supply chains are now complex due to demanding client requirements regarding quality, time,
and sustainability as the industrial and business world continuously undergoes tremendous changes and faces new difficulties.
Supply chain management
was coined in the early s, when transportation, distribution,
and materials management merged into a single term (Blanchard, 2021). It was conceived by
Keith Oliver,
a Booz Allen consultant, and first appeared in print in 1982. The book
Competitive Advantage, by Harvard professor Michael Porter, was published in 1985 and explained how a company might become more successful by carefully analyzing the five primary processes that makeup its supply chain. Inbound logistics This refers to the
actions involved in receiving, storing, and dispersing product inputs (material handling, warehousing, inventory control,
transportation scheduling,
and returns to suppliers. Operations This refers to the actions involved in changing raw materials into finished goods (machining, packaging, assembly, equipment maintenance, testing,
printing, and facility operations. Outbound logistics These are the actions involved in gathering, storing, and physically distributing commodities to customers (finished goods warehousing, material handling,
freight
delivery, order processing, and scheduling. Sales and marketing In the context of a supply chain, these activities entice and enable purchasers to acquire a product (advertising, promotions,
sales force, quoting, channel selection, channel relations, and pricing).
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5. Service This refers to the activities involved in providing service to improve or maintain the product's value (installation, repair, training,
parts supply, and product adjustment).
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