Unit 花洒十大名牌排名榜Fourteen Logistics Information Management
Part One Text
Supply Chain Information System
The importance of information in logistics management
Prior to the 1980s, a significant portion of the information flows between functional areas within an organization, and between logistics organizations, were paper-bad. However, the paper-bad transactions and communications were slow, unreliable and error prone. During this period, information was often overlooked as a critical competitive resource becau its value to logistics was not clearly understood. By 1980, most firms came to realize the vital importance of information and the technologies that make this information available.
By 1980, the information revolution was in full swing. Many standard business process and functions such as customer order processing, inventory management and purchasing
were altered through the u of computer technology1. Several well-known firms involved in logistics relationships owe much of their success to the notion of information sharing. The most remarkable examples are Procter & Gamble and Wal-Mart.
Now information is viewed as the key to successful supply chain management becau “no product flows until information flows” 2. Thus, the inventory manager needs direct access to the organization’s information system to properly administer materials flow into and within the organization. Accurate and timely information allows a firm to minimize inventories, improve routing and scheduling of transportation vehicles, and generally improve customer rvice levels. Since the supply chain has become the key opportunity to gain competitive advantage, nior management needs to constantly remind their organizations that an improved SCIS performance is a business issue, not a logistics or computer system issue.
Timely and accurate information has become very critical in logistics system design and operations. There are mainly the following four reasons. First, customers perceive inform
ation about order status, product availability, delivery tracking, and invoices as a necessary dimension of customer accommodation. Customers demand real-time information3.降雨量 Second, with the goal of reducing total supply chain asts, managers realize that information can be ud to reduce inventory and human resource requirements, In particular, requirements planning bad on current information can reduce inventory by minimizing demand uncertainty4. Third, information increas flexibility with regard to how, when and where resources may be utilized to gain strategic advantages5. Fourth, enhanced information transfer and exchange utilizing the Internet is facilitating collaboration and redefining supply chain relationships6.
Information system functionality
Supply chain information systems (SCIS) are the thread that links logistics activities into an integrated process笑着离开惠普7. The integration builds on four levels of functionality: ⑴ transaction system, ⑵ management control, ⑶ decision analysis, and ⑷ strategic planning. Figure 12.1 illustrates logistics activities and decisions at each level of informati
on functionality. As the pyramid shape suggests, management control, decision analysis, and strategic planning enhancements require a strong transaction system foundation.
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Figure 12.1
⑴Transaction system
Transaction system is the heart of SCIS, which initiates and records individual logistics activities8. Transaction system includes order entry, inventory assignment, order lection, shipping, pricing, and invoicing and customer inquiry夏季护肤9.餐桌上的故事作文 Transaction system is characterized by formalized rules, procedures, and standardized communications; a large volume of transactions and an operational, day-to-day focus恩格斯10. Throughout the process, the firm and customer expect real-time information to be available concerning order status.
⑵Management control
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This cond SCIS level, management control, focus on performance measurement and reporting. Performance measurement is necessary to provide feedback regarding supply chain performance and resource utilization11. While it is necessary that SCIS report historical system performance, it is also important that SCIS be able to identify operational exceptions as they are being procesd12. Exception information is uful to highlight potential customer or operational problems. For example, proactive SCIS should
be able to predict future inventory shortages bad on forecast requirements and planned inventory. Exception reporting should also identify potential transportation, warehou, or labor constraints. While some control measures, such as cost, are well-defined, other measures, such as rvice and quality, are less specific. For example, customer rvice can be measured internally, from the enterpri’s perspective, or externally, from the customer’s perspective. While internal measures are relatively easy to track, information concerning external measures is more difficult to obtain, since it involves the customer.
⑶Decision analysis
The third SCIS level, decision analysis, focus on software tools to assist managers in identifying, evaluating, and comparing strategic alternatives to improve effectiveness13.
Typical analysis includes supply chain design, inventory management, resource allocation, routing, cost-benefit analysis of operational tradeoffs and arrangements. It may include modeling and analysis tool, which can report a wide range of potential altern
atives. Unlike management control, decision analysis focud on evaluating future tactical alternatives, and it needs to be relatively unstructured and flexible to allow considerations of a wide range of options. The urs need relatively more experti to u it. Decision analysis emphasizes shifts from efficiency towards effectiveness. Decision analysis system may include decision support system (DSS), enterpri resource planning (ERP), artificial intelligence application, and simulation/modeling system.
