供应链-一个成熟的解决方案

世界从来都不是一成不变的，人的每个阶段都有变化。商业领域也在不断变化，以应对竞争水平的增加。以前，是公司制定规则，客户必须遵守规则，但现在情况发生了变化。典型的例子是80年代印度的Bajaj滑板车，当时人们在注册后必须等待几个月。由于过去几十年前所未有的增长，企业已经转向了供应链管理的概念。不过，这个概念对所有人来说都不那么新，但对印度这样的国家来说相对较新。大多数国家已经跨越了这一概念的起步阶段，正在探索这一概念的先进水平。

供应链这个词可以有多种形式的定义。供应链没有具体的定义，根据公司的业务运作性质而有所不同。它主要是产生的输入和输出，形成了特定公司供应链的定义。现在的情况是如此复杂，这不是公司之间的竞争，而是一家公司的供应链与另一家公司的供应链的竞争。供应链的主要需求是它能够在流程的每个阶段降低成本，并通过交付客户所需的产品为客户带来价值。供应链的关键驱动力之一是它的速度。没有顾客愿意等太久，因为时间对所有人来说都是宝贵的。这就是供应链流程引入交货期概念的地方。因此，客户服务得到了提高，产品也按时交付。“交付能力”这个词是所有问题的关键解决方案，而一个有效的供应链拥有它。 Sometimes, we have few activities included in a process which doesn’t add value to it. in such a situation, supply chain is important as it is also responsible for elimination of any unwanted link in a process. It uses JIT( just in time) delivery for getting the goods delivered on time which helps in maintaining adequate inventory levels. JIT is mainly to reduce the working capital across the process and push down the stock out of the inventory. It is a sort of production activity built in order to improve return on investment by reducing work in process inventory and carrying costs. This helps in creating more space within the warehouse and is better applied to fast moving goods (FMCG). In short, it caters to the need of each company and what they require from the supply chain. Companies like Japan have reached the other side of servicing their customers by implementing technologies like KANBAN. It is another term relating to the supply chain domain and acts as a signal being sent from the warehouse department to the in-house production department to produce and send another set of goods in the required quantity. A new set of shipment is demanded by the signal as the previous material is already consumed. The replenishment cycle performs the task of tracking this signal and helps in bringing more visibility to the process. Lean management is another part of SCM which takes care of the replenishment of goods which might have got damaged during the process or the ones which have gone waste after the final consumption. KANBAN, JIT and Lean management are three terms which serves the same purpose but has an additional functionality which differentiates them from one another.

虽然不是所有时候你都能期望供应链提供最好的，因为可能会有一些失误，这足以让任何其他竞争对手接管。当你谈到欧洲国家的供应链活动时，他们远远领先于亚洲国家。原因有很多。像印度这样的亚洲国家，对于在哪里投资以及使用什么样的技术和方法并不了解。另一个重要原因是，印度物流行业由无组织的参与者统治。在印度，90%的市场结构是由无组织的参与者组成的，几乎没有10%的人可以被称为有组织的。这对印度这样的国家来说是一个重大挫折，尽管印度发展如此之快，但却无法识别这些瓶颈。这一领域存在巨大的技能缺口。印度甚至必须致力于基础设施建设，应该鼓励有更好知识的人进入这个行业。运营成本高、利润低、人才短缺、基础设施瓶颈，这些都是物流部门必须考虑的负面因素。 There are a few trends in supply chain management which have to be followed in a sequence in order to achieve efficiency. When one is looking from the customers end, he/she has to build initial contact with the customers and end up with the accounting function which takes care of the invoice and payments and service agreements. The manufacturing is the most important part of the supply chain domain where you convert the raw materials into finished products which in turn is a form of value creation for the customers. Customer satisfaction is the core aim for any business be it a small pencil manufacturing company or a big automobile industry. The manufacturing trend believes in lean manufacturing, mass customization and advance planning and scheduling. The lean part is important in every business which takes care of the recycling of goods or service after it gets outdated and advance planning and scheduling is carried out in each segment of the network especially in the inventory warehouse. Mass customization is another need of the hour which ensures that their customers are never taken away by its competitor. Supply chain is not just an activity looking at one particular thing but is a wider concept meant for creating value for the moving product at each and every stage of the process.

这一领域正在快速发展，并为即将到来的几代人提供了一个有前途的职业生涯。甚至在德里、孟买、艾哈迈达巴德和斋浦尔等大多数大都市，也计划建设更多的物流园区。国外国家更多的是通过海运方式进行运输活动，而印度是最少的。印度更依赖铁路，而任何超过200公里长的公路运输活动都被认为不经济。供应链优化是每个公司都在关注的问题。作为对西方同行的回应，印度公司一直在不断努力在运营中走向绿色。绿色供应链是一种更加成熟的经营方式。诺基亚已经在这方面采取了行动，在其经销商处设置了绿色盒子，并鼓励客户存放他们的旧手机进行补充。人们可以将精益管理与绿色供应链的概念联系起来，这有助于回收和减少浪费。坚持绿色供应链的公司肯定能在运营中带来更多的可持续性，并在竞争中保持领先地位。 Aquafina is another big company which has adopted green supply chain. The company is going to launch its new Eco- friendly bottle which is said to be the lightest among all other brands in the market. They have made a constant effort in planning this out in response to the recent plastics ban movement carried out all over. They have been successful in making a much lighter bottle which is made up of 50% less plastic comparing to the earlier one. Supply chain has brought so many new concepts and is still evolving to serve the end customer in the best possible manner.

有时，供应链管理需要其他部门，如运营和营销来支持他们。虽然运营是一个更大的过程，而SCM只是其中的一部分，但它们以多种形式相互联系。营销人员的角色对供应链人员非常有价值，因为营销部门是一个做需求预测的工作。计划是你在创业之前要做的最主要的方面。因此，需求规划是特定操作中的关键因素。从统计预测和其他客户情报中分析出的一组需求将帮助SCM人员正确地协调事情，并准确地交付所需的内容。他应该对想法有更广泛的看法，应该随时准备好任何类型的定制，因为客户的需求永远不会保持不变。当前的市场完全是由客户驱动的，这要求您的供应链管理在所谓的“交付能力”方面更加积极主动。

本文由金奈商学院物流学院的Sanju Mathew撰写。