The concept of supply chain management is gaining popularity in corporate circles according to a new survey by management consulting firm Archtone Consulting.  The April 2008 survey confirms that company executives are planning to use supply chain management tools to boost their company’s performance.According to John Ferreira, Archstone’s industrial manufacturing practice leader, in refering to supply chain management, he commented, “It’s starting to move into the mainstream.”  The survey, Archstone’s Manufacturing Executive Agenda for 2008, includes responses from 265 manufacturing executives from a wide range of industries.According to the survey, two of the four most common ways that executives plan to boost performance this year were supply chain management-related. “I think it’s very intriguing that they’re talking about leveraging the supply chain to enable growth,” Ferreira said. The four executive agenda items shared by manufacturers in all industries include: 

• Increasing revenue growth by leveraging supply chain capabilities to add value to products and services.
• Reducing costs with supply chain efficiency improvements.
• Improving product innovation.
• Controlling direct material costs.

Supply chain management techniques are also used to rapidly adapt to changing markets and to aid flexibility in offering more customized customer service.  In todays global economy, firms must utilize the most effective tools to grow – or even sometimes to just survive.From — Supply Chain Management Review, 7/25/2008