2011 Predictions for Manufacturing

Today's marketplace is becoming increasingly dynamic and volatile. As consumers become more sophisticated, they demand the right product at the right time, at the right price, and at the right place. Whereas quality was the competitive weapon of the 80s, customer responsiveness, or time-to-market is the differentiator today.

In many industries, hyper-competition is forcing many enterprises to fundamentally change the way business is conducted in order to survive. Given these challenges, traditional paradigms for business management are ineffective.

Single Value Chain Planning

Supply chain management success today is defined by the speed and effectiveness of responding to constant and unforeseen changes. With globalization of sourcing and manufacturing, shifting resources, facilities and inventories across the world, more and more companies are relying on effective supply chain planning to truly synchronize supply, based upon actual and forecasted demand. The Single value chain planning will make the entire process more responsive thereby enabling companies to perform simultaneous material and capacity planning across multiple distribution and manufacturing facilities and time horizons. This integrates information, materials, labor, facilities, logistics, etc. into a time-responsive, capacity-managed solution that maximizes financial resources and minimizes waste.

Manufacturing companies have also begun cross-selling and up-selling to the same customers and to enable this they are restructuring their supply chains. In other words, efficient and effective value chain management optimizes value for the customers' customer.

Innovating for Non-Rraditional Markets

With globalization of supply and more customer-specific fulfillment mandates, the need for supply chain technology is not abating. Pressure to innovate and introduce new & exciting products at shortest possible lead time to retain existing customer base and attract new customers is building up.

Advertisement Valentine Day Shopping, Jewellery and Clothes of First Ladies,  Lifestyle of the First Ladies,  Save 50.0% on select products from VANLAMS with promo code 50EAYVTV, through 1/31 while supplies last.

Emerging growth markets do not accept shredded versions of existing products. They want the same value at a lower price point; so as a result, there's quite a lot of innovation. During the worst global recession in decades, manufacturers focused on cost cutting, retaining customers, and operating a lean supply chain. As economies recover, future market leaders are making bold strategic moves to gain share.

Supply chain organizations are under intense pressure to meet demands for greater customer intimacy; lower cost of goods sold, and increased global business processes. To succeed, these organizations are identifying that they need to change their supply chain technology footprints and as a result supply chain executives are seeking new capabilities and technology features for their next-generation supply chain solutions. Investments in the ability to speed development and create more targeted products and services will position individual manufacturing companies to fully capitalize on economic growth, improve margins, and fundamentally strengthen long-term competitive position.

Redefining Business: 'Manufacturing' Economy to a 'Service' Oriented Economy

Today many manufactured products contain a large "service" component. Aside from sheer size, the most crucial aspect of the service sector's ascendance is the thorough integration of services with virtually every other aspect of the present-day global economy. In all economies, the service sector by its very nature comprises a very heterogeneous set of activities.

There is an increasing interest in service business in manufacturing companies, a transition from products to services and integrated solutions. This gradual migration toward service offerings, a move sparked by products rapidly becoming commodities and by growth in the number of customer "touch points" over the lifetime of a manufactured product will be used for differentiating the total offerings & creating sustainable competitive advantages.

Advertisement Valentine Day Shopping, Jewellery and Clothes of First Ladies,  Lifestyle of the First Ladies,  Save 50.0% on select products from VANLAMS with promo code 50EAYVTV, through 1/31 while supplies last.