How manufacturers win by not playing the field

© Thavorn Chaisuwannakorn

It is always fun to challenge accepted wisdom, and this blog from Supply China Management Review argues that, from a supply chain perspective, manufacturers with smaller customer lists are able to manage inventory far more effectively and develop deeper collaboration with their customers. “You may think of Walmart as this big, evil behemoth that is more likely to squeeze its dependent suppliers. The study, however, illustrates how a dependent supplier doing business with a major customer like Walmart may actually do well in terms of inventory management through enhanced collaboration along the supply chain.”