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Services include:

  • Business to business customer research
  • Customer segmentation
  • Supplier research
  • Customer and demand pattern analysis
  • Strategic partnering analysis & support
  • Cost-to-serve analysis
 

Supply Chain Research

Research and analysis to understand more about how customers  and suppliers impact our supply chain and how we impact theirs.

The concept of ‘supply chain’ is well-supported in theory, but in reality most decisions are made within the context of our own business walls.

How often do we make decisions without taking account of the downstream (customer) or upstream (supplier)  factors?

We conduct  qualitative and quantitative research and analysis on extended supply chain issues. With strong links to the academic community, and a long history of using research to support supply chain consulting, our research is rigorous and references the latest studies  - but is also designed to give clear practical outcomes which address specific issues.

Supply Chain Research – typical questions:

Demand Patterns – what are the underlying patterns of demand across the business? What is driving these patterns? What are the implications of these for how we design and manage the supply chain?

( E.g. How much true volatility exists? Is it productive? Can it be separated from our ‘base-load’  business?)

Customer Buying Behaviour – why do customers buy/order as they do? Does our operation service their underlying needs adequately? If not what are they key gaps?

Stockholding in the supply chain – how much stock is held at each stage in the chain? What drives our customer’s stock levels? What on-shelf availability/customer in-stock levels does our current inventory policy translate into? What is the sales impact of out-of-stocks?

Supplier Profiling – what are they key drivers and constraints in our supplier’s businesses? Why are they performing to the level they are? What is their capacity for growth/change? How significant are we as a customer? Which suppliers have spare capacity? What level and types of risk do our suppliers  represent?

Major Customer/Supplier ‘Fit’ – how well do our two supply chains fit together? Is it optimal overall? Where should we hold stock for best overall effect? How can we work together in a more co-ordinated way?

 

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