Supply Chain Management

While supply chains have existed for a long time, most organisations have paid little attention to them. Few businesses have understood or managed, the entire chain of activities that ultimately deliver products or services to the final customer. The result can be disjointed, and often ineffective supply chains can result in increased costs, inefficient practices, supply constraints, reduced quality, and longer lead times.

Organisations are beginning to recognise that more attention must be paid to developing lean and agile supply chains to support a new era of high-volume off-site production using state of the art manufacturing techniques in highly modern automated factories. The built environment industry needs to learn and apply lessons from other sectors, such as the aerospace, automotive and FMCG markets where supply chain management principles are embedded in day to day activities.