Companies Need More Supply Chain Visibility and Control

Companies don’t have nearly enough control and visibility over their network-wide supply chain operations and metrics.  That’s the major conclusion of a recent survey by The Aberdeen Group. In its report, “Integrated Demand-Supply Networks: Five Steps to Gaining Visibility and Control,” 71 percent of the participants 126 companies surveyed in February and March of this year indicated there were at least two supply chain tiers between them and their customers. According to Aberdeen’s survey report, this fact, along with the complexities of a growing global market, are contributing to a lack of visibility and control for supply chain managers. The survey indicates respondents and their companies were broken down into three categories: Best-In-Class, Industry Average and Laggards. Among other survey results, Aberdeen said Best-In-Class companies are more likely to have decreased the frequency of out-of-stocks, international lead times, and finished goods inventory over the past year than Industry Average or Laggard companies.