Retail : la nouvelle fonction stratégique de la supply chain
Retailers are living a very competitive period with the rapid development of e-commerce, home delivery and pure players. Whether they are part of those who have chosen to operate a full digital transformation, or whether they are on the side of web companies, they must both focus their efforts on the central element of their success in the face of omnichannel challenges: logistics, supply chain, and in general all the tools, means and people capable of establishing, predicting, anticipating, and managing the shipment of the right quantities, at the right time.
The supply chain has become the major stake in the success of retail companies, which are forced to digitalize in order to face the ubiquity of customers but also of products that are present on all kinds of channels. Thus, the merchandise must be available both in stores and on the Internet, knowing that one and the same product can be sold by different sites or platforms and with different delivery methods. This multi-channel system, in constant evolution and adaptation of sales and service policies, imposes a new management of stocks: locations and quantities.
The supply chain: key to industrial activity, mass distribution and services
A major function in the industrial sector, the supply chain is in charge of the supply and distribution of products while rationalizing the means used. Its objective is to strategically coordinate all the phases of a product's life, from its production to its marketing or use, in order to control its cost and make the company prosper.
The stages of the supply chain in the industry sector :
- orders to suppliers of raw materials ;
- reception of raw materials in the company and temporary storage;
- Launching of the manufacturing process;
- Storage of finished products in the warehouse;
- release for sale;
- order preparation;
- shipping and transportation;
- customer reception.
Each of these steps is part of the internal supply chain and is broken down into three main stages: sourcing, manufacturing and distribution.
In general, the supply chain determines and adapts, if necessary, an optimal operation by adopting a strategy based on the balance between the production and sales circuits, and/or between the incoming and outgoing flows. This role is essential for the smooth running of supermarkets, retailers par excellence, whose entire activity is based on the smooth flow of goods and the management of storage/sales balances.
It takes into account the entire product life chain in order to implement efficient and economical circuits in terms of both organization and human resources. It is based on three different flows:
- Incoming flows: supply and quality control, ordering, receiving, storage between stages, etc.
- Outgoing flows: product storage, packaging, shipping, sorting, etc.
- Information flows: order book, pre-orders, customer files, schedules, returns and after-sales service, etc.
Why choose a Master's degree in supply chain and purchasing?
The Master's level allows access to the most senior positions in the field of supply chain and permits to bear the exciting responsibilities of supply strategy and product circulation in general within all types of companies that are concerned.
Masters in Supply Chain and Logistics are offered in universities and especially in business schools. They are open to students with a degree in applied economics or management science, or students with a Bachelor's degree in the logistics sector.
The Paris School of Business offers a more advanced specialization than the majority of Masters programs by linking the supply chain specialization to purchasing, an essential combination for mastering the overall function thanks to an even more specialized cross-functional vision.
PSB's Purchasing and Supply Chain Master's degree enables its students to benefit from a high-level specialization through work-study. The dual skills it gives its graduates open up even broader professional horizons than a simple Supply Chain specialization by adding numerous assets such as the control of purchasing processes and strategies.
Discover the Msc in Purchaising and Supply Chain Management of Paris School of Business.
