The Customer-Centric Supply Chain

Most of today’s supply chain managers were trained to do two things: Fight fires and cut costs. But when your whole focus is on cost cutting and efficiency, it’s easy to lose sight of the reasons supply chains exist in the first place: To enable a business strategy and serve the customer.

As research conducted by Michigan State professor Steven A. Melnyk and his colleagues reveals: It’s time to tear down the wall between the customer and the supply chain and align supply chain capabilities with customers’ expectations.

In this episode of Talking Supply Chain, Melnyk explains why supply chain managers need to put the customer at the center of their fulfillment strategies as well as the capabilities need to make the switch from a cost-focused supply chain to a customer-centric supply chain.

Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts.

Read the article on this topic co-authored by Steven A. Melnyk on SCMR.com.

This is our third episode in our supply chain of the future series. You can listen to the first two episode by clicking on the links below:

• The Lure Of Preferential Treatment
• Let’s Get Strategic