Supply Chain Management

“I am Bond, James Bond 007” reminds us all of the many stories of Ian Fleming that made it to the movies creating block-busters. The British agent is out to stop the bad guys from destroying the world foiling their technically-advanced plans while the clocks count-down to the final moments of the film. Whether James Bond investigates the theft of a new super microchip and discovers a sinister Soviet plot to control the world electronics market or if 007 investigates the murder of a Jamaican couple who had refused to sell their estate to Herr von Hammerstein, the former Gestapo officer who is the chief of counterintelligence for the Cuban secret service- parallels can be drawn to today’s complex supply chains. I am Chain, Supply Chain 007. Supply Chain wastes can be eliminated by similar agents of change. Have you ever wondered, when on one hand when Retailers struggle to balance on-time deliveries with cost-per-mile; their transporters struggle with under-utilized capacities. As far as manufacturers are concerned, why are they forced to deliver product before they are demanded. Why should time be wasted within supply chains between the time of arrival of a truck for pick-up and the loading of trailers. Out of route stops, poor backhauls, order fulfillment mismatches, supply chain volume fluctuations, constrained warehousing, inaccurate inventories, overspent distribution are some of the many wasted opportunities for Supply Chain 007 to save. Now, for Ian Fleming to script the story for our Supply Chain 007 act, developing a comprehensive set of performance metrics to align with practical execution strategy for each of the supply chain department is a good first chapter to consider.