The “Indian” supply chain architecture

With close to 22 percent of aggregate industry sales tied up in inventories in the entire supply chain network, what is it that ails Indian industry? Is it the way Indian supply chains are configured – their orientation to processes to streamline business activities; their fusion of information technology to speed up business transactions; their approach to supply chain strategy to improve bottom line results – that has restricted them from achieving global standards? The article, based on a recently concluded nationwide study titled “Supply chain management practices in Indian Industry: 2000”, throws up glaring facts about the current architecture of supply chains in India. The article concludes that though some Indian organizations are moving fast towards improving supply chain efficiencies, most of them are still far from realising its effect on business performance.