波士顿供应链管理.pdf

Opportunities for Action in Industrial Goods Supply Chain Strategies for the Internet Era Supply Chain Strategies for the Internet Era Business-to-business e-commerce, Internet exchanges, e-supply-chain management: great claims have been made about the Internet’s ability to revolutionize sup- ply chains. Now that the Internet hype is abating, allowing reality to set in, what is actually happening? How much value is the Internet creating, if any? And how can your business benefit? Many companies are hoping for significant results. When The Boston Consulting Group recently sur- veyed 250 supply-chain executives and general man- agers at major U.S. corporations, more than half the respondents reported that they see the Internet as a way to “greatly improve” their supply-chain perfor- mance. On average, they expect to cut unit costs by 3 percent per year while enhancing revenues by 5 percent. Moreover, they anticipate achieving similar improvements annually over several years. In fact, a number of companies are already realizing gains of this magnitude. Some BCG clients are engaged in initiatives that are yielding benefits equal to 5 to 10 percent of total sales, with further gains still available. However, most companies have seen only limited benefits at best—and in many cases, these benefits will offer no competitive advantage. Too many companies are using the Internet just to make simple enhancements to their supply chains. For example, they are reducing materials costs through online procurement and streamlining customer ser- vice departments through online ordering. Although these changes do generally lower costs and please cus- tomers, competitors can quickly replicate them. Other companies, hoping for more lasting results, are making a different kind of mistake: they are piling one Internet project on top of another until they find themselves wrestling with an unmanageable range of initiatives. Many of these projects will