A Materials Management System for a Complex Organisation Available to Purchase

Materials management de facto has existed for many years in terms of procedures for buying and processing material to meet orders for finished products. However, the term itself first came into vogue in the mid 1960s and various commentators have pointed to different factors which have led to its evolution and growth over the past 15 or more years. Whilst any analysis of the relative importance of the various factors involved is beyond the scope of this survey, it is fair to say that a combination of pressures in the 1960s and 1970s led to a change in direction of business thinking and a search for profit contributions through the adoption of an integrated materials management approach in previously neglected areas. There is no single view about what materials management really is and the materials management concept has been given many interpretations. Academics and organisations alike interpret materials management in the light of their own experiences and perceptions.