What is supply chain?

Supply chain is a process of delivering the parts with righ quality , right quantity and in right time with optimised cost and there by acheiving the customer satification.

This can be acheived by understanding the customer needs, continuous improvement, implementing cost reduction project, chase waste, inventory control etc.

Impact: Noticeably supply chain has changed the shape of the global economy, as huge company's have adopted this methadology to speed up delivery and order fullfillment, process orders online and deliver goods cheaply using outsourced materials and labor to optimize profits. Supply Chain is similar to Lean Manufacturing and Just In Time Production (industrial engineering) An inventory process involving planning and processing orders; handling; transporting and storing all materials purchased, processed, or distributed; and managing inventories in a coordinated manner among all the players on the chain to fulfill customer orders as they arise rather than to build up stock level to fulfill anticipated future demand. (See Ask.com) Methods: Often enterprise resource planning erp models have supply chain networking capability that allows suppliers, vendors, customers and distribution systems to link with manufacturing information systems and reveal immediate requirements, creating a supply chain method for rapid order fulfillment. Some customer service and CRM modules allow for complex configuration of product requirements and dispatching of orders, requisitions, requirements, scheduling, etc.. through workflow technology.

The concept of Supply Chain Management is based on two core ideas. The first is that practically every product that reaches an end user represents the cumulative effort of multiple organizations. These organizations are referred to collectively as the supply chain.

The second idea is that while supply chains have existed for a long time, most organizations have only paid attention to what was happening within their “four walls.” Few businesses understood, much less managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately delivered products to the final customer. The result was disjointed and often ineffective supply chains.

Supply chain management, then, is the active management of supply chain activities to maximize customer value and achieve a sustainable competitive advantage. It represents a conscious effort by the supply chain firms to develop and run supply chains in the most effective & efficient ways possible. Supply chain activities cover everything from product development, sourcing, production, and logistics, as well as the information systems needed to coordinate these activities.

Breifly a supply chain can be defined as END to END connection i.e. from the Raw material below the Mother earth to the end consumption point.

in other words All the functions/links involved in producing a usefull / Fruitfull result or product is known as supply chain.

it is a set of planned  activities process, which goes step wise till the end of production.it have few important steps and these alll process based on it

1 - raw materiels ( shapless or useless things )

2 - supplier ( a person who buy  raw materiels and further distribute to the diffrent companies or industries for furhter usefull production.

3-manufacturing ( after the industries cycle completion these products have given proper shaped and for further to move forwards it paked attractively to make them people choise

4- Distribution ( after the manufacturing process   all goods supply to the diffrent stores or market on the basis of demands)

5-Customer ( for the attraction of customer u have proper plann of advertisment of ur products it can possible through boards, through print/electronic  media.etc etc

6-Consumer ( product consumption base on the publicity of product quality and life time.

according to my view that is a supply chain managements.

its a complete process for the movement of goods from one point to another point.

Simply is the Nervous system of the modren business.

Simply veins in the business...an important organ in business which helps to move products and information from source to source. Its functional concept is visible and evident in all department in one form or other.