Supply Chain
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS LOGISTICS, Vol.24, No.2, 2003
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STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN MAPPING APPROACHES by John T. Gardner SUNY Brockport and Martha C. Cooper The Ohio State University Visualizing, tracking, and managing supply chains all become more complicated as firms pursue outsourcing strategies and as firms’ supply and delivery systems become increasingly global. The authors suggest that not only is there a need to visualize the supply chain, there needs to be a well-established process for building the map so that knowledge is easily transferable and exchangeable among managers and organizations as appropriate. Further, the map should link to the strategic planning process of the firm to facilitate evaluation of supply chain membership and structure. Before an effective supply chain mapping process can be developed, it is important to understand the nature of maps, the importance of supply chain mapping, the role of supply chain mapping in strategy, and characteristics of supply chain maps. The latter will be the focus of this paper. In a more general vein, physical mapping conventions have achieved broad agreement, although changes are incorporated from time to time. The meaning of narrow black lines, wider black lines, red lines, and double red lines are generally recognized as ways of representing different kinds of roads, regardless of continent. The railroad symbol is similarly universally recognizable. In another context, the red circle with a line through it for signage was adopted a few decades ago as the international symbol for prohibited actions. These conventions make it possible for foreign visitors to read maps and know basic traffic requirements. Universal symbols for restrooms provide an additional example of conventions. Most are easily recognizable even to those who do not read the local language. A major purpose of this article is to call attention to the fact that there is not yet a universal set of mapping conventions to represent a supply
37
STRATEGIC SUPPLY CHAIN MAPPING APPROACHES by John T. Gardner SUNY Brockport and Martha C. Cooper The Ohio State University Visualizing, tracking, and managing supply chains all become more complicated as firms pursue outsourcing strategies and as firms’ supply and delivery systems become increasingly global. The authors suggest that not only is there a need to visualize the supply chain, there needs to be a well-established process for building the map so that knowledge is easily transferable and exchangeable among managers and organizations as appropriate. Further, the map should link to the strategic planning process of the firm to facilitate evaluation of supply chain membership and structure. Before an effective supply chain mapping process can be developed, it is important to understand the nature of maps, the importance of supply chain mapping, the role of supply chain mapping in strategy, and characteristics of supply chain maps. The latter will be the focus of this paper. In a more general vein, physical mapping conventions have achieved broad agreement, although changes are incorporated from time to time. The meaning of narrow black lines, wider black lines, red lines, and double red lines are generally recognized as ways of representing different kinds of roads, regardless of continent. The railroad symbol is similarly universally recognizable. In another context, the red circle with a line through it for signage was adopted a few decades ago as the international symbol for prohibited actions. These conventions make it possible for foreign visitors to read maps and know basic traffic requirements. Universal symbols for restrooms provide an additional example of conventions. Most are easily recognizable even to those who do not read the local language. A major purpose of this article is to call attention to the fact that there is not yet a universal set of mapping conventions to represent a supply
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