Areas of Excellence

Jim Tompkins, CEO of supply chain consulting firm Tompkins Associates, outlines what he considers the seven most important criteria of top-performing supply chains. He says top performers:

1. "Have as their foundation a clear supply chain strategy, which has evolved from an in-depth understanding of the organization's business strategy.
2. Understand the need for adaptability and speed, and are able to accommodate today's dynamic environment.
3. Have transparency, clarity of performance expectations and accountability for achieving great customer satisfaction.
4. Strive for peak-to-peak performance. They focus on continuous improvement across the supply chain.
5. Understand their strengths and their weaknesses. They are active in benchmarking and best practices and have clearly defined and communicated key performance indicators (KPIs).
6. Have a true end-to-end perspective, fully considering Plan-Buy-Make-Move-Store-Sell.
7. Have eliminated regional boundaries and have integrated their global resources to address their global supply chain."

See Also

• Building A Better Supply Chain