Supply chain management involves the management of the flow of goods and services from raw materials and includes all of the processes that turn raw materials to products.
There are five important aspects of supply chain management that need to be considered for success.
First you’ll need to plan your SCM strategy, this will form the basis for measuring success and setting expectations for your team.
Secondly, source raw materials at a fair price and of good quality in line with your business strategy.
The third aspect is production, how will you go about producing your product? Who will do it and how much will it cost?
The fourth aspect to consider in your supply chain management plan is distribution. A business will succeed or fail based on their distribution strategy - how will you deliver your product and how much will it cost? Is there a plan for scaling your delivery strategy as your production capacity grows?
The fifth element to consider is returns; We now live in a world of convenience and expect certain levels of customer service when it comes to product returns. The big brands do it so well with pre-paid labels, drop off points and returns within apps. Do a SWOT analysis of the bigger brands, is there a way you could emulate their returns policies?
The supply chain environment is dynamic, factories, warehouses and distribution centres - people are working on their feet and need to update tracking systems, quality control forms, inventories and more in real time. This is where mobile forms take your supply chain management to the next level. If you’re in the setup stages of your supply chain or you’re looking to improve and optimise it take a look at our top 10 mobile forms. This could take your process to the next level.
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New vendor form
Complete all information without errors and send it straight to your accounting, contracts and distribution partners.
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Daily production report
Compile data quickly on the production floor and share mobile forms within teams. Once your daily production report is complete, store in one central location for easy review and analysis.
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Inventory form
A mobile inventory form saves so much time - remove the need for loading of stock inventory from clipboards to laptops. With a mobile form you’ll be able to complete inventories and send them to the necessary teams, vendors, stockists and departments in real time.
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Packaging form
Reduce the opportunity for errors and the use of paper by moving your packaging forms onto mobile.
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Product testing form
Product testing forms have historically been completed in paper. By moving them to mobile your team can enter product testing details in real time, set up alerts for any issues, take pictures and upload instantly and add digital signatures for sign-off.
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Quality check form
As with product testing forms, moving quality checks into mobile technology allows for image upload and quick entry of all data.
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Delivery note
It’s well known that paper delivery notes have a way of getting lost or not being given by the courier. By moving these onto mobile forms, you’ll be able to accurately monitor delivery times and optimise your distribution process.
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Complaint form
Complete your complaints in mobile forms to improve customer service. Take pictures of product issues and upload, capture customer quotes verbatim in real time so you can resolve complaints quickly and avoid them in future.
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Feedback form
Giving customers the option of completing feedback on their mobile increases engagement. More feedback leads to better customer service and product improvements - it’s a win win.
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Regulatory forms
EU regulations now “require that companies consider human rights” in their supply chain. Accuracy of regulatory forms is vital. By completing them on mobile, you’ll be able to capture information clearly and send the forms to the necessary contacts swiftly for review and approval.
What’s upcoming in supply chain management?
There are many developments in supply chain management, here’s a few to watch out for. Following the pandemic, supply chains are focusing on risk management and resilience. Protecting themselves from dips in sales and production is a necessary process to ensure they can face challenging times.
Supply Chain as a Service SCaaS is increasing, as companies grow and cannot handle all elements of the process in-house. Doing less means companies can focus on quality and improve customer service and product quality.
Sustainability, as in all areas of business, is increasing in importance. Customers are becoming more interested in the ethics of products so circular supply chains are popular. Waste generated from the production of products is recycled back into the supply chain promoting a zero waste environment.
If you’re wondering how you could optimise your supply chain management and adopt mobile forms, read our blog on how to use mobile apps for supply chain management.