Managing integrated global supply chain Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Managing integrated global supply chain - Essay Example Rolland's organization is bed-ridden with chaos as evinced by the unending stack of problems engulfing it.It is quite natural a reaction if a global retailing giant like Wal-Mart revises its opinion on including them in their preferred list of suppliersIt is a leading company after all, being consistently awarded Best Practices recognition comes from a rigorous adherence to the highest standards in the industry, and all suppliers must conform to their minimum expectations, if they wish to thrive in business. Just selling a final good product isn't enough; professional customers tend to visualize their deals as a permanent establishment of sustainable partnerships, and viable networks which, if not fulfilled, can cause tremendous loss in value and image acquired from years of consistent value delivery to 100% satisfied customers.A look into Wal-Mart's existing supplier chain can help clarify the fundamentals of their clear-cut expectations from the supplier base; from the lowest margi n of error to the highest significance attached to quality,it relentlessly pursues a zero-tolerance policy towards non-compliance, and swiftly punishes unaccountable suppliers with heavy fines, indemnities or even termination of contract.It brooks no controversies related to violation of its basic ethical policies, as specified in its supplier standard code which specifies norms on issues like child labour, medical hazards in the workplace, discrimination on any grounds, and lack of concern for the environment. Rolland's will have to walk the talk when it comes to developing as it ambitiously likes to call itself, a "world-class manufacturer." Clearly, the entire house has to be set in order for justifying the use of such a behemoth expression to qualify its present shortcomings. The key themes that must grab the management's attention are discussed here under: Lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing is an established philosophy developed originally in Japan, that seeks to eliminate the production of 7 wastes: overproduction, waiting time, transportation time, processing time, inventory, motion and scrap (wikipedia). This invariably leads to improvement in quality and reduction of manufacturing cost. How is this approach going to benefit Rolland's The case study mentions several instances which clearly project that chaos reigns supreme in the day-to-day operations over there. Huge amounts of Work-in-progress (W.I.P.) and unsold inventory forever keep the employees on their toes, always being chased as last-minute orders; the turnout of events spiraling into a big mess on the shop floor ultimately, all this leads to an undesirable rate of rejection, even at the cost of employee overtime. Rolland's can adopt the methodology of lean production in a phased-manner. It might want to do away with existing orders first before taking up fresh work. But, this time in between the intervals, it must undergo a process overhaul through extensive discussions and brainstorming sessions between the factory manager, the line and supervisory staff, and the workers. Defect areas must be clearly identified and holes be plugged in proper through innovative solutions. For example, there's a reference in case study regarding the manner in which material is handled; the finished goods' section also doubles as incoming-materials department. Clearly, such malpractices must not be allowed to continue at any cost.