Supply Chain Pioneers The Tipping Points

When the pioneers recount their stories, they all agree that in the beginning, the emphasis was on manufacturing efficiency. The most efficient supply chain was believed to be the most effective supply chain. Supply chain practices evolved primarily to make manufacturing even more efficient. 

When the practices started, there were islands of automation. No pioneer could have imagined the world today where data is anytime and anywhere. 

In the early years, the personal computer was a rarity. The early processes were paper-based. The phone was stationary. Intercompany 

The Internet along with Y2K was the perfect accelerant. The two forces intertwined to reshape and transform both business-to-consumer and business-to-business relationships. The most profound effect was in retail. As shown in Table 1.1, the Internet sparked a new channel that outpaced the growth in traditional store formats. While the uninformed might conclude that the growth of e-commerce made bricks obsolete, in reality, the opposite was true. Successful companies transformed their traditional supply chains to meet the new requirements of this growth channel. It required new bricks, new processes, and a business transformation. 

Research from financial analyses of retail annual reports for the period 2000-20f 2 

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