Harvard-UPS symposium cites supply chain remedies

Harvard-UPS symposium cites supply chain remedies    U.S. business executives participating in a recent survey said the problem of inefficient corporate supply chains can be solved by synchronizing vendors, customers and suppliers.
   Companies cannot improve their operations by trying to improve individual pieces of the process, the executives said.
   The survey was conducted last week by Wirthlin Worldwide among executives attending a symposium in New York sponsored by the Harvard Business School and UPS.
   In describing their supply chains, the executives said their largest problems were accurately forecasting demand, blurred lines of responsibility, and incomplete information about inventory levels, UPS reported.
   The biggest headaches were identified as “internal silos” (38 percent), “technology” (28 percent), and “collaboration with suppliers and partners” (25 percent).
   Asked to identify “the next frontier of supply chain improvements,” 38 percent of the executives cited “collaborative practices” with vendors and suppliers.
   Despite awareness of what needs to be done to tighten supply chains, 57 percent of the executives said their “corporate strategy and operating plans are not very well integrated.” Only 2 percent said they were “very integrated” today.