While supply chain executives in the U.S. and Europe manage their supply chains internally, executives in Asia are outsourcing these functions, according to a survey conducted by Harris Interactive for UPS.
At a symposium co-sponsored by UPS, called Longitudes '05, held in Shanghai, on Oct. 24, Asian supply chain executives spoke about their supply chain practices. While 29% of the Asian executives had moved "very extensively" or "completely" to outsourcing, only 11% of the U.S executives placed themselves in that category. Additionally, 27% of the U.S. and European business leaders said their outsourcing was "not extensive at all."
When asked about the number one supply chain objective, 7% of the U.S. and European executives said it was to "improve working capital." Not a single Asian executive surveyed saw that as their number one objective. Instead 23% of the Asian executives wanted to "improve product cost" while only 7% of the U.S. and European executives ranked this objective as high.
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