A recent article in i2’s Supply Chain Leader by Kevin O’Marah of AMR on how [do] you design a supply chain organization to achieve maximum value did a great job recounting dozens of statistics that we already know about how great supply chains make great companies, but unlike many of the AMR write-ups, it included one key point that often gets overlooked.
Ownership of technology solutions really does empower the entire supply chain organization, taking it to the next level of performance.
While only 41% of overall participants saw technology enablement as a supply chain organization responsibility, 56% of the AMR Research Top 25 saw the importance of technological responsibility in the supply chain organization. Considering that this is a select group that, in 2007, delivered a total return of 17.89% compared to the Dow Jones Industrial Average of 6.43% and the Standford & Poor’s 500 Average of 3.53%, I’m glad to see that these leaders are stepping up and acknowledging the value of good supply chain technology.
What other technology can identify millions of dollars of savings? Streamline payment processing costs by 90% AND insure you are paying against contracted rates? Enable visibility across your organization? None. In your average organization, no other information technology can deliver returns that come close to the returns supply chain information technology can deliver. So if you don’t have an end-to-end supply chain information technology solution, go out and get one!