Author: Hanson Obiri-Yeboah1, & Eric Ekow T. Ghansah2
Accra Polytechnic1 & Ghana Institute of Management & Public Administration (GIMPA)2
Executive Summary
Supply Chain Strategies are the critical backbone to Business Organizations today. Effective Market coverage, Availability of Products at locations that hold the key to revenue recognition depends upon the effectiveness of Supply Chain Strategy rolled out. Very simply stated, when a product is introduced in the market and advertised, the entire market in the country and all the sales counters need to have the product where the customer can buy and take delivery. Any glitch in the product not being available at the right time can result in the drop in customer interest and demand which can be disastrous. Transportation network design and management assume importance to support sales and marketing strategy. Inventory control and inventory visibility are two very critical elements in any operations for these are the cost drivers and directly impact the bottom lines on the balance sheet. Inventory means value and is an asset to the company. Every business has a standard for inventory turnaround that is optimum for the business. Inventory turnaround refers to the number of times the inventory is sold and replaced over a period of twelve months. The health of the inventory turn relates to the health of business. In a global scenario, the finished goods inventory is held at many locations and distribution centers, managed by third parties. A lot of inventory would also be in the pipeline in transportation, besides the inventory with distributors and retail stocking points. Since any loss of inventory anywhere in the supply chain would result in loss of value, effective control of inventory and visibility of inventory gains importance as a key factor of Supply Chain Management function.
Keywords: Logistics Strategy, SCM Strategy, Organization & SCM
