The Difference Between Managing a Global vs. Domestic Supply Chain is a Matter of Degree

摘要

Variables like border crossings and multiple hand-offs make for more uncertainty, but experts say it all comes down to managing information. Truth be told, there are very few solely domestic companies left these days. Businesses are either directly sourcing overseas or their suppliers are; fewer and fewer companies are not selling their goods in international markets. And, even if your strategy is to stay wholly domestic, your competition is coming (or will soon come) from every area of the globe. "There are very few companies that are not touched by global issues; if not directly, then through their suppliers or customers," says Mike Peters, First VP., ProLo-gis Solutions Group. Yossi Sheffi, Director, Center for Transportation and Logistics, MIT, takes the concept one step further. "Even if a company only has domestic suppliers and domestic customers, it must always be analyzing whether it would be better to go overseas. And companies are always subject to global competition, they must be conducting constant analysis of their global competitors," he says.