供应链英文论文原文+翻译5000字

中国矿业大学矿业工程学院论文翻译

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姓名马X 班级工业13-X班学号 01X 日期 2016.5.11 成绩教师李X

Introduction to supply chain concepts

Firms can no longer effectively compete in isolation of their suppliers and other entities in the supply chain. Interest in the concept of supply chain management has steadily increased since the 1980s when companies saw the benefits of collaborative relationships within and beyond their own organization. A number of definitions have been proposed concerning the concept of “the supply chain”and its management. This paper defines the concept of the supply chain and discusses the evolution of supply chain management. The term does not replace supplier partnerships, nor is it a description of the logistics function. Industry groups are now working together to improve the integrative processes of supply chain management and accelerate the benefits available through successful implementation. The competitive importance of linking a fir m’s supply chain strategy to its overall business strategy and some practical guidelines are offered for successful supply chain management.

Definition of supply chain

Various definitions of a supply chain have been offered in the past several years as the concept has gained popularity. The APICS Dictionary describes the supply chain as:

1 .the processes from the initial raw materials to the ultimate consumption of the finished product linking across supplier user companies;

2 and the functions within and outside a company that enable the value chain to make products and provide services to the customer (Cox et al., 1995).

Another source defines supply chain as, the network of entities through which material flows. Those entities may include suppliers, carriers, manufacturing sites, distribution centers, retailers, and customers (Lummus and Alber, 1997). The Supply Chain Council(1997) uses the def inition: “The supply chain –a term increasingly used by logistics professionals – encompasses every effort involved in producing and delivering a final product, from the supplier’s supplier to the customer’s customer. Four basic processes – plan, source, make, deliver – broadly define these efforts, which include managing supply and demand, sourcing raw materials and parts, manufacturing an assembly, warehousing and inventory tracking, order entry and order management, distribution across all channels, and delivery to the customer.” Quinn (1997)defines the supply chain as “all of those activities associated with moving goods from the raw-materials stage through to the end user.

This includes sourcing and procurement, production scheduling, order processing, inventory management, transportation, warehousing, and customer service. Importantly, it also embodies the information systems so necessary to monitor all of those activities.”

In addition to defining the supply chain, several authors have further defined the concept of supply chain management. As defined by Ellram and Cooper (1993), supply chain management i s “an integrating philosophy to manage the total flow of a distribution channel from supplier to ultimate customer”. Monczka and (1997) state that “inte grated supply chain management is about going from the external customer and then managing all the processes that are needed to provide the customer with value in a horizon tal way”. They believe that supply chains, not firms, compete and that those who will be the strongest competitors are those that “can provide management and leadership to the fully integrated supply chain including external customer as well as prime suppliers, their suppliers, and their suppliers’ suppliers”.

From these definitions, a summary definition of the supply chain can be stated as: all the activities involved in delivering a product from raw material through to the customer including sourcing raw materials and parts, manufacturing and assembly, warehousing and inventory tracking, order entry and order management, distribution across all channels, delivery to the customer, and the information systems necessary to monitor all of these activities. Supply chain management coordinates and integrates all of these activities into a seamless process. It links all of the partners in the chain including departments within an organization and the external partners including suppliers, carriers, third-party

companies, and information systems providers. Managers in companies across the supply chain take an interest in the success of other companies. They work together to make the whole supply chain competitive. They have the facts about the market, they know a lot about competition, and they coordinate their activities with those of their trading partners. It encompasses the processes necessary to create, source, make to, and to deliver to demand. They use technology to gather information on market demands and exchange information between organizations. A key point in supply chain management is that the entire process must be viewed as one system. Any inefficiency incurred across the supply chain (suppliers, manufacturing plants, warehouses, customers, etc.) must be assessed to determine the true capabilities of the process. Figure 1 describes the total integration required within the supply chain.

Interest in supply chains

Why has managing the supply chain become an issue for the 1990s? In part, the answer lies in the fact that few companies continue to be vertically integrated. Companies have become more specialized and search for suppliers who can provide low cost, quality materials rather than own their source of supply. It becomes critical for companies to manage the entire network of supply to optimize overall performance. These organizations have realized that whenever a company deals with another company that performs the next phase of the supply chain, both stand to benefit from the other’s success.

A second reason partially stems from increased national and international competition. Customers have multiple sources from which to choose to satisfy demand; locating product throughout the distribution channel for maximum customer accessibility at a minimum cost becomes crucial. Previously, companies looked at solving the distribution problem through maintaining inventory at various locations throughout the chain. However, the dynamic nature of the marketplace makes holding inventory a risky and potentially unprofitable business. Customers’ buying habits are constantly changing, and competitors are continually adding and deleting products. Demand changes make it almost a sure bet that the company will have the wrong inventory. The cost of holding any inventory also means most companies cannot provide a low cost product when funds are tied up in inventory.

A third reason for the shift in emphasis to the supply chain is due to a realization by most companies that maximizing performance of one department or function may lead to less than optimal performance for the whole company. Purchasing may negotiate a lower the price on a component and receive a favorable purchase price variance, but the cost to produce the finished product may go up due to inefficiencies in the plant. Companies must look across the entire supply chain to gauge the impact of decisions in any one area.

Advanced Manufacturing Research, a Boston-based consulting fir m, developed a supply chain model which emphasizes material and information flow between manufacturers and their trading partners (Davis, 1995). They believe the changes required by management are due to the following changes in how manufacturers are doing business:

?Greater sharing of information between vendors and customers.

?Horizontal business processes replacing vertical departmental functions.

?Shift from mass production to customized products.

?Increased reliance on purchased materials and outside processing with a simultaneous reduction in the number of suppliers.

?Greater emphasis on organizational and process flexibility.

?Necessity to coordinate processes across many sites.

?Employee empowerment and the need for rules-based real time decision support systems.

?Competitive pressure to introduce new products more quickly.

Companies are streamlining all operations and minimizing the time-to-customer for their products.

For these reasons, expertly managing the supply chain has become critical for most companies. As Ralph Drayer, vice president of product supply/ customer service at Procter and Gamble put it, “Winning in the marketplace of the 1990s is going to require a far different kind of relationship--one that recognizes that the ultimate winners will be those who understand the interdependence of retailer/ manufacturer business systems and who work together to exploit opportunities to deliver superior consumer value” (Drayer , 1994). Managers in companies across the supply chain take an interest in the success of the other companies. They work together to make the whole supply chain competitive. They have the facts about the market, they know a lot about competition, and they coordinate their activities with those of their trading partners. They use technology to gather information on market demands and exchange information between organizations. Critical to managing the supply chain is managing the link between each node within the chain to synchronize the entire supply chain.

History of the supply chain initiative

The history of the supply chain initiative can be traced to early beginnings in the textile industry with the quick response program and later to efficient consumer response in the grocery industry. More recently a variety of companies across many industries have begun looking at the entire supply chain process. This section will discuss those early beginnings of the supply chain and some more recent success stories.

Quick response, for general merchandise retailers and their suppliers

Owing to intense competition in the textile and apparel industry world-wide, leaders in the US apparel industry formed the Crafted . With Pride in the USA Council in 1984 (Kurt Salmon Associates, Inc., 1993). In 1985, Kurt Salmon Associates were commissioned to conduct a supply chain analysis. The results of the study showed the delivery time for the apparel supply chain, from raw material to consumer, was 66 weeks long, 40 weeks of which were spent in warehouses or in transit. The long supply chain resulted in major losses to the industry due to financing the inventory and lack of the right product in the right place at the right time.

The result of this study was the development of the quick response (QR) strategy. QR is a partnership where retailers and suppliers work together to respond more quickly to consumer needs by sharing information. Significant changes as a result of the study were the industry adoption of the UPC code used by the grocery industry and a set of standards for electronic data interchange (EDI) between companies. Retailers began installing point of sale (POS) scanning systems to transfer sales information rapidly to distribut ors and manufacturers. “QR maximizes the profitability of inventory by placing the company’s dollars where and when they are needed based on point of sale data plus sales history” (Mullin, 1994). QR incorporates marketing information on promotion, discounts, and forecasts into the manufacturing and distribution plan.

Efficient consumer response, the grocery business initiative

In 1992, a group of grocery industry leaders created a joint industry task force called the efficient consumer response (ECR) working group. The group was charged with examining the grocery supply chain to identify opportunities to make the supply chain more competitive (Kurt Salmon Associates Inc.,1993). Kurt Salmon Associates were engaged by the group to examine the grocery

supplier/distributor/ consumer value-chain and determine what improvements in cost and service could be accomplished through changes in technology and business practices.

The results of the study indicated little change in technology was required to improve performance, other than further development of EDI and POS systems. However, the study identified a set of best practices which, if implemented, could substantially improve overall performance of the supply chain. As Kurt Salmon and Associates (1993) found: “By expediting the quick and accurate flow of information up the supply chain, ECR enables distributors and suppliers to anticipate future demand

far more accurately than the current system allows”. Through implementation of best practices they projected an overall reduction in supply chain inventory of 37 percent, and overall cost reductions in the industry in the range of $24 to $30 billion.

The successful adoption of ECR for a manufacturer depends on their ability to maintain manufacturing flexibility which enables them to match supply with demand. Key to this flexibility is a process that tightly integrates demand management, production scheduling, and inventory deployment to allow the company to better utilize information, production resources, and inventory (Weeks and Crawford, 1994).

A further development from ECR was the concept of continuous replenishment (CRP).CRP is a move away from pushing product from inventory holding areas to pulling products onto grocery shelves based on consumer demand (ECR Performance Measures Operating Committee, 1994). Point

of purchase transactions are forwarded by computer to the manufacturer allowing them to keep the retailer replenished and balanced just-in-time.

CRP has been introduced by a number of manufacturers (Garry, 1994). Procter & Gamble and Campbell soup are delivering as much as 30 to 40 percent of their volume by CRP. Ralston, General Mills and Pillsbury distribute about 10 percent by CRP. Estimates of improvements in performance with CRP include increasing inventory tur ns from 10 up to 50, reducing days of supply from 30 to 5 and increasing net margin from 5 percent to 7 percent.

Other early supply chain initiatives

Besides the apparel and grocery industry initiatives, other early manufacturing efforts to improve supply chain performance have been documented. Some of these include: Hewlett-Packard, Whirlpool, Wal-Mart, West Co., Becton Dickinson, Baxter, and Georgia-Pacific Corp. A brief outline of their supply chain initiatives are described as follows.

Hewlett-Packard

The computer components manufacturer, systematically linked its distribution activities with its manufacturing activities in the computer terminal business in the early 1990s (Hammell and Kopczak, 1993). The implementation included changes in both the physical distribution of the product, and a new distribution requirements planning (DRP) system. The DRP system nets customer orders with forecasts and serves as the beginning pull in the supply chain.

The appliance manufacturer, began its supply chain implementation with a team of executives in 1992 chartering this vision –“Winning companies will be those who come the closest to achieving an inter-enterprise pull system. They will be linked in a short cycle response mode to the customer” (Davis, 1995). Whirlpool has created a new vice-president of logistics position, established cross-functional teams for key product areas, entered into single source agreements with suppliers based on reliability and the ability to assist in product design, and is using EDI to communicate daily with suppliers all as part of its supply chain management program. As a result, product avail ability is up in the 90-95 percent range, inventories have been reduced by 15 to 20 percent and lead times reduced to as low as five days.

Wal-Mart

The company began its own supply chain initiative by working directly with key manufacturers (Johnson and Davis, 1995).The manufacturers are responsible for managing Wal-Mart’s warehouse inventory of their products, termed vendor managed inventory (VMI). In return, Wal-Mart expects near 100 percent order fulfillment rates on those products. KMart and other large retailers have implemented similar VMI programs.

West Co., Becton Dickinson, and Baxter，Becton Dickinson

Within the medical products industry, three firms engaged in supply chain relationships in the early 1990s (Battagia, 1994). West supplies rubber stoppers to Becton Dickinson who supplies medical

products to Baxter. Becton Dickinson implemented the program by assigning a senior-level executive officer with the responsibility to monitor supply chain execution. Working together at all management levels the three companies have made improvements in quality and service while at the same time reducing cycle times and costs.

Georgia-Pacific Corp

A leader in the manufacturing and distribution of building products in North America,

Georgia-Pacific began implementing supply chain management practices within the decentralized operations of their company (Blackwell, 1994). Previously, traffic managers in each division controlled inbound and outbound shipments for their unit. Shipping priorities were fragmented and internal and external customers were not satisfied. A new centralized Transportation and Logistics Division was created to coordinate and streamline the distribution process. The new division looks at needs and priorities across the business units and has recognized savings to the company in reduced freight costs and other logistics improvements of $20 million per year.

Many other examples of companies implementing supply chain management concepts are available (Blaser and Westbrook, 1995; Cook and Rogowski, 1996; Semich, 1994). The vast interest in the topic indicates the concept has become a key issue for a diverse group of companies who are taking steps to improve customer delivery and at the same time reduce overall costs. Better managing the supply chain also involves managing the marketing link to the supply chain and linking supply chain strategies to the overall company strategy.

Collaborative supply chain initiatives

Recently, several industry collaborative groups have developed to research aspects of supply chain management. The findings of these groups should provide practitioners with guidelines for “best practices” in supply chain design and accelerate the implementations of these practices.

In one year, the Supply Chain Council grew from 73 members to more than 300 of some of the world’s largest manufacturers. The Council has incorporated as a non-profit organization to provide services and support for further increasing its membership. The Council was for med to establish a framework to enable manufacturers and their suppliers to build a stronger supply chain and reap the benefits of improved supply chain management. The Council is developing a supply chain operations reference model (SCOR) to assist companies in evaluating their supply chain performance, identifying weak areas, and developing improvement solutions (The Supply Chain Council, 1997).

In another collaborative initiative, several leading manufacturers joined with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to create a new organization that will improve and standardize communication and business processes throughout manufacturing supply chains and to share the results with other interested firms. This group, the National Initiative for Supply Chain Integration (NISCI) was for med after a NIST study showed that an overwhelming majority of companies compromising manufacturing supply chains are either small- or medium sized businesses that lack the resources of larger firms. With a consortium of businesses, non-profit groups, and academic institutions, the plan is to identify specific supply chain initiatives, then select teams of members to research and implement best practices (Anonymous, 1997).

What the supply chain is not

The definitions described and developed earlier and recent industry collaborative activities indicate that supply chain management is not a standalone process. Many supply chain efforts have fallen short of the potential advantages because the term is often viewed as only relating to the supply side of the business or to the purchasing function. As indicated above, supply chain management is much more than just procurement. Among the misunderstanding evidenced, supply chain management is not:

?inventory management; ?logistics management; ?supplier partnerships; ?driven from the supply side;

? a shipping strategy; ?distribution management; ?the logistics pipeline; ?procurement management; ? a computer system.

Despite the acceptance of the concept of managing the supply chain and partly due to the limiting misunderstandings, growth of integrated supply chain management has been slow. Reasons for the slow growth of integrated supply chain management include the following:

Lack of guidelines for creating alliances with supply chain partners.

?Failure to develop measures for monitoring alliances.

?Inability to broaden the supply chain vision beyond procurement or product distribution to encompass larger business processes.

?Inability to integrate the company’s internal procedures.

?Lack of trust inside and outside a company.

?Organizational resistance to the concept.

?Lack of buy-in by top managers.

?Lack of integrated information systems and electronic commerce linking firms.

Linking the supply chain to the business strategy

The supply chain improvements described indicate that supply chain management has the potential to improve a fir m’s competitiveness. Supply chain capability is as important to a company’s overall strategy as overall product strategy. Supply chain management encourages management of processes across departments. By linking supply chain objectives to company strategy, decisions can be made between competing demands on the supply chain. Improvements in performance are driven by externally-based targets rather than by internal department objectives.

Managing the supply chain means managing across traditional functional areas in the company and managing interactions external to the company with both suppliers and customers. This cross-boundary nature of management supports incorporating supply chain goals and capabilities in the strategic plan of the company. This focus on integration can then lead to using the supply chain to obtain a sustainable competitive advantage over competitors. The impact of managing overall product demand and the supply of product will impact the profitability of the company. The supply chain strategy can be viewed as the patter n of decisions related to sourcing product, capacity planning, conversion of finished product, deployment of finished product, demand management and communication, and delivery. Linking supply chain strategy to the business strategy involves defining the key business processes involved in producing a company’s product

or service.

A company must develop objectives for the management of the supply chain based on corporate objectives. From these higher level objectives, a set of detailed objectives can be developed for each process within the supply chain. This cascading method serves to integrate the supply chain processes with the overall enterprise direction and provides measures for monitoring and execution. Supply chain management can be utilized to be a point of differentiation for a company. Excellence on a certain dimension in product position can provide a competitive marketing opportunity, but shortfalls in providing this dimension by the supply chain can eliminate this advantage. For a company to be competitive, it is not enough just to vary marketing programs. They must define a working relationship with customers and put themselves in a position to deliver customer value. All components of the supply chain must have the capability to meet strategic objectives.

Companies must evaluate the effectiveness of the supply chain strategy using a new set of measures. Typical rewards aimed at improving performance of functions or departments must be revised to strive to improve supply chain performance overall. By tying the supply chain strategy to the overall company strategy, the objectives become process objectives rather than functional objectives.

For example, traditionally, one of purchasing’s measurements is material cost or material variance. Buying product at a lower cost is one way to improve that measure. Purchasing a carton at a lower cost from a new vendor might lower the cost of the carton. However, the new carton may not run as efficiently through the production process as the one from the original supplier. Purchasing’s measure of material variance is favorable, but the manufacturing facility is recognizing added costs in downtime, maintenance, etc.

Measurements must be designed to look across the supply chain and become process objectives. Included in that process is the internal structure of the supply chain which often is causing as much confusion/ cost as external portions of the chain.

Conclusions

This paper defined the concepts of supply chain and supply chain management and discussed why managers are increasingly interested in the concept. The historical evolution of the supply chain movement from its early days of quick response and efficient consumer response was discussed. Several early supply chain initiatives at companies were described which indicate the competitive advantages and importance of linking supply chain to overall business strategy.

This discussion provides insight for those companies investigating the concept of supply chain management. Companies who have achieved supply chain integration success report lower investments in inventory, a reduction in the cash flow cycle time, reduced cycle times, lower material acquisition costs, higher employee productivity, increased ability to meet customer requested dates (including short-term increases in demand), and lower logistics costs.

To begin managing across the entire supply chain, companies should consider the following guidelines in their plans and implementation:

1 .Link supply chain strategy to overall business strategy to align supply chain initiatives to business objectives.

2. Identify supply chain goals and develop plans to assure every process is individually capable of meeting supply chain goals.

3. Develop systems to listen to signals of market demand and plan accordingly, including changes in ordering patterns and changes in demand due to customer promotions.

4 Manage the sources of supply by developing partnerships with suppliers to reduce the costs of materials and receive materials as needed.

5 Develop customized logistics networks tailored to each customer segment.

6 Develop a supply chain information systems strategy that can support decision making at all levels of the supply chain and offers a clear view of the flow of products.

7 Adopt cross-functional and cross-business performance measures that link every aspect of the supply chain and include both service and financial measures.

Companies who are successful will be those that are managing across all nodes of the supply chain from their supplier’s supplier to their customer’s customer. A clear understanding of supply chain concepts and a willingness to openly share information between supply chain partners is a necessary first step to making the supply chain a competitive force for a business.

供应链概念的简介

企业不再有效竞争的供应商和供应链中的其他实体隔离。在供应链管理概念的兴趣，因为当企业看到了内部和外部自己的组织协作关系的好处上世纪80年代稳步上升。已经提出了关于“供应链”，其管理的概念有许多定义。本文定义了供应链的概念，并探讨了供应链管理的发展。本术语不更换供应商的合作伙伴关系，也不是物流功能的描述。产业群现在一起工作，以提高供应链管理一体化进程，加快可通过成功实施的好处。杉木M的供应链战略链接到其整体业务战略和一些实用的指导方针的重要竞争力提供了成功的供应链管理。

供应链的定义

供应链的各种定义在过去数年被提供作为概念已得到了普及。APICS辞典介绍了供应链：

1.从最初的原材料到成品横跨供应商用户企业连接的最终消费的过程;

2. 价值链内和公司外的功能能确保价值链制造产品和给客户提供服务。

另有消息通过物质流定义供应链这样的实体网络。这些实体可能包括供应商，运营商，制造工厂，配送中心，零售商和客户（鲁玛斯和艾伯，1997）。供应链协会（1997）使用了定义：“供应链-术语越来越多地被物流专业人才采用- 包括每一个参与生产和提供最终产品，从供应商的供应商到客户的客户的工作。四个基本过程- 计划，采购，生产，交付- 广泛定义这些工作，其中包括管理供应与需求，采购原材料和零部件，制造所有渠道的装配，

仓储和库存跟踪，订单输入和订单管理，配送，并交付给客户。”Quinn（1997）限定了供应链“包括所有从原材料阶段到移运货物再到最终用户的那些活动。这包括采购和购置，生产调度，订单处理，库存管理，运输，仓储和客户服务。重要的是，它也具体化信息系统，以便必要监视所有的这些活动。“

除了定义供应链，一些作者进一步明确了供应链管理的概念。正如Ellram和Cooper（1993）的定义，供应链管理是“一个积分的理念，从供应商管理分销渠道的总流量为最终客户”。Monczka和Morgan（1997）指出，“整合供应链管理是从外部客户出发，然后管理在水平方向需要向客户提供价值的所有进程。”他们认为，供应链，而不是公司，最强的竞争对手谁将会是那些“能够提供管理和领导力完全集成的包括外部顾客和主要供应商，其供应商及其供应商”。

从这些定义，在供应链的摘要定义可以表述为：所有涉及提供用原料制作的产品给客户的活动，包括采购原材料和零部件，制造和装配，仓储和库存跟踪，订单输入和活动订单管理，跨所有渠道分布，交付给客户和有必须监控所有这些活动的信息系统。供应链管理协调和整合所有这些活动变成一个无缝的过程。它连接这条链所有的部分包括组织内部的部门和外部合作伙伴包括供应商，运营商，第三方公司和信息系统供应商的合作伙伴。在整个供应链上的企业经理人对其他公司的成功产生了兴趣。他们共同努力，使整个供应链有竞争力。他们了解市场的事实，他们很了解竞争者，他们协调与交易伙伴的活动。它包含这些必要过程创建，来源，制造，并交付给需求。他们利用技术来收集市场需求和组织之间交换信息。在供应链管理的一个关键点是，整个过程必须作为一个系统进行查看。在整个供应链（供应商，制造工厂，仓库，客户等）所发生的任何效率低下必须进行评估，以确定过程的真正能力。图1描述了供应链中所需的全部的整合。

兴趣的供应链

为什么在1990年代管理供应链成为一个问题？在某种程度上，答案就在于，很少有公司继续垂直整合。公司已经变得更加专业化，寻找提供低成本供应商，高质量的材料，而不是拥有自己的供应来源。它对于企业管理供应的整个网络，优化整体性能变得至关重要。这些组织已经意识到，每当公司执行供应链下一阶段的另一家公司的交易，双方都能从对方的成功中获益。

第二个原因部分地源于不断增长的国内和国际竞争。客户有多种来源可选择以满足多种需求的来源;以在分销渠道中找出可最小成本最大化顾客可达性的产品变得至关重要。此前，公司重在通过整个链条的各个位置保持库存解决分配问题。然而，市场的动态特性使持有库存的风险和潜在盈利的业务。客户的购买习惯是不断变化的，和竞争对手不断地添加和删除产品。需求的变化使它几乎肯定的赌注——该公司将有错误的库存。持有任何库存的成本也意味着当资金被库存束缚时大多数公司无法提供低成本的产品。

在强调供应链的转变的第三个原因是大多数公司，认识到：最大限度地提高一个部门或功能的性能可能会导致低于整个公司的最佳性能。采购可以协商降低零件上的价格和获得有利的采购价格差异，但由于在工厂的低效率生产出的成品的成本可能上升。公司必须看整个供应链来衡量决定在任何一个领域的影响。

先进制造研究，总部位于波士顿的咨询公司，开发强调制造商及其贸易伙伴之间的材料和信息流供应链模式（戴维斯，1995年）。他们认为管理层所要求的变化是由于如下制造商如何做生意以下变化：

?供应商和客户之间的进一步交流。

?水平业务流程取代垂直部门职能。

?从大规模生产向定制产品转移。

?提高所购材料的依赖和外部处理与供应商的数量同时减少。

?更加强调组织和流程的灵活性。

?有必要跨越多个站点协调过程。

?员工授权和需要以规则为基础的实时决策支持系统。

?有竞争压力来更迅速地推出新产品。

公司都简化所有操作并最小化时间其产品对客户的时间。

由于这些原因，熟练管理供应链已成为大多数公司的关键。正如Ralph Drayer，在宝洁的产品供应/客户服务副总裁所说的那样，“在20世纪90年代的市场制胜将需要一个完全不同的一种关系- 一个认识，最终的赢家将是那些谁了解零售商/制造商的业务系统和那些一起工作以利用各种机会提供卓越的客户价值“（Drayer，1994年）。在整个供应链上的企业经理人对其他公司的成功产生了兴趣。他们共同努力使整个供应链的竞争力。他们了解市场，他们知道了很多关于竞争的事，他们协调与交易伙伴的活动。他们利用技术来收集市场需求和交换组织之间信息。关键管理供应链的关键是管理链内的每个节点之间的链路以使整个供应链同步。

供应链计划的历史

供应链计划的历史可以追溯到在纺织行业早期开始的快速反应计划和后来在食品行业高效消费者响应。最近各

种许多行业的企业已经开始放眼整个供应链流程。本节将讨论供应链的那些早期开始和最近的一些成功案例。

反应快，对于一般商品零售商及其供应商

由于世界范围内纺织和服装业的激烈竞争，美国服装业的领导者构造了这个技巧（Kurt Salmon Associates公司，1993）。1985年，Kurt Salmon Associates公司受委托进行供应链分析。这项研究的结果表明，服装供应链的交付时间，从原材料到消费者，为66星期之久，其中40个星期在仓库或在运输途中度过的。长供应链对此行业造成重大损失由于在正确的时间正确产品的缺失和库存浪费。

这项研究的结果是快速反应（QR）的发展战略。QR就是零售商与供应商携手合作，通过共享信息更快速地响应消费者的需求的一种合作伙伴关系。研究结果的显著变化是此行业中使用的UPC代码通过了食品行业和一组用于公司之间的电子数据交换（EDI）标准。零售商开始安装销售终端（POS）扫描系统的点快速转移销售信息给分销商和制造商。“QR通过将公司的资金在恰当地点恰当时间放在那些历史销售数据的必要基础点来最大化库存价值。”（Mullin，1994年）。QR整合推广信息折扣销售信息和预测信息给制造和销售计划。

高效消费者响应，杂货业务计划

1992年，一批食品行业领导者创建了一个名为的高效消费者响应（ECR）工作组的联合行业专案组。该小组负责审查食品供应链来寻找机会，使供应链更具竞争力（Kurt Salmon Associates公司，1993年）。公司Kurt Salmon Associates公司被此小组从事并通过科技和商务惯例的改变来确定在成本和服务方面何种提升能实现来审查杂货供应商/经销商/消费者的价值链。

该研究的结果表明，在技术变化不大被要求来提高性能，除了EDI和POS系统的进一步发展。然而，这项研究确定了一套最佳实践，如果实施，可以大大提高供应链的整体绩效。正如Kurt Salmon Associates公司（1993）发现：“通过加快信息供应链的快速和准确的信息量，ECR分销商和供应商能够更准确地比目前的系统预测未来的需求。”通过实施最佳做法，他们预计将减少37％的供应链库存降低企业24亿到30亿美元范围的成本。

对于制造商顺利通过ECR取决于他们保持生产灵活性，这种灵活性使他们能够满足需求供应能力。关键这种灵活性是紧密集成需求管理、生产调度和库存调配以使公司能够更好地利用信息，生产资源和库存（周和克劳福德，1994年）。

ECR进一步发展是连续补货的概念（CRP）.CRP是一种根据消费者的需求从库存持有的推动产品到拉动产品上到杂货店货架的方案（ECR绩效评估工作委员会，1994）。采购交易点是由计算机转发给制造商来要求他们继续来补充零售商并平衡了JIT。

CRP已经被许多制造商了解（加里，1994年）。宝洁公司和金宝汤公司正在通过CRP提供尽可能其体积的30％到40％。罗尔斯顿，General Mills和皮尔斯伯里通过CRP分配约10％。与CRP性能改进的预测包括从10到50提高库存运转，从30到5减少供应天数从5％到7％提高净利率。

其他早期的供应链计划

除了服装和食品行业的举措，其他早期的制造业努力提高供应链绩效已被记录在案。其中一些包括：惠普，惠而浦，沃尔玛，西有限公司，Becton Dickinson公司，百特和乔治亚- 太平洋公司。他们的供应链计划的简要概述如下所述。

惠普

计算机元件生产商，系统地将制造活动与它的分销活动联系起来，在90年代初电脑终端业务的制造活动（Hammell和Kopczak，1993）。实施包含在这两个产品的物理分布，以及新的分配需求计划（DRP）系统。该DRP 系统网客户订单符合预期，并作为供应链中拉动的开始。

家电制造商开始了他的供应链实施，开始了与球队高层的供应链执行1992年包租这一愿景- “成功的公司将是那些前来谁最接近实现企业间的拉式系统的公司。他们会以很短的周期响应模式连接客户”（戴维斯，1995）。惠浦创造了物流位置的新的副总裁，对关键产品领域建立跨职能团队，进入单一来源协议，基于可靠性，并协助产品设计能力的供应商，并使用EDI与供应商的日常沟通所有作为其供应链管理计划。这样一来，产品的效用能力达到了90％-95％范围内，库存已经减少了15％到20％及交货时间减少到低至五天。

沃尔玛

该公司通过主动与主要制造商开始了自己的供应链直接合作（约翰逊和戴维斯，1995年）。制造商负责管理其产品的沃尔玛的仓库盘点，被称为供应商管理库存（VMI）。作为回报，沃尔玛预计接近100％产品订单履行率。凯马特和其他大型零售商都实施了类似VMI的方案。

西有限公司，巴克斯特公司

在医疗用品行业，三家公司参与了在90年代初的供应链关系（Battagia，1994）。西有限公司提供的橡胶塞给Becton Dickinson公司，这家公司提供医疗产品给巴克斯特。Becton Dickinson公司通过与负责监控供应链执行分配

高级执行官实施方案。在所有管理水平，三家公司共同合作已有质量和服务的改进，而且在同一时间缩短周期时间和成本一起工作。

乔治亚- 太平洋公司

作为北美地区制造业和建筑产品分布的领导者，Georgia-Pacific公司已经开始实施他们的公司在分散经营中的供应链管理实践（布莱克韦尔，1994）。此前，各部门交通管理控制了他们单位的入站和出站的出货量。航运优先已使内部和外部客户并不满意。新的集中运输和物流部门以协调和简化分发过程。新方法着眼于整个业务部门的需求和优先事项，并已认识到公司在降低货运成本降低和每年2000万美元的物流改善。

实施供应链管理的例子公司的许多其它实施例是可用的（布莱瑟和威斯布鲁克，1995; Cook和罗柯夫斯基，1996; Semich，1994）。对该主题广大的关注表明了此概念已经成为正在采取措施来改善客户交付公司，并同时降低总成本的一个多元化的群体的关键问题。更好地管理供应链也涉及到管理销售环节的供应链和连接供应链策略和公司的整体战略。

协同供应链计划

最近，一些行业协作组已经开发研究供应链管理方面的问题。这些小组的调查结果给从业者提供在供应链设计“最佳实践”的指导方针和促进这些做法的实现。

在一年时间里，供应链协会从73名成员发展到300多家的一些世界上最大的制造商。委员会已成立一个非营利性组织提供服务，并为进一步提高其成员。理事会建立一个框架，使制造商和供应商建立一个强大的供应链，并获得改善供应链管理的好处。理事会正在开发的供应链运作参考模型（SCOR），以协助公司评估其供应链绩效，找出薄弱环节，制定改进解决方案（供应链协会，1997年）。

在另一个合作计划，几家领先的制造商与美国国家标准与技术研究所（NIST）加盟，共创一个新的组织，这将提高并在整个生产供应链标准化通信和业务流程，并与其他感兴趣的公司分享结果。这个小组——在NIST后形成的全国倡议供应链整合（NISCI）研究表明，无论是小型或中小型企业，绝大多数公司牺牲生产供应链是缺乏大公司的资源，。随着企业，非营利组织和学术机构的联合体，该计划是确定具体的供应链计划，然后选择成员的团队研究和实施的最佳实践（匿名，1997年）。

什么供应链是不

描述和发展较早和最新的行业协作活动的定义表明，供应链管理不是一个独立的过程。许多供应链的努力没有达到的潜在优势，因为这个词通常只有与企业的供给方或采购职能相关。如上所述，供应链管理不仅仅是采购等等。经过被证明的误解，供应链管理不是：

?库存管理;

?物流管理;

?供应商的合作伙伴关系; ?从供应方驱动;

?航运的战略;

?分销管理; ?物流管道; ?采购管理; ?计算机系统。

尽管管理供应链的概念的接受，部分是由于限制的误解，集成供应链管理的发展一直很缓慢。对于一体化供应链管理的增长缓慢的原因包括以下内容：

?缺乏创造与供应链合作伙伴联盟的指导方针。

?未能制定监控措施的联盟。

?无法超越拓宽采购或产品分销供应链的愿景以致涵盖更大的业务流程。

?无法整合公司的内部程序。

?缺乏内部和公司外部的信任。

?这个概念的组织性。

?高层管理人员的缺失。

?缺乏综合信息系统和电子商务关联公司。

链接经营策略的供应链

供应链的改善表明，供应链管理有提高企业的竞争力的潜力。供应链的能力和一个公司的整体战略及整体产品战略一样重要。供应链管理鼓励跨部门的流程管理。通过将供应链的目标与公司战略相连接，决策可以在供应链竞争需求之间被制定。在性能方面的改进是基于外部的目标，而不是由内部部门的目标驱动。

管理供应链意味着公司跨越传统职能领域的管理和与供应商和客户互动来管理公司。这种跨边界性质管理支持整合供应链的目标和公司的战略规划能力。这种对于整合的关系使使用供应链超越竞争对手，以获得持续的竞争优

势。管理产品整体需求的影响和产品的供应将影响公司的盈利能力。供应链战略可以看作是种相关的采购产品，容量规划，成品的转换，成品调度，需求管理和沟通，传递的部署决策的模式。链接供应链战略，业务战略包括定义涉及生产企业的产品或服务的关键业务流程。

一个公司必须制定基于企业目标的供应链管理目标。从这些更高层次的目标，一套详细的目标可以为供应链中每个流程进行开发。该串联方法，可以整合与整体企业方向的供应链流程并提供用于监控和执行的措施。供应链管理可以被利用作为分化一个公司的一个指向。一定程度清晰的产品定位能提供具有竞争力的营销机会，但缺乏供应链的提供会消除这种优势。使一个公司有竞争力，只是改变营销计划是不够的。他们必须定义与客户的合作关系，并把自己在为客户提供价值的位置。供应链的所有组件必须具有满足战略目标的能力。

公司必须评估使用一套新的措施，对供应链策略的有效性。旨在提高职能或部门表现典型的奖励必须加以修订，以努力提高整体供应链绩效。通过把供应链战略，公司整体战略，目标成为目标的过程，而不是功能性的目标。

例如，传统上，采购的测量之一是材料成本或材料差异。以较低的成本购买产品是提高该措施的一种方法。在从一个新的供应商以较低的费用购买一个纸箱可能会降低纸箱的成本。然而，新的纸箱可能不能有效地在生产过程中作为从原来的供应商之一运行。材料差异采购的措施是有利的，但制造工厂正认识到停机成本的增加、维修等测量必须被设计在整个供应链并成为过程目标。包括在该过程往往导致尽可能多混乱/成本作为链的外部部分的供应链的内部结构。

结论

本文所定义的供应链和供应链管理的概念，并讨论了为什么管理者对这个概念越来越感兴趣。讨论从早期快速反应和高效消费者响应的历史演变。被描述在公司早期的一些供应链的举措表明其竞争优势和连接供应链整体业务战略的重要性。

这次讨论提供了这些公司的研究供应链管理的概念洞察力。已达到供应链整合成功报告的公司能够降低库存投资，缩短现金流周期时间，缩短周期时间，降低原料采购成本，提高员工工作效率，提高满足客户要求的日期（包括短期增长能力需求），并降低物流成本。

要开始整个供应链的管理，企业应该考虑在他们的计划和实施以下原则：

1.连接供应链战略和整体业务战略来连接供应链主动性和业务目标。

2.识别供应链目标，并制定计划，以确保每一道工序都分别能够满足供应链目标。

3.开发系统聆听市场需求的信号，并制定相应的计划，包括在订购模式，并因客户促销需求变化而改变。

4通过发展与供应商的合作伙伴关系，以降低材料成本，并根据需要接收材料。

5开发为每个客户量身定做个性化细分物流网络。

6开发能够在供应链的各个层面支持决策和提供产品的清晰流向的供应链信息系统战略。

7采用链接供应链的方方面面以及包括服务和金融措施的跨职能和跨业务绩效的措施。

成功的公司将是那些管理从供应商的供应商到客户的客户整个供应链中的所有节点的公司。供应链合作伙伴之间清晰的供应链概念的认识和公开信息分享的意愿是使供应链上的企业有竞争力的必要的第一步。