Supply Chain Management – Globalize IT!!!

With ever increasing technology the world is more likely becoming a global village and more and more companies are now venturing into markets spatially far away. No wonders a US-based supplier can supply goods for an Indian manufacturer. The system is becoming more complex with thousands of millions transactions, deals, pacts, orders and deliveries. This demands for a robust system that can take of these complexities.

The chains are now converting into grids with multi-directional flow. All these needs to be monitored closely and continuously for the smooth functioning of the company. Technology comes handy here and helps us all the way to manage such daunting tasks with consummate ease. Not just that they help us manage this, technology also helps us learn from our previous experience and prepares us for any future. With the cost of technical services coming down this is becoming easier for small scale industries as well to employ techniques in their day to day business and manage their company more efficiently. Major IT industries today are offering such kind of services to companies ranging from small scale md-sized companies to multi-national players.

Having emphasized about the need of technology to manage the business efficiently we shall look into what are the techniques that are being used in day to day business world to achieve the sustainability in the global market.

Data Mining: Data mining processes focus on extraction of information from data sets, to discover patterns and convert them into more understandable format. This comprise of various processes like database management, artificial intelligence, machine learning and statistical methods. Companies from their database can better examine their functioning, strengths and weakness and get geared up for the challenges upfront. Machines employed to help in manufacturing, inventory management can be trained to learn from their functioning and improve their performance. Statistical analysis can reveal the pattern of business, future requirements and other relevant information upfront to a company.

Data Flow: Today it is easy to communicate with people over the globe and pass information. With visual and audio communication suppliers can actually provide the real time information to the procurers much faster and completing the whole process of order placement, quality check and delivery of the products.

ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning): One of the major advances in the field of businesses and supply chain management was the on-set of ERP techniques. ERP is a not a single tool but is suit of techniques to help assist the companies with their planning, procurement, production, delivery, cash and payments. It maintains a communication flow between the different sections of a business and outside stakeholders as well. Its ability to work on varied hardware and network platforms makes it really handy to use for front office and back office tasks.

Cloud Computing: Cloud computing is becoming more and more famous with every passing day given the varied nature of tasks that it can perform, its robustness and cost involved. Many software giants like Google, Microsoft and others are providing services. The technique can work like a virtual server connecting various computers, running and sharing software and functionalities. These servers since virtual in nature can be scaled up, down, moved and migrated with amazing ease. “On the Cloud” is the buzzword.

With more numbers of companies bringing these techniques into use the world is going to witness further advances and refinement in the supplier, manufacturer, consumers and service providers.

Reference: Information on public domain on internet.