The Supply Chain: From Raw Materials to Order Fulfillment - Essay Example

Web Activity 2 Consumer satisfaction these days is extremely important for firms and businesses. Supply chain is the group of people, activities, technology and processes which allow the product to reach the customer from the supplier. Supply chain involves important processes like manufacturing and distribution. This is because it is actually the steps which firms take from the raw materials to the end product and then its distribution.Firms always aim to keep their costs minimum and create an efficient supply chain.

This is known as supply chain management. It has five major stages: plan, develop, make, deliver and return. It is through these processes that the supply chain gets completed and helps to meet the demand of the consumer. When managed properly these stages help the firm to minimize costs and maximize profits.Firms like United Price Service (UPS) and FedEx are a very important part of the supply scale. They are a vital component in the distribution of products and services of a firm and help to contribute to supply chain improvements.

Supply chain improvement is required for the better functioning of the firm as it helps them to stabilize their costs and satisfy their consumers. Some important areas in the supply chain improvement are: process, measurement, information management and technology (http://www.intercai.co.uk/library/pdf/supply_chain.pdf). For this the factors important are the velocity by which the supply chain functions to transport the end product to the consumers. Also what is important is that the product reaching the consumer is correct and meets the customer’s needs on time.

UPS, which has been in existence since 1907, is one of the largest package delivery firms in the world with regular access to around 200 countries in the world. Similarly FedEx is another huge distributor business and again one of the leading firms in the business. Such transporting businesses not only play an important role in package delivery for people, but they also act as a medium of delivery for huge firms which use such transportation companies to deliver their products to customers anywhere with maximum speed.

This is an extremely vital component in the supply chain of any firm which wishes to maximize its access areas and profits.These firms also provide many IT services to both the firms and the consumers. One of the major services is transportation. Any person anywhere in the world can buy products of any multinational company; like laptops, printers, cell phones, etc. and have them delivered at his/her destination. Apart from this they can also track these products as they travel through the distribution line.

These websites not only help these customers but also help suppliers/producers to increase their sales as they can access anywhere around the world. If a firm does not have the necessary capital to carry out distribution and transportation throughout the world they can hire the services of firms like UPS and FedEx. Such firms also act as freights for cargo for firms. It is also a mean by which documents, letters and applications are delivered on time.Therefore, such firms are an important link to the supply chain improvement as they help to speed up the processes of transportation with their services.

Works Citedhttp://www.intercai.co.uk/library/pdf/supply_chain.pdf