Barbara Jorgensen - 4 Supply Chains May Be Better Than 1

4 Supply Chains May Be Better Than 1

If managing one supply chain is difficult, imagine managing four. However, splintering your operation is one strategy experts recommend for developing the supply chain of the future. Douglas Alexander outlined such a system in a recent blog on EBN . Instead of viewing the supply chain as a linear system made up of links, think of it as a river delta with a series of tributaries. The supply chain doesn’t always flow in one direction, Alexander says: In actuality, the supply chain has many tributaries that look more like a river delta network; it does not always flow in a unidirectional manner. My mind says, if it were possible to straighten out the turns and kinks, knowing the shortest distance between points is a straight line, then wouldn't the traverse from one end to the other be shorter and faster? I'm still thinking graphically here. If the distances between the links...

Full article: http://www.ebnonline.com/author.asp?section_id=1071&doc_i...