Once you enter the supply chain industry, you’ll find that different members are essential and will be required for you to do your part in the industry and keep the business flowing. Knowing who these players are in the industry and how their relationship works with your own. At some point, these members all rely on each other and there will be a need to reach out to them at different times. Below is more information on the industry players and what they do.
1. Product Producers
When you hear the term product producers, that is anyone creating a product or supplying goods to others. They can be products that are needed by other businesses as a way to improve their products. These products can also be distributed to consumers through the supply chain system so that they can go to stores and able to be purchased.
This is probably the largest group of members of a supply chain, and they can offer any product. Some of them can be things like pharmaceutical flooring companies that enter the market, while others are manufacturers providing clothing of all sizes to be sold and purchased. Depending on the need and demand, there could be several companies like this, or a large one that produces multiple types of products to ship out. As they grow and meet the demand for the customers, they will rely on the other nine members of the group to keep the products moving.
2. Construction Contractors
No matter what type of member or company may be entering the supply chain group, one of the most highly demanded members of a supply chain is the construction contractors. They serve a purpose to go into facilities and help with remodels so that your business is able to continue producing products, or make adjustments for expansion. They are also ideal for developing new buildings that may be needed, especially as some of these members start to grow substantially throughout the industry an need more space or locations.
These construction contractors will use a number of tools when doing renovations or initial builds to ensure the safety of those working around them and meeting the code requirements that are in place. Depending on where your commercial properly is located, they will have to meet any code or zoning requirements that are put in place at the city or county level so that you pass inspections. This also means utilizing traffic deck coating systems to have a secure place during the construction and inspection.
3. Administration Professionals
All industries, including supply chain experience a policy administration platform that will interact on their behalf and advocate at different government levels. This isn’t a large part of the members of a supply chain, but it’s a very important group, as these leaders oversee safety measures, and code requirements, and advocate on behalf of policies that can affect this system. Policies can be anything related to travel, weight carry, and new laws that can affect different areas throughout the country.
Because the policy component is constantly changing in different states, it’s important to have someone who’s aware of these changes and being an advocate. When changes go into effect that can cause issues with engineers, drivers, and even maintenance teams, these individuals are responsible for moving forward and ensuring they are aware of the new policy changes. The goal, however, is to keep safety and security in mind first, while being an advocate for efficiency for these individuals.
4. IT Engineers
In order for the supply chain system to operate at it’s most efficient, there needs to be expert IT engineers in place across the country and with the different members of a supply chain in order to keep the communication open and the system functioning properly. At the core, these individuals are responsible for managing the computer system of an organization, including the cloud, software system, databases, and VPN networks that need to remain secure. SQL server performance management is also a part of that job description.
More recently, these individuals have been able to be more flexible, working in different areas, and working remotely. However, they do have to be on-call sometimes, as they are essential if the computer system starts to fail or there seems to be a cyberattack developing within the system. At that point, they will need to assemble their team and make sure that the data and system isn’t impacted, keeping to schedule and maintaining security along all avenues. Because members of a supply chain work together closely, they are often on the same system, and if one goes down, it’s important to make sure the IT engineers in all areas are working to protect and repair any damage that is done.
5. Public Relations Officials
Some of these different members of a supply chain will have an impact in areas of their economy and maybe even their local environment. With the help of public relations officials, they can establish relationships with the governing bodies in these areas and find ways to improve the relationship. If there are issues with the company being too much of a burden, public relations officials will see how they can improve practices and benefit the community where they’re working. This is good practice for both domestic and international situations that can arise.
International public relations officials can be a member of either the home country or the current country, Taking into consideration local requirements of these countries and investing, like LPE Singapore for the educational system and allowing it to impact the community is a great way to boost the relationship. A French company working in Singapore and promoting this curriculum can be a positive outlook for the relationship. Even if the relationship is god currently, it is the job of the pubic relations official to make sure it stays that way moving forward.
6. Transportation Professionals
Licensing and certification is very important when it comes to the transportation professionals members of a supply chain. These include your drivers and the companies hiring these drivers to ensure these products make it to their required destinations. Taking the right courses like CDL class A courses are vital parts of their training and it must be passed before they can move forward.
Other types of transportation professionals include pilots, train conductors, and ship captains carrying freight through these different modes of traffic to get the products and goods where they need to be. These other areas are important for products coming in long distances, or those that have a weight requirement and need something other than large trucks to haul them along the interstates. Some products will see several types of these methods, starting on planes and then working their way to trucks one they arrive.
7. Transportation Maintenance Teams
In order to make sure that the products and goods make their destination during the transportation phase, they are supported by the transportation maintenance teams. These teams will work together physically with a 2 post vehicle car lift alignment rack to ensure that the products are properly placed on the truck before it goes through transport to its final destination. They also work to make sure that any roads, landing zones, tracks, or ports are clear so that the transportation professionals can get where they need to be once they have the cargo ready.
Transportation maintenance is now easily tracked with apps and software, which allows team members posted in different states to access the system and see what needs to be done so that the process can continue. If there are delays or issues, they’re able to interact with each other and make them aware so that the system knows. In cases like a need fo fuel or maintenance, the teams can be in place and be ready so that they can have a replacement truck or plane ready and start working on the vessel coming in to see what the issue may be.
8. Material Engineers
Material engineers are another major member of a supply chain. When it comes to the development of transportation, buildings, and goods, there needs to be someone available to assist with the atomic level of the different materials being used. They have to be aware of the molecular sieve adsorbents that are related to these different materials and how they can be transported. Since these items are different, some products can only be transported a certain way and shouldn’t be transported with other things.
When you visit the office of material engineers, you’ll find them using some of the most state-of-the-art technology on these items in their labs. They also have some of the larger computer systems available, because they’re testing the materials to see how well they handle different environmental factors and interact with other materials that are found in the transport. The supply chain system sees a lot of different materials, and ensuring the safety of those working and the products is very important for these jobs.
9. Product Designers
When someone comes up with an idea, they have to push these through product designers. There are also professionals looking to find better ways to improve the systems, services, and the goods that are going out in the supply chain system. This is why product designers are members of a supply chain system and have a very important role. They not only look at what’s being sent out but they consider what the plant looks like that’s making these products and see how they can improve that process, as well.
Looking over current products and processes is how product designers came up with chute liners for sag mills, which improved their overall function. Being able to make parts work better and last longer can improve the entire supply chain system for the future. Many of the different members of the team can find a use for these designs, and see how they work in their own facilities.
10. Patent Lawyers
Getting a great idea is something that you want to protect, especially when you realize what you’re considering hasn’t been designed yet and could be taken by a competitor. This is when you need to hire one of the greatest members of a supply chain, the patent lawyer. Once you come up with a design, you need to hire your patent lawyer and start the process of patenting the product under your company. Those who develop software designs take advantage of a software patent law firm so that they have it on record that is their product and they can move forward with the design.
Keep in mind that when you go through this process, there will be some court and legal documentation that needs to be done. Trying to do this process without a patent lawyer can be overwhelming, and could stall the process. In the meantime, a competitor could get your idea and patent before you do. With a patent lawyer, they can get this process going and streamlined for you right away.
Method To The Madness
While these different types of members of a supply chain may be overwhelming to understand, it’s important to know that they all play a part in this industry. No matter which role you take in the supply chain system, you’ll rely on one one of these members at one point or the other. Depending on what type of role you have, you could interact with some more than others, but it’s important to know who to call in these situations so that you’re getting the right information and having the most efficient system at all times. Now that you know what each role is responsible for and what they bring to the table, it’s a good idea to get a contact for each one in case you have an emergency or want to discuss something with them.
