Definition
The following definition is borrowed from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals
Supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing and procurement, conversion, and all logistics management activities. Importantly, it also includes coordination and collaboration with channel partners, which can be suppliers, intermediaries, third-party service providers, and customers. In essence, supply chain management integrates supply and demand management within and across companies.
Supply chain management is an integrating function with primary responsibility for linking major business functions and business processes within and across companies into a cohesive and high-performing business model. It includes all of the logistics management activities noted above, as well as manufacturing operations, and it drives coordination of processes and activities with and across marketing, sales, product design, finance and information technology.
Facts and Figures
The supply chain is unique...it never stops. It is happening around the globe, 24 hours a day, seven days a week all 52 weeks of the year.
Supply chains involve the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling and packaging. All of these areas of work provide a variety of stimulating jobs. These jobs combine to make overall supply chain management a challenging and rewarding career.
- The supply chain sector employs approximately 720,000 people in Canada.
- Information Technology and Organization Design have affected businesses around the world in terms of their management of supply chains.
- Technological change in the supply chain demands a trained labour force in all areas of the sector.
- The ability of trucking to meet customer needs is being enhanced by the use of new information technologies such as global positioning systems (GPS). Satellites, tracking systems, the Internet and other tools will all enable more efficient management of global shipping systems.
- Third-party logistics providers (3PL) will be a source of increasing value in the transportation and logistics cluster.
- New "inland ports" that provide integrated networks of services for all modes of shipping and distribution will grow at strategic locations around the world.
Careers in the Supply Chain Flow Chart
Supply Chain Terminology
Num A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
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