subject: Looking to increase efficiency? Hire a Supply Chain Consultant! [print this page] Looking to increase efficiency? Hire a Supply Chain Consultant!
Looking to increase efficiency in your supply chain? It's a challenge, because pressure of work and increased day-to-day responsibilities mean that key supply chain people do not realistically have time. It is necessary to stand back and work out what can be done to improve the efficiency of the business. You probably need to hire some help from a Supply Chain consultant!
What can a supply chain consultant do for your business?
Provide clarity by identifying weak points and non-productive steps in your current supply chain. A clean hands-on look at your systems and processes can deliver this by also working with your staff to assess the current situation.
Evaluate current business processes by assessing the status quo and the risks, issues and benefits against best practice. You can benefit from their knowledge and experience of various cost reduction technologies that you may not have been exposed to before.
They design specific solutions to identified problems with you, plan the changes together and thereby ensure a successful outcome. This is especially important when the changes are cross-functional. The use and application of project management skills and proven concepts can provide you with the assurance that the proposed improvements will improve business efficiency.
Train your key staff in new technologies and introduce best practice. Apply a skills transfer process to create self-sufficient staff.
Work with you throughout the implementation, manage the changes and resolve any issues as they arise until you are satisfied. This could include managing cultural and language issues when working with low-cost countries.
What to consider when selecting a supply chain consultant
Prepare a clear brief of the intended work and negotiate the fee which needs to be tied to the deliverables. Contract with the service provider to pay at intervals based on milestones achieved.
Get involved with the selection of the consultants that will work on your project to make sure that they have the knowledge, expertise and cultural fit.
Control the deliverables through a structured reporting mechanism which provides for remedial action.
Consider incentives and penalties for successful completion of the project. The consultant must document the financial savings achieved through cost reduction and process improvements and must explain how they will be sustained.
Some forward planning when engaging a supply chain consultant will pay off handsomely. Technology is moving fast and external support for implementing new systems and processes is almost mandatory. If you are looking to increase efficiency, hire a supply chain consultant.
