Supply Chain in Manufacturing
Supply chain in manufacturing involves the movement and production of raw materials as they transition to finished goods. There are many steps to manage from point A through finished product; collectively this process is referred to as supply chain management.
The beginning of the supply chain starts with the provider of raw goods. Manufacturers need raw materials in the form of ingredients or parts to build a finished product. There can be a multitude of stages before a raw material is ready for shipment to the manufacturer including farming, sorting, grinding, packaging, heating, cooling, etc. specific to the type of material.
Sourcing from suppliers marks the beginning of the supply chain management process. While each supplier and manufacturer will go about their workflow stages specific to their industry, each will include sourcing, planning, manufacturing, delivering and return processing. The process of supply chain management is more efficient with software tailored to manage stages, inventory, labor and costs. And manufacturing operations will run more smoothly when the entire process is visible before you from an angle you need to examine.
SOS Inventory can track your supply chain as a location. You may supply goods to a vendor who then manufactures and returns items to you for further processing. SOS allows you to track the entire journey, including costs and labor incurred along the way.
Manufacturing Supply Chain Management
When the manufacturer generates a purchase order to the supplier, the supplier then goes through their fulfillment processes to ship an order. The manufacturer must plan order size and frequency around the lead time from the supplier.
The manufacturer must also manage all the stages from the time materials arrive at their delivery door through delivery to customers. If the product comes with a warranty and will be serviced, then tracking extends beyond the sale using serial number tracking to log the activities of every single item.
The manufacturer must have enough supply on hand to last throughout the lead time so not to run short while waiting. This is just one of many important factors in effective inventory management.
SOS Inventory is an important tool for managing all the stages of manufacturing and supply chain management, logging activity, quantities and costs at each and every workflow step.
SOS Inventory will unify your supply chain, manufacturing, fulfillment, sales, and finances for complete end to end control. Whether managing inventory at various warehouses, on your production floor or out for shipment, our tracking and tracing features make it easy to see where products are so you can provide swift responses to inquiring customers about their orders.
Given the challenges many businesses are facing with supply chain disruption, it’s even more vital now to shore up issues along your supply chain to mitigate problems as they arise. By sharing data across your business, everyone knows exactly where the business stands and can work together towards solutions. SOS’s extensive reporting features allow you to perform in-depth analysis to evaluate new situations as they arise. If your team wants to enact lean manufacturing supply chain practices, the data will provide a starting point for reducing waste where it occurs.
A supply chain in manufacturing is only as strong as system that ties it all together. Even small businesses can harness the advanced inventory features enjoyed by larger companies using SOS Inventory software.
