Investigations on developing Agile supply chains in Shoe manufacturing industry

Abstract

During the past two decades, manufacturing companies have been experiencing the intensification of competition. The products produced by the manufacturing companies are sold with high difficulty in highly competitive global markets. Due to the entry of many sellers, the customer preferences have been dominating in global markets. Because of this situation, customers have been changing their preferences while demanding products from the manufacturing companies. While the manufacturing companies try to fulfill the demands of the customers, the preferences of the customers are also studied proactively. Hence, many manufacturing companies have been developing capabilities to delight the customers by proactively meeting their demands. Today, in order to delight the customers, the developments that have been occurring in two fields namely agile manufacturing and supply chain management are being implemented intensively in manufacturing organizations. Agile manufacturing is a paradigm that facilities an organization to quickly manufacture products and offer services in accordance with the dynamic demands of the customers by adopting appropriate manufacturing technologies and management models without compromising the profitability. According to supply chain management, suppliers are required to supply products with right quality at right time to the companies and customers with right quantities and at economical price. A critical study of the principles of these two fields would indicate that many of them superimpose with each other. For example, while implementing agile manufacturing, the products are to be supplied quickly to the customers. In the same line, while managing the supply chains, it is required to ensure that the suppliers supply the products quickly to the customers newline