A streamlined supply chain is vital for retail success. All merchandise flows through this network, underscoring the importance of implementing controls to safeguard our interests. Furthermore, learning more about supply chain management, operations, and the basics is critical to mitigate potential gaps or losses.
The loss prevention role within the supply chain network has grown significantly in recent years and continues to grow. Technological advancements, the evolution of e-commerce, and the need to remain competitive are all reasons why LP professionals must stay up to date on the supply chain. This article focuses on supply chain management and the basics loss prevention professionals need to know in order to be an informed business partner.
What Is Supply Chain Management?
You may be wondering what exactly supply chain management is. Simply put, it is the handling of the entire flow of goods or services, from the gathering and assembling of raw components to delivering the final product to consumers.
The primary objective of supply chain management is to fulfill business demands through the most efficient use of resources. The goal is to match and manage supply with demand to reduce costs, improve sales, and enhance company profitability. Better understanding the business and customer needs and adapting the supply chain to serve those needs will contribute to effectively maximizing profitability.
Supply Chain Management Basics
- Customizing the logistics network to meet the service requirements of our markets. This may influence warehouse facility size, number, location, ownership, structure, and mission. It requires robust planning and support to manage flow-through distribution. Moreover, this includes time sensitive approaches to managing the transportation network, including transportation routes, modes of transportation, etc. Goods must arrive according to schedule.
- Listening to market signals and aligning planning strategies accordingly across the supply chain to ensure consistent supply forecasts and optimal resource allocation. This process recognizes the needs and objectives of each functional group but bases final operational decisions on collaborative needs and overall profit potential.
- Strategically locating and warehousing the product close to the customer base speeds conversion efficiencies across the supply chain, allowing the company to react quickly to market signals and store or customer needs by mitigating lead times along the supply chain. Additionally, it gets the product to the stores and the customer as quickly as possible.
- Being creative and flexible—this requires managing supply sources strategically to reduce the total cost of owning goods. Additionally, business partners must share in the goal of reducing costs across the supply chain to lower prices and enhance margins.
- Adopt appropriate performance metrics to gauge success in efficiently and effectively getting products to the stores or customers. This should include both service and financial metrics.
Creating a Tech Strategy for the Supply Chain
Creating a tech strategy for the supply chain that aids decision-making across all levels and offers transparency into product, service, and information flow is vital. This is a crucial step of supply chain management. IT systems must be able to integrate certain essential capabilities, such as the following:
- Managing day-to-day transactions and electronic commerce across the supply chain.
- Allow for the integration of valuable information such as demand signals, forecasts, inventory, transportation, and other essential data.
- Support inventory management processes, including the quantity and location of products, to enhance network efficiencies.
- Facilitate planning and decision-making by supporting the need to allocate resources efficiently.
- Enable strategic, tactical, and operational analysis by providing tools for evaluating distribution centers, other facilities, suppliers, and third-party service alternatives.
- Allow for a decision-support process that will give guidance in areas that may require additional enhancement for an overall supply chain management solution.
Bottom Line
To best serve the business’ needs, loss prevention professionals must better understand the overall supply chain process and how it impacts the business. Learning to adapt these supply chain management tactics can play a pivotal role. A knowledgeable LP leader will certainly help build on existing company plans and strategies to effectively support shrink reduction and profit enhancement efforts in the supply chain and all aspects of the retail business.
This article touches on the basics of supply chain management as an introduction for LP professionals. To gain greater knowledge of the supply chain in retail and how to apply LP principles in more detail, you may be interested in the course material included with the Loss Prevention Certified coursework at Losspreventionfoundation.org.
