Supply Chain Management — Methods

Managing a supply chain requires a pragmatic approach. Trying to shape the various elements can become a never-ending struggle – like squeezing a round balloon into a square container.

Our approach differs because we address issues of product/services, demand management, operations, supplier integration, customer integration, and support mechanisms in an integrated way. This holistic approach results in dramatic, sustainable improvements in performance as well as organization climate.

Leadership Team Assessment SM
An evaluation tool for senior management that helps them benchmark existing practices against an ideal supply chain, the assessment helps build a consensus of the company’s current reality; reveals any inconsistencies between corporate objectives and current practices; and forges a shared vision of what needs to be done to move the organization forward. The assessment process provides insights into the challenges involved in creating a world-class supply chain and helps management teams prioritize their actions in order to realize global operational improvements.

An international leader in automotive paint supplies improved customer responsiveness, and reduced inventories and overhead costs by decreasing the number of paint families from 400 to 20. Reformulating product resulted in more flexibility and reductions in raw material and production costs.

Operations Opportunity Assessment SM
A guide for identifying improvement opportunities in supply chains, this tool quantifies improvements a company should expect in service levels and operating costs. It details an in-depth approach to assessing opportunities, proposes performance measures, and identifies the most useful factors in choosing elements of the supply chain to start with.

A hospital products company now generates over $1.2 million in operating savings at one manufacturing location. By reducing set-up times by 75% and improving production yields by 50%, they now effectively operate as a member of a European supply chain. Capacity utilization has gone up 30% and overall lead-times decreased dramatically.

Process Redesign — Methods

At Rath & Strong, we believe process and operations improvement are linked to a company's politics and culture. That's why we address issues of culture and customer focus simultaneously. The result is work that ensures responsiveness to customers, maximum efficiency and continuous improvement.

Supply Chain Management – designing cross-functional processes and creating customer and supplier partnerships for mutual advantage such as lower total inventories, shorter delivery lead times, reduced quality costs, and greater service value to the marketplace. Also produces inter-company supply chain improvements.

Breakthrough Process Redesign – our proven approach results in breakthrough improvement on key processes, cross-functional and interdepartmental teamwork, employee involvement at all levels, a continuous improvement mindset, and skill transfer for self-sustaining improvement. Typically, we can reduce time spent on any key process by at least 75%.