SCDigest editorial staff

Supply Chain Digest, Supply Chain Executive Insights, and The Logistics Institute at Georgia Tech announced today a new research effort on better understanding the integrated supply chain organization.

While many companies are moving towards an integrated supply chain function, just how many companies have done so, and how fast others are moving in this direction, is unclear. In fact, in the past few months a few notable companies, such as The Gap and HP, have actually broken up formerally integrated supply chain functions. (See story links below).

Borrowing in part from the defintion of supply chain management from the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, the research project defines an integrated supply chain organization as one that has full responsibility across the corporation (including different divisions, business units and geographies) for the planning and management of all activities involved in end-to-end supply chain processes, including direct sourcing and procurement, conversion/manufacturing, and all logistics management activities.

The research is undertaken to support an upcoming session of Georgia Tech's Supply Chain Executive Forum, coordinated by Dr. John Langley, which will focus on this topic and include a number of outstanding speakers.

The research project will be based in part on data from a short survey. There are just a handful of easy questions regarding the structure within the corporation of a company's supply chain organization(s), and challenges in getting to an integrated approach. They can be accessed over the web at the following link:

Integrated Supply Chain Survey

All results are strictly confidential, and will be summarized in aggregate form only. All respondents will receive a copy of the research report and survey results.

Individuals who would like a paper-based survey or have other questions can email scdigest editor Dan Gilmore at dgilmore@scdigest.com.

Deadline for survey responses is October 31, 2006.

Related Stories

HP Unwinds Central Supply Chain Function

The Gap Splits Its Supply Chain Function, as Chief Supply Chain Officer Leaves the Company

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