Making the Supply Chain Everyone's Business.pdf

It’s no secret that, in today’s global business environment, superior supply chain performance is essential to competitive advantage. According to research by PwC’s Performance Measurement Group (PMG), there’s a strong correlation between superior supply chain and superior financial performance. Specifically, companies with top-flight supply chains can realize 50% higher annual sales growth and 20% higher profitability than their competitors. That makes sense, given the supply chain’s role in driving breakthrough innovation, customer satisfaction and operational efficiencies.

To drive robust supply chain performance, many companies put one individual in charge, either a chief operations officer (COO) or a chief supply chain officer (CSCO). With the right leadership agenda these positions can make a major impact on performance. In some organizations, however, the appointment of a COO or CSCO may unintentionally lead other senior executives to view the supply chain as “somebody else’s problem.”

A supply chain consists of a vast range of activities and interactions that touch virtually all of a company’s functions, as well as those of suppliers and customers around the world. No executive—however skilled, innovative, or persuasive—can drive top supply chain performance singlehandedly.