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How Agile Is Your Supply Chain
How Agile Is Your Supply Chain
Our research shows that ten operating practices are tied to higher service levels
and lower inventory costs.
QWeb 2015
Agile supply chains
Exhibit 11of 2
Exhibit
1Leaders defined as those in top quartile in aggregated agility score; all others are laggards.
Source: McKinsey analysis
QWeb 2015
Agile supply chains
Exhibit
Exhibit 22 of 2
Forecasting 70
Demand
shaping 14
1Defined
as those in top quartile in aggregated agility score.
Source: McKinsey analysis
geographic and seasonal demand progress, and finished goods across the supply
chain. For this analysis, we examined more than
patterns put pressure on the supply 70 companies distributed across five industry
chain. After a review of the company’s groups. Industries such as chemicals and
pharmaceuticals had higher average inventory
distribution network, these executives levels than consumer products and automotive did.
found they could mitigate customer 4 We found statistically significant correlations
stockouts by outsourcing a significant between reported OTIF service levels and agility
portion of their warehouse operations. scores across quartiles. Regression analysis also
revealed a statistically significant relationship
When regional demand for a line of new between reported inventory days and agility
products surged, the business could quartiles.
easily add low-cost warehouse capacity.
The authors wish to thank Klaudia Sidor for
her contributions to this article.
By contrast, service and inventory
performance were less strong at one
Raoul Dubeauclard is a senior expert in
home-products manufacturer, which
McKinsey’s Lyon office, Kerstin Kubik is
like the consumer-products company a specialist in the Vienna office, and Venu
above boasted a diverse product line but Nagali is an expert in the New Jersey office.
had lower agility scores for operations
planning and risk management. Its Copyright © 2015 McKinsey & Company.
logistics costs are 25 percent higher All rights reserved.
than those of the consumer company,
and it has been hit by persistent
transport problems that require it to
carry twice as much inventory.