Polymer supply chains are complex organisms. No one resource can possibly accommodate the variety of topics found under the banner of polymer supply chain. Therefore, this site expands on the issues solely related to planning, optimizing and monitoring the performance of polymer supply chains.
Myriad issues are involved in creating and maintaining optimal operating plans for a supply chain. We break these into two broad categories, strategic issues and tactical issues. The issues presented on the following pages describe key issues being addressed within organizations considering supply chain planning process improvements.
Select real-world improvement metrics are shared, many more are available through benchmarking programs. Several links and suggested next steps are presented to visitors looking for more information on how to construct a program for supply chain planning improvement within their organizations. We encourage you to contact outside organizations who have a track record of successfully designing and implementing supply chain improvement programs within polymer companies. Representative companies can be found on the Roadmap to Improved Planning page.
Strategic Planning Issues – Strategic, long-range planning issues are only possible when tactical operational data can be consolidated to support a clear picture of past, present and future performance. To address the unique challenges inherent in managing complex polymersupply chains, your organization must work collaboratively on these data to achieve fully-integrated planning, monitoring and response.
Tactical Planning Issues – Tactical planning issues are at the core of an organization’s overall supply chain performance. Planners, sales, marketing, production, procurement, distribution staff—all need the proper business processes and planning data to effectively execute day-to-day operations. Efficient, optimized polymer scheduling is key to supporting your tactical planning.
Industry Leaders – Achieving best-practices workflow and industry-leading performance in supply chain operations is no easy task. It requires a coordinated effort among all departments—operations, manufacturing, logistics, planning, sales and marketing, IT, management—to support the changes involved.
Roadmap to Improvement – While improving the supply chain, polymercompanies must consider both functional and cross-functional excellence. Functional excellence relates to continuous improvement in areas such as production and logistics; cross-functional excellence relates to linking performance management with supply and demand planning across the value chain.
