Barbara Jorgensen - 4 Supply Chains May Be Better Than 1

Four #supplychains may be better than one: via @ebnonline

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?doc_id=251917&section...