供应链——一个成熟的解决方案

世界从来都不是一成不变的，生命的每个阶段都发生了变化。随着竞争水平的提高，商业领域也在不断发生变化。以前，是公司制定规则，客户必须遵守，但现在情况发生了相反的变化。这方面的经典例子是80年代印度的Bajaj滑板车，当时人们在注册后必须等待数月。由于在过去几十年里前所未有的增长，公司已经转向一个概念称为供应链管理。不过，这一概念对所有人来说并不新鲜，但对印度这样的国家来说还是比较新鲜的。大多数国家都已跨越了这一概念的起步阶段，正处于探索这一概念的先进阶段。

供应链这个词可以有多种定义形式。对于供应链没有明确的定义，它随特定公司业务运营的性质而变化。它主要是输入和输出所产生的，形成了特定公司的供应链的定义。现在的情况如此复杂，它不是公司之间的问题，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，并通过交付客户的需求为客户带来价值。供应链的一个关键驱动因素是其速度。没有客户愿意等太久，因为时间对所有人来说都是宝贵的。这就是供应链过程引入提前期概念的地方。因此，客户服务得到了提高，产品也按时交付。“可交付性”这个词是所有问题的关键解决方案，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可以期待供应链提供最好的，因为可能会有一些失误，这足以让任何其他竞争对手接管。说到欧洲国家的供应链活动，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、使用什么样的技术和方法并不了解。另一个重要原因是，印度物流行业被无组织的参与者所统治。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%的人被称为有组织的。对于像印度这样的国家来说，这是一个重大挫折，尽管印度发展如此之快，但却无法发现这些瓶颈。这个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，应该鼓励更有知识的人进入该行业。运营成本高、利润低、人才短缺、基础设施瓶颈等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.

这一领域正以快速的速度发展，并为未来几代人提供了一个有前途的职业。甚至还有一些项目计划在德里、孟买、艾哈迈达巴德和斋浦尔等大多数大城市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，而印度的海运方式最少。印度更依赖铁路，而任何超过200公里的公路运输活动都被认为是不经济的。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，印度企业一直在努力在运营中走绿色路线。绿色供应链是一种更成熟的运营方式。诺基亚已经在这方面采取了行动，在其经销商店内设置了绿色盒子，并鼓励客户将旧手机存起来进行补充。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他们的运营中带来更多的可持续性，并能在竞争中保持领先。 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.

有时供应链管理部门需要其他部门如运营和营销来支持他们。尽管运营是一个更大的过程，而SCM只是其中的一部分，但它们之间以多种形式联系在一起。营销人员的角色对于供应链人员来说是非常有价值的，因为营销部门是做需求预测工作的部门。计划是你在创业前要做的最主要的方面。因此，需求规划是具体操作中的一个关键因素。从统计预测和其他客户情报中分析出的一组需求将帮助供应链管理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理解，应该准备好在任何时间点需要任何类型的定制，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“可交付性”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。