mains the single most important objective among manufacturers, opportunities exist in realizing benefits through re-engineering their supply chains.

Examples from the electronics industry show that it has already adopted an approach that rationalizes roles and responsibilities across the supply chain, rather than manu-

facturers bearing the entire responsibility of quality and compliance.

role of information technology Small and medium-size businesses are challenged with balancing the investment in plant assets versus information technology systems. While productions facilities need to

be upgraded, the value of information technology should not be compromised.

It is imperative that manufacturers continue to look for ways to drive down cost while improving agility and resilience, and connect execution to strategic goals through collaboration and Intelligent Decision Models.

Combining multiple disci-

plines to achieve superior supply chain performance by choosing an appropriate IT strategy as an operating leverage will definitely set the stage for future growth while driving innovation.

 

Debashis Tarafdar is senior research manager and Chris Holmes is research director at Manufacturing Insights, an IDC company.