Manufacturing and Supply Chain

Customers expect a manufacturer to deliver products with the highest quality and lowest cost, and also to provide rapid response and customization of products. Therefore, it is essential to have a sound manufacturing and supply chain strategy, which addresses the questions:

What should you make and what should you buy?
Where should you do those things?
Why?
How?


We will help you address make/buy strategy, considering differentiating core competencies. We will help you identify opportunities to reduce inventory levels, considering responsiveness to customers. We will help you address competitiveness and cost structure, considering activity based costs. 

Globalization of markets and competition is one of the most significant drivers of change in business today. Globalization presents both opportunities and threats. However, there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. It can make sense to manufacture offshore design-to-market and high-volume commodity products, for which lowest cost has greatest advantage. It can make sense to manufacture locally in the U.S. design-to-order and customized products, and products for which logistics requires proximity to customers.

We recommend that before considering such disruptive strategies as relocation and off-shoring, your company should first rationalize its make/buy strategy, and then make a serious effort to optimize your manufacturing and supply chain processes, so that you know the best you can be.

For additional information see the white papers “Inventory” and “Globalization”.

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