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Article: Find savings in supply chain management.(SERVICE SPOTLIGHT)
- Article from:
- Units
- Article date:
- December 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 National Apartment Association. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Supply chain management is not a new concept. Automobile maker Henry Ford succeeded in reducing costs and increasing efficiencies through vertical supply chain integration when he was building his Model T on the assembly line 1913. Ford, through ownership of iron ore and coal mines, rubber plantations, a fleet of ships and a railroad, controlled the entire flow of raw materials necessary for automobile production.
That strategy helped to create affordable transportation for middle-income Americans. However, in the modern business environment, Ford's concept of complete supply chain ownership is extremely cost prohibitive and no longer feasible. Companies must ...