Globalization, technology and an increasingly competitive business environment have encouraged huge changes in what is known as supply chain management, the art of sourcing components and delivering finished goods to the customer as cost effectively and efficiently as possible. Dell transformed the way people bought and were able to customize computers. Wal-Mart and Tesco have used their huge buying power and logistical skills to ensure the supply and stock management of their stores is finely honed. Manufacturers now make sure that components are where they are needed on the production line just in time for when they are needed and no longer. Such finessing of the way the supply chain works boosts the corporate bottom line and can make the difference between being a market leader or an also ran. This guide explores all the different aspects of supply chain management and gives hundreds of real life examples of what firms have achieved in the field. David Jacoby has been consulting to global multinational companies on supply chain strategy and performance improvement for over twenty years. He is the President of Boston Strategies International, a firm that provides global strategy consulting, cost and price intelligence, and market data to help manufacturers achieve competitive advantage through supply chain management. Previously, he was based in Brazil, Hong Kong and France, where he consulted on strategic sourcing, purchasing and outsourcing, logistics, acquisitions, strategic alliances, capital investments, equipment and infrastructure.
