The Importance Of An Integrated Supply Chain

The right people. The right time. The right resources. The right place.

In today’s global automotive industry, supply chains function most efficiently when all the major elements are integrated from end-to-end. Because so much of the modern supply stream consists of disparate production networks, complex partnerships, and markets and customer pools spread out across the globe, the ability to coordinate the people, processes, and products critical to effective supply chain management is key in such a variant-rich industry.

Whether it’s the sourcing of raw materials, assignment of planned production programs, transportation and warehousing, or delivery and customer management, companies in today’s automotive industry have realized the value-added proposition in integrating their supply chain across all touch points in order to fully control their overall supply situation and gain valuable insight into the functionality and efficiency of their value chain.

Full supply chain integration means much more than simply managing the movement of materials and resources and addressing logistical issues thereof. Rather, supply chain integration means an acknowledgement that production stages of the supply chain must exchange data, and analytics, and time-sensitive information in real-time with other points in the supply network.

But for companies who have realized the importance of an integrated supply chain in fostering lean principles and long-term, sustainable growth, what are the benefits? What competitive advantages have these companies experienced? With this in mind, let’s examine the importance of an integrated supply chain and the benefits companies can experience from such integration.

Holistic collaboration across supply networks

As we’ve discussed before, a common fixture for manufacturing companies in today’s supply stream consists of production facilities and hubs spanned out across the globe, creating an increasingly difficult network of production platforms to manage. End-to-end (E2E) visibility is critical in overseeing these networks and ensuring the right products are being produced at the right time at the right facility given various rules or restrictions. A fully-integrated supply chain allows planners and managers to make adjustments or modifications to planned production programs — often while component parts are in-transit or even during the pre-production stage — in real-time to secure on-time delivery, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.

Enhanced transparency of materials, supply flow, and inventories

Because of a number of intelligent planning software solutions and strategies such as BOM management, Plan for Every Part (PFEP), Every Part Every Interval (EPEI), and container management strategies, a fully-integrated supply chain allows planners and managers to view, track, and modify the movements of parts, inventories levels, and container pull strategies based on demand or production levels. The sharing of information between the sales and planning stages of the value chain also allows for manufacturing companies to create more accurate forecasting based on previous performance to ensure coverage levels are met and productions can continue as scheduled.

Nimble architecture of production networks

It’s no secret that one of the most important bottom lines in today’s automotive supply stream is the ability to adapt to changing parameters of production, fluctuations in inventory or material levels, and bottlenecks or disruptions. If we think of an integrated supply chain as a game of telephone where there’s no variation in what is said between the players, it’s easy to understand how the sharing of valid, up-to-date, and detailed information is critical in promoting a robust production platform capable of withstanding on-the-spot modifications and alterations. Accuracy of data and information is perhaps at the core of creating a nimble, responsive production network.

Real-time communication and data analysis

Imagine a planned production program calls for X number of parts to be pulled from a container in the yard; however, after the pull has been ordered, the customer requests an alteration to the order requiring fewer parts from the container. In a time before intelligent planning solutions and integrated supply chain concepts, this modification could mean a significant disruption as more time and resources would be needed to make the adjustment. But with a fully-integrated supply chain where players can communicate data or product information in real-time, planners and managers can adapt to this order fluctuation the moment it happens to pull the right quantities of parts from the right container in the right fashion.

This means an overall reduction in costs and increased efficiency as manufacturing companies will have fewer special handling situations to address to meet changing customer needs.

If you want to learn more, download your guide to Transformation of Manufacturing Processes.

In this Guide you will learn:

1. Emerging Challenges in the Modern Truck/Automotive Industry

2. How Can Global Companies Adapt to These New Realities

3. How Decentralized Digital Systems Power Smarter Planning Processes

4. How flexis Can Support Flexible Supply Chain Transformation