Supply chain management solutions are executed with military precision and ample organisation supported by unrivalled technology. But it was not always this way.
When Bruce Rockowitz, president of Li & Fung (Trading), started working in what was the equivalent of supply chain management back in the early 1980s, communication was by way of telex and one would have to get on a plane to physically transport a product sample. The normal delivery cycle back then took anywhere from seven to nine months.
'In the past 15 years, supply chain solutions have become a lot more complicated, but there are now also a greater number of solutions we can offer customers that address many more important components, including competitive pricing, quality, delivery and compliance,' Mr Rockowitz said.
Customers have also come to expect more from supply chain solutions, and look at the bigger picture rather than just price. There is now more of an ethical dimension.
'Buyers used to be focused on price and the end product, but now they care much more about the process of getting there and are concerned with what took place during production, such as whether child or prison labour was used. Did the factories pay overtime, was there proper lighting and air conditioning?
'Buyers care about those sorts of things because the consumer cares.'
