Question

discuss the roles of a supply chain manager of a large company such as Coles, Woolworths or Aldi.

Answer 1

A supply chain is a network between a company and its suppliers to produce and distribute a specific product to the final buyer.

Supply chain management is the management of the flow of goods and services and includes all processes that transform raw materials into final products. It involves the active streamlining of a business's supply-side activities to maximize customer value and gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

SCM represents an effort by suppliers to develop and implement supply chains that are as efficient and economical as possible. Supply chains cover everything from production to product development to the information systems needed to direct these undertakings.

Supply chain managers are responsible for the movement of goods, from manufacturers and suppliers to the customer. They oversee and manage every stage of the production flow, from purchasing the raw materials to the delivery of the final product. Large corporations like Coles, Woolsworth etc value good supply chain managers because they improve the efficiency of plants, warehouses, and transportation vehicles in a supply chain. Cash flow is directly increased because the delivery of a product is in a timely manner, and consumers can purchase their goods. Consumers also want a high standard of customer support. If goods are not distributed on time, supply chain management branches of a company have to assure them that they will get their products as soon as possible. SCM also has a huge impact on the bottom line of a company.

The grocery industry like Aldi, Woolsworth and Coles are largest and most important industries in the modern marketplace. Over the past seventy years, supermarkets and grocery stores have evolved into some of the most convenient and diverse businesses in the world. This evolution would not have been possible without effective supply chain management. In reality, nowadays supply chains -especially these of Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG)- conceal numerous inefficiencies existing in the collaboration with trading partners that heavily affect the whole replenishment process. These inefficiencies imply at the same time that there is significant room for further improvements. Therefore, there are opportunities that should be leveraged stemming from real business needs. MyGROCER (Mobile shopping of electronically referenced grocery products) conception derived from the aforementioned needs and provides an effective solution to the inefficiencies of the retail grocery supply chain.

As the supply chain managers of largest industry in the market place, they have hectic roles than other mangers in the other industries. Some of the general duties and responsibilities are mentioned below;

• Plan and implement the overall supply chain strategy
• Collaborate with Sales, Operations, and Customer Service teams
• Determine key supply chain KPIs
• Suggest solutions for process improvements
• Identify process bottleneck and implement solutions in a timely manner
• Train and evaluate others
• Provide constructive feedback
• Work with finance, sales, and manufacturing team to determine best vendors and distributors
• Build and maintain good relationships with vendors

Supply chain managers promote the design, development, and implementation of warehouse, distribution and logistics solutions. They manage labor costs, personnel productivity, inventory levels, data accuracy and stocking strategies. They measure and report on the effectiveness of departmental activities and operations. Supply Chain Mangers in large grocery industries must have math skills combined with strong analytical and statistical capabilities to understand supply and demand issues. He should have to track orders and shipments, make actions according to the sales trend by making the product attractive to the distributers and follow the tracks regulary to make sure that the products are reaching the final buyers by active work of the distributers. He need dealt with those new technologies such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, Internet networks, analytics software and applications. In all of the above, they have keep in touch with all the business related customers, retailers and distributors as well. Good relationship leads to good business which helps the company to attain profit. The supply chain manager who always give attention to detail to understand the business and environment that operates it are the back bone of the successful company that increases the brand value of the company.