or services. It is one of the major or essential function for Bentley as
it helps in managing their financial status, marketing processes, their operations, etc. For
Bentley, managing their operations management can provide them a huge positive impact on
their business as this will help them in delivering the best services to their clients and making
them satisfied from that service (Touboulic and Walker, 2015). For automotive industry, this is
crucial to have effective operation management in organizations operating in it.
Bentley uses various software which helps them in enhancing their operation
management in the organization, such as, Asset performance Management (APM) Software
which assist them in allowing them to capture and analyzing their working capacity or capability.
This process also helps in improving their asset performance, reducing their costs, and also helps
in facilitating their critical decision making process in their core business operations (Monczka
and et.al., 2015). This process or software helps in addressing all the issues which can arise in
the organization. Proper monitoring of all the processes is also very important for Bentley as
well.
With the help of such technology it can help them in enhancing their operation, logistics
and supply management chain (SCM) effectively. Use of Asset Performance Management
(APM) by Bentley can help them in providing the best result which convey their factors, like,
operations, engineering and maintenance as well, to manage all these business processes in a
structured decision-support environment in the organization. To manage all these, it is essential
for Bentley to have good and skilled employees in their organization which can help them in
addressing all these issues related to operations, logistics and supply chain in the organization
(Solutions for Process Manufacturing Infrastructure, 2018). This will also aid in providing them
support in reducing the impact of risk to their business as well.
To manage their work effectively, Bentley can implement various strategies into their
system which can help them in achieving their target and objectives. This will also aid in
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enhancing their performance and increasing their sales and production inn their respective
industry of automobile. There are various factors which can help Bentley in order to maximize
their performance, for example,
 They can provide multi-discipline engineering teams in their organization which can also
include external contractors as well to increase their working capacity.
 They can have proper management of all their employees by managing their daily
activities and tasks.
 Effective or proper maintenance of their work and asset performance strategies can give
them a positive impact on their business activity.
 Managing life cycle management of their process manufacturing infrastructure is also
very important for Bentley as well.
By focusing on the latest technology in the auto mobile industry, Bentley can implement
some new and innovative ideas into their system in order to enhance their production rate. With
this Bentley can examine issues concerned with production and operations management in the
automotive industry. This will help them in having all the latest tools and technology for their
company through which they can improve their operation management. Having effective
operations, logistics and supply chain in the organization it can assist them in having a good and
controlled management for them and for their employees as well (Jacobs, Chase and Lummus,
2014). Applying various theories and models into their system is another option which they can
implement in order to achieve their objectives and targets. The main objective of Bentley from
their business is to transform their resources into goods and services to make their customer
satisfied from their services. Proper and accurate management can aid in delivering the services
to their client in the best way possible which can provide them a positive impact on their
business.
Operations management for any organization is important for them in making a
significant improvement. There are so many factors which comes under this management, for
example, production planning and control, quality control, etc. all these have to be effectively
analysed by Bentley (Mangan, Lalwani and Lalwani, 2016). These processes helps in
determining how the goods and services of Bentley will be produced and what are the
manufacturing facilities they are providing to their employees. They must solicit and respond to
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feedback they get from their customers and make appropriate changes where needed. And to
improve the quality of their goods and service, they can implement some parameter on the basis
of which their quality will be checked. In this way they cam improve their operation
management effectively. Having skilled and trained employees is a crucial factor for them as
they can impact their business to a large extent. If they are able to understand their work properly
them they can put their best efforts for the organization (Wang and et.al., 2015). These can aid
any organization in improving their performance as it can help in transforming their resource or
data into a desired good or service, respectively.
CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This report aimed to develop a holistic framework of operations, logistics and supply
chain management of Bentley. It also explained its importance and critically reviewed theses
processes for the organization along with some key theories, such as, network theory (NT) and
resource dependence theory (RDT), which can be used in the extant supply chain for the
organization as well, which helped in giving better understanding of the topic. Moreover, it also
explained about various processes which Bentlry has established in their system, such as, Asset
Performance Management (APM), Bentley and Siemens PLM Software, etc. It has also
described about the importance of supply cahin management in the organization and how they
help in improving their performance. This report has helped in analysing all the key factors
which plays a crucial role for Bentley in order to perform their duty perfectly in the industry.
Recommendation
The automotive industry is continuesly showing growth in the ecomony which has a huge
positive impact on the business activities of Bentley. To improve their performance they can
apply triple bottom line strategy in thei rsystem which can help them in achiving their target
effectively. This process will assist them in incorporating economic, environmental and social
factors as the three dimensions of sustainability in business practice. Triple bottom line (TBL) is
a concept in which it helps an organization to concentrate on their financial bottom line with
considering social and environmental factors. This process also helps in measuring the degree of
their social responsibilities and their economic value and its impact on environment.
According to this they have to improve their management which can help them in
enhancing their performance as well. The addition of social and environmental responsibilities
can have a positive effect on a company's financial bottom line. Delivering their services as per
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the requirement of their customers can have a huge impact on their sales, as this will increase
their overall revenue. There are basically three core elements or principle which can be
recommended to Bentley through which they can improve their operations, logistics and supply
chain management (SCM) to a great level. These are as follows:
 It is very important for them to understand the degree of uncertainty in the organization,
as this will help in reducing the impact fault.
 Understanding the nature of supply chain management of Bentley
 Evaluating the options and selecting the appropriate design by them.
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REFERENCES
Books and Journals
Bozarth, C. C. and Handfield, R. B., 2019. OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAIN
MANAGEMENT.
Christopher, M., 2016. Logistics & supply chain management. Pearson UK.
Govindan, K., Soleimani, H. and Kannan, D., 2015. Reverse logistics and closed-loop supply
chain: A comprehensive review to explore the future. European Journal of Operational
Research. 240(3). pp.603-626.
Hazen, B. T. and et.al., 2018. Back in business: Operations research in support of big data
analytics for operations and supply chain management. Annals of Operations Research.
270(1-2). pp.201-211.
Jacobs, F. R., Chase, R. B. and Lummus, R. R., 2014. Operations and supply chain management
(pp. 533-535). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.
Mangan, J., Lalwani, C. and Lalwani, C.L., 2016. Global logistics and supply chain
management. John Wiley & Sons.
Monczka, R. M. and et.al., 2015. Purchasing and supply chain management. Cengage Learning.
Prajogo, D., Oke, A. and Olhager, J., 2016. Supply chain processes: Linking supply logistics
integration, supply performance, lean processes and competitive performance.
International Journal of Operations & Production Management. 36(2). pp.220-238.
Swink, M. and et.al., 2017. Managing operations across the supply chain. New York, NY:
McGraw-Hill Education.
Tatoglu, E. and et.al., 2016. How do supply chain management and information systems
practices influence operational performance? Evidence from emerging country SMEs.
International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications. 19(3). pp.181-199.
Touboulic, A. and Walker, H., 2015. Theories in sustainable supply chain management: a
structured literature review. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics
Management. 45(1/2). pp.16-42.
Wang, Y. and et.al., 2015. Service supply chain management: A review of operational models.
European Journal of Operational Research. 247(3). pp.685-698.
Wisner, J. D., Tan, K. C. and Leong, G. K., 2014. Principles of supply chain management: A
balanced approach. Cengage Learning.
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Online
Asset Performance Management Solution. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.bentley.com/en/solutions/asset-performance-management>
Bentley Systems and Siemens PLM Software. 2014. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.bentley.com/en/about-us/news/2014/november/05/siemens>
Solutions for Process Manufacturing Infrastructure. 2018. [Online]. Available through:
<https://www.bentley.com/en/solutions/industries/process-manufacturing>
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