from Ray Treseder, Consumer Business, Deloitte Consulting
Sir; re the Analysis article about backroom stock Taking the flak in your own backyard' (September 14). I agree that in the last 50 yards of the supply chain lack of visibility, pack size mismatch, labour scheduling and reduction in holding space all have their part to play in adding to the complexity of a costly but crucial link in the supply chain. However, the increased focus on food safety and integrity, by consumers and retailers alike, also places an even greater pressure on this final link in the chain.
While ensuring integrity is a critical success factor for all the organisations involved in food production, processing and retailing, the fact is that in the mind of the public, retailers carry the first-line responsibility for food safety. Therefore swift and effective identification and recall activities in the case of integrity issues is essential.
As with many of the problems associated with the difficulties of instore logistics, the buck doesn't stop with the retailer. Co-operation, especially in providing information visibility and traceability across the supply chain end to end will form a significant part of the solution. RFID tagging has an important part to play, providing data at each staging post back up the chain to ensure product integrity and appropriate handling by the retailer.
Yes, managing the last 50 yards effectively is key to maintaining on-shelf availability and controlling costs, but let's not forget its role in also ensuring quality and end-to-end supply chain integrity.
{{COMMENT & LETTERS }}
Sir; re the Analysis article about backroom stock Taking the flak in your own backyard' (September 14). I agree that in the last 50 yards of the supply chain lack of visibility, pack size mismatch, labour scheduling and reduction in holding space all have their part to play in adding to the complexity of a costly but crucial link in the supply chain. However, the increased focus on food safety and integrity, by consumers and retailers alike, also places an even greater pressure on this final link in the chain.
While ensuring integrity is a critical success factor for all the organisations involved in food production, processing and retailing, the fact is that in the mind of the public, retailers carry the first-line responsibility for food safety. Therefore swift and effective identification and recall activities in the case of integrity issues is essential.
As with many of the problems associated with the difficulties of instore logistics, the buck doesn't stop with the retailer. Co-operation, especially in providing information visibility and traceability across the supply chain end to end will form a significant part of the solution. RFID tagging has an important part to play, providing data at each staging post back up the chain to ensure product integrity and appropriate handling by the retailer.
Yes, managing the last 50 yards effectively is key to maintaining on-shelf availability and controlling costs, but let's not forget its role in also ensuring quality and end-to-end supply chain integrity.
{{COMMENT & LETTERS }}
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