How to get a healthy supply chain

October 15 2013

There are few areas of business that are more universal than the supply chain. Every company relies on it for some aspect of operations, and a mistake in this area can cause a ripple effect that can devastate a company.

In a recent interview with the Supply Chain Expert Community, Dustin Mattison interviewed Oliver Campbell, the director of procurement at Dell. The conversation covered many aspects of the supply chain including what steps need to be taken to ensure its health.

According to Campbell, the definition of the supply chain is evolving. While the fundamentals of logistics, supply management and demand forecasting have remained the same, the social and environmental responsibility is gaining a larger focus. He went on to say that creating a healthy supply chain is not a complex puzzle.

"I think it's fairly straightforward. It starts out by mapping the steps in the lifecycle of your products from design, sourcing, logistics, use and disposal and identifying what are the social and environmental factors associated with each," the Campbell said. "I think the identification of sustainability and job functions are becoming more pronounced as awareness increases."

What should be noted, however, is that straight forward does not equal easy. These steps can be complicated and if company decision makers do not know what they are looking for, they could easily be missing out on an optimal solution. This is where a third party logistics company can help walk any businesses through the process of setting up and maintaining a healthy supply chain.