Supply Chain Management Framework Research

Document Type:Thesis

Subject Area:Business

Document 1

The company has suppliers and customers not only in the United States but also in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Australia, and France. The most important area for any consumer business is the supply chain (Lambert & Enz, 2017). The supply chain involves several processes from when raw materials are delivered to the factory for manufacturing to the time that the goods reach the consumers. Due to the magnitude and number of processes involved in the supply chain, it is important for Rivet to have a good supply chain management framework. The first and the most critical step in any supply chain is to plan. Maintenance is another area that requires planning. Maintenance is important because some of the materials such as the chips used in smartphones are very sensitive and are easily damaged leading to loss of funds.

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It is also essential to come up with plans for sales and operations. The day to day operations coupled with sales are the most important areas of revenue for any company it is therefore important to plan for them to make sure that operations are not only maximized but are also efficient to save more money and realize larger profit margins (Brandenburg, Govindan , & Sarkis, 2014). Logistics planning involves planning of how the goods would leave the factory for different wholesalers who would then sell to retailers and how excess products could be returned. Rivet sources both regionally and globally it is important for them to have a clear definition between their global and regional suppliers to ensure smooth business processes as well as accountability.

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Another area of sourcing that Rivet needs to be keen on is collaborative supply. For instance, all of their suppliers in Germany can collaborate to provide them with all the materials they need for the manufacturing process. This serves to streamline the process of delivery and also make it more cost efficient for the suppliers in terms of shipping and delivery costs (Brandenburg, Govindan , & Sarkis, 2014). Another area of sourcing that is important is service level agreements. After the goods have been manufactured they need to be delivered to all the wholesalers and retailers who stock their smartphones using the distribution channels that were established in the planning phase. The logistics planning will now be used here to make sure that trucks as well as other courier mediums such as ships and planes take the correct routes and arrive on time and with minimal to no incidents on the way (Lambert & Enz, 2017).

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The use of the umbrella approach in this phase allows Rivet to streamline the delivery process. It also allows them to track the goods while in transit and predict any delays in delivery based on other sets of data used for the delivery phase such as routes and traffic. The supply chain includes other fundamental practices such as strategy and innovation (Ganji Jamehshooran, Shaharoun, & Norehan Haron, 2015). Rivet then assesses their progress in comparison to their goals and takes some steps to improve on the supply chain processes (Lambert & Enz, 2017). These steps include the review of Supply level agreements, supply chain education as well as training and developing a culture of excellence among all its suppliers and employees. In conclusion, the supply chain process is single-handedly the most important business process for any consumer-oriented business whether they are providing goods or services.

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