In companies that develop a service or product, there is a supply chain that is used to turn outsourced materials into their final product. There are many steps to developing a product out of raw materials, and in order to produce consistent merchandise effectively, someone needs to manage and regulate each step. A supply chain manager takes the role of making sure that the individual parts, as well as the overall supply chain, is working efficiently and cost effectively. Individuals of this position use various types of software to control inventory, orders, logistics, forecasting and planning, and had to be able to efficiently handle a flawed or deficient product.
Supply chain managers are largely influential contributors to the success of developed and spawning companies, especially today as we demand product shipments faster and faster. Any online company must deliver at the minimum fast, and reliable delivery of products just to remain competitive in the market. To put themselves ahead, companies such as Amazon have invested everything into their supply chains efficiency to enable options such as two-day delivery, and even one hour delivery in some places. Supply chain managers are the key to success in all future companies.
Supply chain is a prominent factor of a successful business and has many career opportunities for people in many different fields. Here at Michigan State University, supply chain is the number one program in the nation. The highly ranked status of the program makes it an even more competitive environment when trying to get involved in the program.
In order to get into the number one program, the are degree requirements to get into The Eli Broad College of Business. The first set of requirements can be found here.
Once business admitted status has been accomplished, one must take 3 credits each of ACC 201 and 202 of principles of financial accounting, 3 credits in business communications: oral and written skills, 3 credits in business analytics and information systems, 3 credits in financial management, and 3 credits in each of the following listed: managing human resources and organizational behavior, quantitative business research methods, managerial marketing, introduction to supply chain management, and business policy and strategic management.
Then once admitted to a major, there are courses required to graduate with that major. For supply chain a student needs 3 credits in each in procurement and supply chain management, manufacturing planning and control, and logistics and transportation management. One of the following courses of either supply chain application and policy (2 credits) or supply chain industry applications (3 credits).
Here is a document with the listed courses needed to get into supply chain.
Once you graduate with a degree in supply chain, there is a handful of things to know. One is that running a supply chain for a company can be very competitive. In order to be successful, you have to have a winning attitude and come to work ready to get things done. A great thing about working for a supply chain is that you will not be bored. Our world is constantly changing and so are consumers, which makes days as a supply chain worker very unexpected. Another important aspect is that it is all about building relationships with your coworkers and your customers. While working, communication is what is going to keep the supply chain running smoothly. When getting new customers, you have to gain their trust and be able to stay committed to making sure that they are happy. To see more important aspects of working in a supply chain go straight to one of our posts here. While you read through our blog, try to keep in mind that there can be confusion and misinterpretations about supply chain.
Once you graduate with a degree in supply chain, there is a handful of things to know. One is that running a supply chain for a company can be very competitive. In order to be successful, you have to have a winning attitude and come to work ready to get things done. A great thing about working for a supply chain is that you will not be bored. Our world is constantly changing and so are consumers, which makes days as a supply chain worker very unexpected. Another important aspect is that it is all about building relationships with your coworkers and your customers. While working, communication is what is going to keep the supply chain running smoothly. When getting new customers, you have to gain their trust and be able to stay committed to making sure that they are happy. To see more important aspects of working in a supply chain go straight to one of our posts here. While you read through our blog, try to keep in mind that there can be confusion and misinterpretations about supply chain.
Ten years ago, not many people even knew what supply chain management was. Today supply chain is all the buzz in well paying, high demand fields. Even though supply chain is usually regarded in a good light, there are still occasionally some misrepresentations about this field. Often times when a company misses a shipment date, or even fails to ship a product all together, the supply chain team is blamed. When in reality, these hold ups are often the result of flawed manufacturing plans that were either impossible or unrealistic for a company to execute. You can read more about this here. Another misrepresentation in supply chain is that everyone assumes a supply chain manager only deals with shipping a product. While supply chain managers do focus much of their time on the shipment of a product. They also spend a considerable amount of time purchasing necessary materials, and overseeing design timelines.
If you have any questions about a particular post or about supply chain in general, feel free to leave a comment or contact one of us. Thank you, and enjoy our blog!
