Essay on Offer Chain Management: Crown Paints Executive summary

For businesses to compete globally, they need to progressively interact in offer chain management procedures to have productive provide chains, or networks. From the competitive world ecosystem, performance just isn’t exclusively determined by the steps and selections which arise within just a company because the execution of all members involved contributes to the total final results of the provide chain. Likewise, Kristal et al. (2010, p.428) claims that competitiveness has adjusted from concerning enterprises to in between provide chains. Globally, businesses recognize how provide chain management might be helpful to them if properly utilized (Dubois & Frederickson 2008, p.171), especially when companies face challenges of mitigating risks and disruptions in the offer chain. Therefore, there is need for the companies to manage corporations and the relationships with other companies in similar offer (Cassivi 2006, p.251).This paper shows the significant correlation concerning the operational effectiveness of Crown Paints and SCM techniques. The purpose of this paper is to outline the importance and benefits, Crown Paints can achieve through source chain integration. These benefits are primarily during the area of achieving superior customer service and operating with lower working capital. The report analyzes the impact of adopted SCM techniques by Crown paints on their operational efficiency and then to suggest measures and recommendations to improve the efficiency through SCM techniques. To identify and suggest the strategies for filling the gaps among various agreed but not adopted SCM practices while in the paint industry assess the impact of supply chain manufacturing on operational performance Introduction A company’s success depends on the availability chain strategies which are in place. It enables the organization to re align their provide chains by providing functioning solutions for company needs in supply and demand planning, forecasting, sourcing & procurement, source chain execution and enterprise asset administration. Within the recent times, companies are a part of at least one supply chain. They have to perform equally well, in order to achieve better effectiveness (Walker et al. 2008, p.75).This requires the elimination of many techniques across departments and applications (Steinle & Schiele 2008, p.12). Offer chain is the flow of information, material and fund through a manufacturing company, to the customer from the supplier. Within the past, the flow of material is procedures at the operational leve but it is of essence for businesses to manage their offer chains in order to improve customer service, achieve a balance among costs and services and thereby give the company a competitive advantage (Luo et al. 2009, p.250). Managers are called upon to work to integrate the availability chain by ensuring that all the functions and activities associated from the chain are working harmoniously together. The provision chain management process brings together suppliers, distributors and customers into one cohesive process. All the stakeholders are included in a constant but dynamic flow of information, products and funds. SCM has also become known because the source network or the provision web because they show how each unit interacts with the others (Johnsen 2009, p.192). The suppliers and distributors partner for the betterment of both corporations. Productive administration is to be adhered to while maintaining quality and customer satisfaction while keeping the costs down (Ghijsen et al. 2010, p.25). The key aspect of SCM is the helpful administration of product and information flow. Organisational an operation objectives Crown Paints Background Crown Paints has been in existence for more than 200 years. It is the holder in the Royal warranty as a manufacturer of paints by appointment to Her Majesty the queen. Crown manufactures and supplies paints to customers in the United Kingdom and internationally. It provides wood protection paints; treatment and care products for interior, exterior, garden woodwork, wood floor and fence stain varnishing products as well as decorative and protective coatings. It also offers wood fillers, preservative pre-treatment, translucent and opaque timber protection, landscape and garden, and interior timbers and flooring paints. Crown Paints is owned by Hempen, a leader during the production and sales of protective coatings in just the decorative, protective, marine, container and yacht market segments. The company was founded in 1811 and is based in Darwen, United Kingdom. Crown Paints operates as a subsidiary of Hempel A/S. It has more than 1300 employees, with manufacturing sites in Hull and Darwen, and distribution sites in Hull, Darwen and Dublin, operating to an ISO 9001 accredited quality administration system. The company has a network of 133 Crown Decorating Centers throughout the UK and Ireland. Crown Paints serves every sector of your decorative coatings market, promoting its market-leading paint and wood care brands – Crown Paints, Crown Trade, Sandtex, Sandtex Trade Sadolin, Macpherson and Berger – to consumer and professional audiences, as well as key export markets. Crown Paints is committed to delivering its sustainability targets and its work in this field has been recognized at several regional and national awards. The company is also able to measure the carbon footprint of all of its products and has met its targets of achieving zero waste to landfill. Costs Administration Offer chains can’t keep pace with cost volatility. It is the responsibility on the companies to contain business costs far ahead of enterprise growth and product/service innovation. Company programs should intensify its focus on cost control as is evidenced in their activities and programs (Dubois & Fredriksson 2008, p.175). However, the methodical, continuous improvement process has turned frenetic. Companies find themselves reacting to whatever the cost issue in the day happens to be (Tassabehji & Moorhouse, A., 2008, p.62). Rising fuel prices makes the companies to reevaluate distribution strategies as well as engage third-party logistics providers more extensively. Leading offer chains are focused on flexibility and the same is expected when it comes to costs administration (Large & Konig 2009, p.28). They therefore move quickly towards successful supply chains which allow rapid response to changing market conditions and variable cost structures that ramp up and down with revenues. There is a need for strictness in cost discipline throughout the process of source chain administration. so as to ensure that the initial estimate, the projectedamount and the final amount with the process should be related. The total expenditure should be kept inside the range on the approximated cost during the initial design phase. This is guided by a cost reference in between the estimated and the planned cost, evaluation of cost checks and how remedial action is to be adopted where necessary.Accordingly, cost control can be achieved by selecting the right man for the right job, the right equipment and tools for the right work and the right quality of materials, within the right quantity, from the right source, at the right price and delivered at the right time. Managers are expected to be well equipped to execute the process, with due consideration for the quality of work, yet inside the estimated cost and limits. Flexibility is key for cost volatility. However, visibility is viewed as a great challenge to flexibility in the administration of cost even when information is abundant and connectivity is more feasible than ever.This is because regardless of availability of more information, less is being effectively captured, analyzed and managed to be availed to people who need it (Ramsay & Wagner 2009, p.132.Therefore, companies are more focused www.papernow.org  on strategy alignment, cost reduction and continuous process improvement (Costantino &Pellegrino 2010, p.35 Provide Chain Management Concepts The concept of SCM is considered from purchasing and provide management, logistics and transportation, operations management, marketing, organizational theory, management information systems. Its focus is the integration of three functions of an organization. These functions include;supplier relationship management, internal supply chain management and customer relationship management with a view of managing the smooth flow of information, product, and funds among the supply chain partners and finally delivering value to your customers. As per the definition of (Moses & Ahlstrom 2008, p.95), the supply chain includes every effort that is associated within the production and delivering a final product from the supplier for the customer. Cassivi (2006, p251) described the primary goal of SCM is to effectively manage the flow of materials and information from offer sources to their final destination. SCM is also described since the administration of raw materials, in- process materials and finished-goods inventories from the point of origin to your point of consumption and the planning and control of materials and information from suppliers to end customers. Defee & Fugate (2010, p.185) defined SCM since the strategic coordination of business functions inside of an organisation and across businesses in the provision chain for the purposes of improving the long-term effectiveness of companies and the provision chain as a whole. According to Kristal et al. (2010, p.420), provide chain administration involves the management of the interface relationships among key stakeholders and enterprise functions which manifest in value maximization which is customer driven for needs satisfaction and facilitated by efficient logistics management. Kuei (2001, p.867) defined supply chain administration as the works to bring the supplier, the distributor and the customer into one cohesive process (Mehra & Inman 2004, p.715). Since offer chain administration is consumer-driven, it is important that requirements are met quickly and accurately with minimal defects as possible. The essence of SCM is the intergration and co-ordination of different processes throughout the provision chain (Lee & Kwon 2007, p.448). From the perpective with the purchasing and source management, SCM is synonymous with rationalizing the provision base and integration of suppliers into product development and manufacturing activities (Malek et al. 2005, p.323).Because supply chains extended across several functions in businesses, each has its own goals and priorities. Threats from levels of competition and the decline in markets have forced the provision chain management to change accordingly. Inside the past, supply chain management meant that suppliers were selected based on the prices which led to effects that deter companies from competing in world markets (Stavrulaki & Davis 2010, p. 130).Suppliers were pitted against each other so as to obtain the lowest price and buyers believed that their position was enhanced by having a large number of competing suppliers. Inside the recent timens, internet-based technologies have led companies to have immediate bene?ts of low cost international suppliers outweighing the long-term bene?ts of investing in relationships. During the past, supplier development methods were perceived as uneconomical, exempli?ed by the existence of large supplier bases and arms-length relationships (Tracey 2005,p. 185). In an effective offer chain network, associates maintain and sustain a customer driven culture, offering the right product inside the right place, at the right time and at the right price (Kristal et al. 2010, p.424). Although the final producer may be blamed by customers, they are often part of a bigger problem related to how the supply chain is managed. Maximum efficiencies, logistics and product distribution are the key in offer chain management especially in an economy where provide chains and not companies, battle one another, how a supply chain performs determines who will win the battle (Defee & Fugate 2010, p.182). Strategies for Competitive Advantage For the organization to achieve maximum competitive advantage through the availability chain, the supply chain will have to perform at its best or anything it has gained will be short-lived. Yet, many companies are not aware of how their provide chains perform and what source chain they are in. Competitive advantage is the extent to which an organization is able to create a defensible position over its competitors (Chen & Yang 2002, p.62).This comprises the capabilities which allow an organization to differentiate itself from its competitors and it outcomes from critical administration decisions. The aggressive capabilities that an organization is bound to obtain is cost identification, quality, delivery and flexibility.Therefore, various functions with the organization have to work together to maximize its individual functions to gain aggressive advantage. The goal of individual departments is to be the best department in the company (Cassivi 2006, p.256). Organizational effectiveness is greatly achieved if each organizational element attempts to function well on its own. Each division/department should attempt to apply its own strategy for applications used. If an organization is to possess source chain excellence, it ought to assess itself, shape and eliminate and any existing boundaries in between departments for continuous improvement (Moses & Ahlstrom 2008, p.89). The collaboration of a Provide chain works better if the links between source chain partners are performing to the best. If a company s internally helpful, it is bound to be effective in its offer chain (Ramsay & Wagner 2009, p.136). Therefore, of importance is for an organization to have productive operations internally if it is going to benefit from SCM. Supply chain excellence requires that all links work together as they work better when they were share information. Visibility is used because the groundwork for information sharing as it minimizes offer chain surprises since it provides the information links need to fully grasp each source chain processes. Another strategy is that cross-functional teams from the provide chain should be empowered to establish lowest-total-cost sourcing and logistics strategies (Large & Konig 2009, p.25). The efficiency and effectiveness of these processes are quickly becoming the differentiators in industry-competition. Supply chain integrates core business and customer needs with best-in-class provide base capabilities. Provide chain management helps companies routinely achieve double-digit cost reductions and drives profitability upwards. In fact, profits increase when offer chain costs are reduced by double digits. The mission and philosophy of a company is defined by creative and innovative strategies (Walker et al. 2008, p.84). Goals, effectiveness and expectations measures should be established for strategic sourcing and logistics which are customer oriented. Competitive, coordinated initiatives and enablers build distinctive competencies that competitors cannot easily duplicate. Another strategy is to integrate user expectations, commercial requirements and the flow of purchased materials and services in a well practiced supply chain. This allows the establishment of a lowest-total-cost life cycle relationship with the provision base (Steinle & Schiele 2008, p.8). The intergrated provide chain competes at the customer end item level,provides customers with better value. It also rewards shareholders through enhancement of profitability and provision of better returns. Companies should understand that an integrated source chain solution provides a sustainable competitive advantage for today’s and tomorrow’s, changing business setting. Companies should therefore prioritize and focus on the best provide chain opportunities for cost reduction, process improvement and profitability enhancement in the shortest amount of time (Johnsen 2009, p. 188). Company Analysis The data collected was based on the perceptions in the company’s employees and therefore the different perceptions from the employees provide the knowledge of how source chain administration tactics is applicable in businesses. Respondents may have been reluctant to express poor general performance on the attributes pertaining to their or respective departments functioning. Questionnaire has been used for survey while in the present study. The people who responded may not have given the true feelings for fear that their identity may have not been hiden . Secondary data was collected through research reports and website of Crown paints company. Various Libraries and online journal web sites have been widely consulted.. Primary data was collected through questionnaire for Crown Paints Company. Interviews were conducted to comprehend the importance of SCM in performance improvement. Interviews with managers and executives were carried out to comprehend the difference in opinions observed in responses to various questions. The questionnaire was ‘self-administered’ into the respondents Results and Findings According into the data obtained the cost management alongside supply managers impact inside the regulations of foreseeing maximizing with the company’s profits in relation with the expenses, that is the cost of production in terms of minimizing the resources cost, provide cost that is the transport among other provide costs. The other part of data collected was that of impact of SCM in relations to functionality of employees and level of reliability in the organizations’ system of work, the following is what was obtained that of split-half technique for reliability check of used scales. Cronbach’s alpha value for part 1 and part 2, during the questionnaire was 0.990 and 0.975,Guttman-split coefficient value was .895. Correlation involving forms was .910. The values were more than 0.6, showing high correlation between two halves, indicating scale is having high reliability. This showed that SCM greatly affected the effectiveness in the employees given that the organisastion is able to obtain aggressive advantage in order to retain and sustain in such high aggressive business ecosystem. Therefore supply chain management plays an important role in improving operational general performance and achieving aggressive advantage. Through offer chain management techniques Crown paints is able to minimize their system wide costs and also provide maximum value to their customers. Crown is therefore called to strategize and manage the supply chain procedures so that the company may improve their operational overall performance and achieve competitive advantage in highly aggressive paint market. Recommendations SCM is important and therefore it should be properly implemented because, improving offer chain administration ensures success in functionality during the world markets. Companies are faced with challenges in coming up with ways to meet a customer’s expectations at a manageable cost. Therefore businesses should be able to identify the uncompetitive processes of your offer chain and implement necessary improvements. The use on the Offer chain operation reference model will better the customer-supplier relationship; therefore software systems will support associates by use of common measurements and conditions. SCM helps in consideration of selections that will impact suppliers and customers and also improve on productivity. Offer should therefore be lengthened globally due to increase in levels of competition and powerful management of goods and services. As the concept of SCM is complex and involves a network of companies in the effort of producing and delivering a final product, its entire domain cannot be covered in just one study. Future research can expand the domain of SCM practice by considering additional dimensions such as geographical proximity, cross-functional coordination, logistics integration, green techniques and agreed source chain leadership, which have been ignored from this study. The future study can also test the relationships/dependencies among twelve dimensions of SCM procedures. It will also be of interest to use the respondents from pairs of paint businesses at two ends of provide chains. By comparing different view of SCM practices from paint corporations across the supply chain, it is possible to identify the strength and weakness on the offer chain and also the best common SCM practice across the supply chain. It will also be interesting to examine the impact of provide chain structure (offer chain length, organization’s position from the offer chain, channel structure, and so on) on SCM practice and competitive advantage. In order to achieve all the objectives, the company should have a separate source chain management department in order to manage all the activities of source chain. It should also implement ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to align business objective with latest technology solutions and for optimum utilization of organization’s resources and assets. Crown Paints should implement different strategies for different suppliers of product and service as well as minimize the cost through increased centralization because economies of scale can be achieved with larger storage cycles to a certain level. The company should also consider outsourcing their logistic activities through 3PLs which includes activities apart from transportation, warehousing and custom clearance a whole range of other activities such as freight bill payment, auditing, contract manufacturing and assembly operations, packaging and labeling etc. Their distribution should take the form of high demand products to high demand retail outlets may be shipped directly, whereas low-demand products or shipments to low demand retail outlets are consolidated to and from the distribution center. The company should also provide a platform to receive complains & feedback from customers. Crown Paints need to develop their own website for receiving the customer complaints and feedback and providing all information required by customers. The company should also undertake to create its own blog spots, Face book and MySpace pages and Twitter accounts in addition to monitoring customers’ complains and feedback.

Conclusion

Basically, the world is one big supply chain. Supply chain administration touches major issues, including the rapid worldwide expansion and sourcing; fluctuating gas prices and environmental concerns, each of these issues dramatically affects corporate strategy and bottom line. Because of these emerging trends, supply chain administration is the most critical business discipline from the world today. Clearly, the impact that SCM has on business is significant and exponential. Two of your main ways SCM affects business include: opportunities, money and Customer Service; SCM impacts customer service by making sure the right product assortment and quantity are delivered in a timely fashion. Due into the wide scope of SCM, it is forced to address complex interdependencies in order to create extended enterprises that are capable of reaching beyond the doors of your factory. Service and material suppliers, customers and channel offer partners are all key players in provide chain management. Studies in benchmarking have shown differences in significant cost in different companies showing class and average performances. The use with the Provide chain operation reference model should be adopted as it will better the customer-supplier relationship; therefore software systems should support users by use of common measurements and conditions Offer chain managers are to be valued in an organization because they decrease the use of large fixed assets such as plants, warehouses and transportation vehicles during the source chain. Also, cash flow is increased because if delivery of your product can be expedited, profits will also be received quickly. Provide chain management helps streamline everything from day-to-day product flows to unexpected natural disasters. With the tools and techniques that SCM offers, the companies will have the ability to properly diagnose problems, work around disruptions and determine how to efficiently move products to those in a crisis situation. Therefore Crown paints should endeavor to implement the proposed recommendations for it to fully reap benefits of a successful provide chain administration.