| | For more than 20 years, The Ashford Group has assisted manufacturing companies, both small and Fortune 100, define, develop, and implement a wide range of tools and systems to manage their entire supply chain. The Ashford Advantage includes systems and practical tools to make it work; methods to monitor, measure and communicate how it is working; and a "hands-on" approach to people, material and facility organization to make sure that it continues to work.
SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT is a decision making process that ensures that the tactical plans in all business functions are aligned and in support of the business plan. The objective is to reach consensus on a single operating plan that allocates the critical resources of the company - people, capacity, materials, time and money.
Systems, Measurements, and Organization are the three keys necessary to effectively integrate a company's "supply activities". These activities - Sales Forecasting, Production Planning, Procurement, Production Scheduling, Manufacturing and distribution - are naturally linked together but are too often organized and executed as independent activities. The process of Supply Chain Management will help minimize this independence.
Systems - Without systems, it would be like playing a ball game without rules. If the supply activities utilize independent systems or a system that does not "pull" requirements and responses from those activities that follow in the supply chain, the goal of the company to make money, will be more difficult.
The guiding principles are that systems should:
| 1. | Simplify - not to make work easier but to make it clearer, more visible, more measurable | | 2. | Force planning and limit discussion, demand action and limit discussion, require reporting and limit discussion | | 3. | Involve the right people at the right time in decisions, but involve as few people as possible | | 4. | Work now - don't wait for the right technology, use practical applications until the right technology arrives |
Measurements - Without measurements, it would be like playing a ball game without keeping score. Each of these independent supply activities need to have measurements of how well it is achieving the goal, it's objective, and it's mission in addition to how well it is servicing those supply activities proceeding it in the supply chain.
The guiding principles are that measurements need to be:
| 1. | Reviewed and posted daily | | 2. | The data which indicates reasoned action | | 3. | The basis for individual measurement | | . |  | If you make your numbers but don't follow the system - you can have one more chance | | | If you don't make your numbers but follow the system - you can have one more chance | | | If you make your numbers and follow the system - you are rewarded | | | If you don't make your numbers and you don't follow the system - you have to go away |
Organization - Without an organization, it would be like playing a ball game with more than 1 player at some positions and no players at other positions. The organizations of each of these independent supply activities need an understanding of the interactions of and the support for the entire supply chain - strength of the chain.
The guiding principles are that organization structures are:
| 1. | Governed by process ownership more than by individual talent | | 2. | Supported by team work to fill in where there is a dramatic or long term loss of individual talent | | 3. | Strengthened by measurements to address the weak links or lack of talent |
To support the development and use of a strong supply chain, The Ashford Group has combined the strengths of:
| Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP) | | Integrated business management systems (MRP II & ERP) | | Advanced Planning & Scheduling Systems (APS) | | Theory Of Constraints (TOC) | | Lean Manufacturing | with Practical Applications developed in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access to implement systems fast, that measure performance, and support an effective and integrated supply chain organization.
The Ashford Advantage is that we assist our clients implement today's technology - Theory Of Constraints, Advanced Planning and Scheduling Systems, Enterprise Resources Planning - while also supporting the implementation of the process of Supply Chain Management, Sales & Operations Planning, and Lean Manufacturing.
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