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Supply Chain Management is Key to Corporate Survival: Say Experts from Europe, US and Hong Kong
¡@¡@"Global competition has reached every corner of the world," warned Professor Jeff Yeung, Director of the Chinese University's Graduate Diploma in Logistics and Supply Chain Management, "To survive in this highly demanding and competitive marketplace, manufacturers must improve inventory turnovers and flexibility to meet customer requirements." This dual goal, he said, could be met by a new approach called "Multiple Freeze Fences" in managing manufacturing resources planning systems. ¡@¡@Dr. Angel Ortiz, Professor of the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, agreed that collaborations in the supply chain have become crucial to companies in order to gain superior performance and create sustainable advantages. ¡@¡@"This collaboration among enterprises must be supported by both business decisions and technological infrastructure," he said. Data, application and process integration are "key success factors" as demonstrated in Ford Motors (Spain)'s experience. He leads a team of researchers who have helped Ford Motor company in Spain to design and implement an integrated information system for production planning and sequencing. ¡@¡@Professor Alberto Felice De Toni, Professor of Operations Management and Vice Dean, Faculty of Engineering of the University of Udine (Italy) spoke on the conceptual framework and the successful experience of Aprilia Pilot in the V-CHAIN Project in Europe. He shared the successful experience of an Italian Motor Cycle manufacturer, Aprilia in developing and implementing a supplier visibility system. "Through the implementation of a web-based supplier visibility system, Aprilia was able to improve the quality and flexibility of its master production schedule. The result was considerable cost savings and enhanced customer service levels. ¡@¡@Dr. Jerry Banks, Professor Emeritus of the Georgia Institute of Technology (U.S.), who helped to develop the Asia Logistic Institute in Singapore, shared his insight on the creativity in logistics. "The logistic functions are playing more and more important roles in global competition today. In order to grain competitive advantage through logistic excellence, companies need to be creative in solving logistic problems." ¡@¡@On hand to share their experience were Mr. Chang Ka Mun, Director of global trader and leading SCM user Li and Fung Development (China) Ltd.; Mr. Tommy Lui, General Manager of IDS Logistics International, the logistics services subsidiary of Li & Fung Group and Mr. Spencer Huang, Senior Supply Chain Manager of Astec Power, which is a Division of international integration network power solutions provider Emerson Network Power. ¡@¡@"We are very fortunate to have such distinguished group of both academic and industrial expert to share insights and experience on supply chain management. I am truly delighted to see such a great turnout of academic and industry representatives in this seminar," said Professor Zhao Xiande of CUHK's Department of Decision Sciences and Managerial Economics, Director of the SCM center and organizer of the Seminar. "I am particularly impressed by the diversity of the industry sectors - government, trading, resource, garments, electronics, telecommunications, transportation and courier. SCM is finally catching on." ¡@¡@Organized by the newly-established Center for Supply Chain Management of the Chinese University (CUHK)'s Faculty of Business Administration, this Seminar was sponsored by the European Commission and Li & Fung Group and also supported by the Hong Kong Logistics Association and the Chinese Executive Club. ¡@¡@Professor Zhao and his colleagues foresaw the need for SCM for Hong Kong's industries. They are close to completing a 21-month "Asia V-Chain" (Advanced Strategies and Tools for Virtual SCM in Asian Environment) project, funded by the European Commission, in collaboration with the University of Udine in Italy and the Polytechnic University of Valencia (Spain). Based on the success stories in Europe - notably Ford Motor Co. Ltd. and Aprilia - this project is expected to come up with an advanced supply chain solution model specifically designed for Asia. "We have conducted surveys and case studies of companies in the Greater Pear River Delta (PRD). Through these studies, we understand the current status of supply chain management in the PRD. We are in the process of proposing migration path for companies to move toward virtual supply chain management and developing guidelines for enhancing supply chain performance. ¡@¡@In parallel with this, CUHK is establishing a research centre in collaboration with faculty members from the South China University of Technology (SCUT) and Tsing Hua University to conduct state-of-the-art research in SCM and to promote the application of SCM in the Greater PRD region through research, consulting and training activities. ¡@¡@To ensure that middle to senior executives in logistics and IT industries have access to specialized business training, CUHK and SCUT will launch, a new, two-year part-time Executive Master of Science in Logistics and Information Technology Management Programme in 2005. ¡@¡@"SCM is crucial to the competitiveness of Hong Kong's industries and its continued viability as a key player in the Greater PRD," stressed Professor T.S. Lee, Dean of CUHK's Faculty of Business Administration "As a leading business school, we will put whatever resources we have available to help." ¡@¡@Today's Seminar was only the forerunner: it will be followed by an intensive, two-day "Summit" to be held in Guangzhou on June 1-2, 2004. ¡@¡@More detailed information on the Hong Kong Seminar and the Guangzhou "Summit" can be found at: http://www.baf.cuhk.edu.hk/dse/cbex/index.htm.
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