Organising for Materials Management Available to Purchase

It is now quite widely accepted that there are benefits to be derived from an integrated management perspective of the flows of purchased parts, components and raw materials from suppliers into and through manufacturing facilities, and of finished products through distribution channels to final consumers. There is, however, far less agreement on how an organisation should marshal its resources to actually derive these benefits. Many options exist: the use of computer‐based systems and management information support; the use of analytical tools to help evaluate decision alternatives adjusting the materials and logistics environment to facilitate the exchange between the organisation and its suppliers and the organisation and its customers; establishing more efficient communication networks and coordination methods for interfunctional information exchange; altering the organisational structure to facilitate the administration of materials functions.