The Basics

Justin Braford- post #1

     Supply Chain Management is a very popular major at MSU. It is a part of the Eli Broad business college, and ranks #1 in the nation. This makes it a very competitive field/major to get into. Many people have no idea what supply chain management even entails. For this first blog post, I will be covering the basics of supply chain. 

     Supply chain can be defined as the oversight of materials, information, and finances as they move in a process from supplies to manufacturer to wholesaler to retailer to consumer. This involves coordination and communication within and between companies. Executives are to make sure the goods get from point A to point B in time. If not, the entire flow will be delayed and other companies may also get frustrated. They are able to check the physical status of goods, and financial details of all companies involved in the transaction. It is important to have quality supply chain employees because they can surely make your business much more efficient if they are elite and clever in the field. 

      The goal is to have as little inventory as possible. Supply chain employees must be incredibly well-rounded. They must be good with technology, because it is used heavily during the exchange of goods. They must be able to work well with a multitude of people. They are to coordinate when and where each shipment must be sent or delivered. This job can often be a burden, because the cycle will never be complete. Orders will always be coming in and out. With our country ordering more and more items online, the supply chain field is blossoming. It is a fast growing job and pays very well. The key is to get highly-educated and dedicated workers in the field. Without these people, shipments would be delayed and disorganized. It is also a rapidly evolving field, requiring current workers to adapt and learn new strategies and technology systems involved. 

Introduction to Supply Chain Management

Adam Seeton

Supply chain is when you produce a product where the parts that you use are purchased from a supplier. When you sell these products to customers you become a part of a supply chain. Though some of these supply chains are simple, most of them are very complicated. It all varies on the size of the business that is selling the products and the number of products being sold. The chain begins and ends with the purchaser of the product. Supply chain management has been introduced to ensure that the process of manufacturing goes smoothly. They other goal is to also create the product at the lowest price and result in the highest customer. To improve this process, the management invests in technology to increase production. Why does it start and end here? Result in highest customer what?

Management looks are three different aspects of the company: Strategic, tactical, and operational. At the strategic level, management will look at the market for their product and price it based off of that. They will also work with suppliers in hopes to create partnerships. In tactical, they will work with logistics companies to develop effective transportation and cut down the cost of storing their inventory. At the operational, management will schedule production, supplier agreements and orders submitted by customers. It is basically managing how the supply chain works.

We learned how managing a supply chain really works. Communication with customers and resource suppliers is key for having a successful supply chain. Technology also plays an important role for the effectiveness of a supply chain (Murray 1).

Murray, Martin. "Introduction to Supply Chain Management." The Balance. N.p., 22 July 2016. Web. 29 Jan. 2017.