Moving Forward with Technology Technology continues to be the backbone of many innovative companies, allowing smart investors to build local brands.

Moving Forward with Technology

Technology continues to be the backbone of many innovative companies, allowing smart investors to build local brands. Based in Ogyakrom, One Corner Technology Ltd is an international business selling millions of laptops and associated peripherals to the West African market and expanding its product range into other markets within Africa through direct and collaborative trading. Through aggressive marketing the company is the number one supplier of laptops to students in many tertiary institutions with-in West Africa.

Market expansion has brought opportunities for the company and also increased its supplier base ten fold. Being based in Ogyakrom has meant the company imports all components used in assembling its products; thus One Corner relies on repetitive inventory replenishments. The company is also holding enormous demographic and personal data on customers and thus giving the company a sneak insight into customers' lives and spending. There comes a time when innovation is not just enough and that time is fast approaching for One Corner Technology after years of selling quality products to build a trusted brand relying entirely on push supply chain strategy.

Recent release of company performance indicates a 60% increase in sales yet a corresponding 10% dip in profits. This situation must be quickly arrested or the very future of the business will be in doubt. Further studying of the data showed a myriad of issues, such as missed opportunities, unsolved customer complaints, messed up deliveries, stock outs of some inventory, obsolete inventory, excess inventory on some inventory, etc.

Recently a newly appointed operations manager by name Mr Simple Job stood to make this statement:

"One Corner Technology as an evolving company, sales has been good bread and butter but we need to think of managing our supply chain better and to move from push strategy to pull in order to cut out waste and increase profits. We need to think differently from now onward and our supply chain needs to be seamless and efficient. What can be done with all the data we hold on customers, competitors and market, how do we convert them into meaningful information for business decisions, where do we start? E-Supply Chain must be our saviour!

QUESTIONS

1. What system will you recommend to the new operations manager of one Corner Technology Ltd in order to use information effectively?
2. In the case study One Corner Technology Ltd is mentioned to have lots of demographic and financial spending data of customers. What does the company have to do in-order to turn that data into a competitive advantage ?
3. One Corner is thinking of moving from Push to Pull Supply Chain strategy, discuss the differences between these two Supply Chain processes with two examples each.
4. One Corner Technology has increased its supplier base tenfold and expanded rapidly across West Africa. Within the context of Supply Chain Management, how does it use technology to reduce its Logistics cost?