Supply Chain and Business Strategy (I3)

Deliverable Length: 12–15 PowerPoint slides with notes (150–200 words)

Put together a PowerPoint presentation with 12–15 slides that can be used for both internal purposes and when you meet with all of your vendors to kick off a vendor certification program. To earn full credit on the PowerPoint, you must use colored slides, clip art or charts, or photos on each slide to make them eye-appealing, along with 150–200 words of speaker notes for each slide, explaining the slide's content. Slides must not be covered with commentary; that is what the speaker notes are for.

Assume the following information about a company:

The company is currently assessing a make versus buy decision. The company currently makes product line "A" using proprietary technology. Its variable cost/unit is $10, and its fixed cost allocation of overhead based on producing 10,000/yr is $20/unit, for a total standard cost of $30/unit. The company also makes 3 other completely different and separate product lines on different equipment. The company has a quote from an outside vendor for this product A, for $18/unit.

Assignment:

Given the data presented, what criteria would you use to evaluate the make versus buy decision that faces you?  As a company’s managers create the optimum supply chain, there are many criteria that must be weighed, and in some cases, trade-offs are made. List at least 5 trade-off type decisions that the firm's managers would have to make to establish the optimum supply chain. Include why it is a trade-off and the added information that you would need to actually make the best choice.

The following is an example of a trade-off:

Should the manufacturing plant be located closer to its raw material vendors or its customer base? Why? Make up a checklist that a company’s vendor certification team should fill out when it visits a vendor prior to certifying them. What are the pros and cons of installing a vendor certification program?