Supply Chain Management Consulting

Supply Chain Management Consultants Need Drivers

A supply chain is a system of organizations, people, activities, information and resources involved in moving a product or service from the supplier to the consumer. According to the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, supply chain management encompasses the planning and management of all activities involved in sourcing, procurement, conversion and logistics management. Providers of supply chain management consulting services assist manufacturers in the development, implementation and maintenance of their supplier quality management systems. Often times this involves providing supply chain management training. What’s driving the need for supply chain consulting services? Globalization (the process of sourcing, manufacturing, transporting and distributing products outside of a company's native country), increased product complexity, outsourcing and expansion into emerging markets are just some of the factors that have prompted the FDA and other regulatory agencies to look more closely at how manufacturers of regulated products, including pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices, manage their supply chain. Surprisingly, despite the increased regulatory scrutiny and risks associated with today's more sophisticated, global supply chains, a recent survey of more than 500 manufacturing executives found that only two thirds of companies have a supplier quality management system or formal supply chain training program in place. These companies are operating at a major competitive disadvantage. Working with a supply chain management consulting firm to mitigate these risks can have a positive effect on business performance and long-term brand value.

Benefits of Working with a Supply Chain Management Consulting Partner

Effective supply chain management training and consulting service providers help manufacturers build stronger, more resilient supply chains. This, in turn, can provide many business and operational benefits.

• Reduced Risk-While globalization and technology have made the world smaller, supply chains continue to grow longer. A more complex supply chain makes a company increasingly vulnerable to risk. For life sciences companies, these forces are compounded by increased regulatory oversight and customer demands for safer, cheaper products. Effective supply chain management requires a dynamic process that manages how assessments, decision making and planning can reduce, or even eliminate, risk in supply chain activities. An experienced supply chain management consulting partner can help you establish or refine this process, as well as provide the training necessary to maintain its efficacy.
• Lower Operational Costs-In business, change is inevitable. Sudden demand change-and the inability to adapt to it-is a costly problem that global companies face. Being able to address and correct problems as efficiently and early as possible limits the impact of supply chain disruptions, without significantly increasing organizational costs. A supply chain management consulting partner can help you establish an agile system, and provide the training necessary to maintain its agility.
• Better Supplier Controls-With outsourcing on the rise, it's not uncommon for manufacturers to simultaneously manage hundreds of suppliers. This difficult task is even more challenging for regulated companies operating under the intense scrutiny of the FDA and other global regulatory agencies. An experienced consulting firm can help you establish proper supplier controls, and ensure that supply chain management procedures and processes are being followed. Better control leads to increased compliance.
• Improved Productivity and Employee Morale-Supply chain management consulting professionals work with management to develop a framework for employees to follow when managing suppliers. A clear, documented framework takes the guess work out of supply chain management, leading to more productive, motivated employees. Once a framework has been established, the supply chain consulting experts can provide the training necessary to maintain continued success.
• Increased Compliance and Brand Equity-Working with a supply chain management consulting firm to implement a system within your company can help you sustain delivery of high-quality products, and avoid embarrassing product recalls and regulatory sanctions. Ultimately, this will lead to increased brand equity, which is an important competitive advantage.

Supply Chain Management Consulting Provided by MasterControl QCC

MasterControl QCC (short for Quality and Compliance Consulting) offers the following consulting services to help you reduce supply chain risk:

• Supplier risk control
• Supplier audits
• Supplier agreements
• Supplier technical requirements
• Documents (SOPs) and records (certificates)
• Supplier communication (change control)

In addition to world-class consulting services, QCC offers comprehensive supply chain management training designed to teach you how to evaluate your organization's existing compliance against current purchasing requirements, as well as how to implement effective risks controls for all of your supplied products and services. QCC is comprised of a highly experienced team of QMS experts, auditors, certifiers, process engineers, and educators who not only know the life sciences and manufacturing industries inside and out, but also understand your business and the unique demands of regulated companies like yours. In addition to consulting and training, our consultants provide guidance in the following core regulatory, compliance, and quality disciplines: - Quality Management Systems - Regulatory Acceptance/Compliance - Quality Process Training - Validation/Qualification - Certification/Accreditation Assistance - New Product Acceptance

For more information
Whether you need to develop a supply chain quality management system from scratch, need help with a particular supply chain management process, or require supply chain management training to educate your employees, we can help. Contact us today.