Connecting With The Bottom Line: A Global Study Of Supply Chain Leadership And Its Contribution To The High-Performance Business

According to Dell, the supply chain is "the biggest leverage point we have." At global clothing manufacturer/retailer Zara, "the supply chain is the business model." And international trading company Li & Fung opines that "customer value lies in our ability to architect and operate supply chains."

The above observations may not be those of typical companies. But more and more, they match the insights and opinions of today's leading companies. In fact, a real correlation has been drawn between companies' financial success and the depth and sophistication of their supply chains. That connection — supply chain excellence tied to financial performance — is a key finding of this report, which was developed by three inter-connected research teams working with hundreds of companies on two continents.

However, the report's identification of a direct link from supply line to bottom line is only the beginning. The multi-disciplinary research team also formed conclusions about how and why leading companies incorporate supply chain management into their business strategies. Another channel of inquiry focused on the design and development of integrated operating models — which researchers found to be the key strategic difference between supply chain leaders and also-rans. Furthermore, the team devoted significant effort to understanding how supply chain leaders execute against their operating strategies and adapt them to changing market needs.

Altogether, this report may represent the most comprehensive supply-chain-performance inquiry published to date. It synthesizes research results gleaned from interviews with business executives, analysts and academics; statistical analyses of publicly available data; extensive reviews of business and technical literature; and a multi-country survey on the supply chain views and experiences of leading executives. Most importantly, however, the report discusses the relationship between supply chain excellence and financial performance: the "why," the "who," the "what," and the "how." Today's and tomorrow's leaders are invited to look more closely at the growing business-wide impact of supply chain mastery.

Download the complete 28-page research project findings report now.