The New Supply Chain Agenda: The 5 Steps That Drive Real Value

Reuben Slone · Paul J. Dittmann · John T. Mentzer

May 2010 · Harvard Business Press

About this ebook

Is your company delivering products to customers at the right time, place, and price—with the best possible availability and lowest possible cost and working capital? If not, you're probably alienating your customers and suppliers, eroding shareholder value, and losing control of your fixed costs. These dangerous mistakes can put you out of business.

In The New Supply Chain Agenda, Reuben Slone, J. Paul Dittmann, and John Mentzer explain how to reinvent your supply chain to avoid those errors—and turn your supply chain into a competitive weapon that produces unprecedented economic profit for your firm.

Drawing on a wealth of company examples, the authors show how to activate the five levers of supply chain excellence:

· Putting the right people with the right skills in the right jobs

· Leveraging supply chain technologies such as system optimization and visibility tools

· Eliminating cross-functional disconnects, including SKU proliferation

· Collaborating with suppliers and customers to generate a seamless flow of information and supply chain improvements

· Managing supply chain projects skillfully


Apply the steps in this book, and you build a supply chain that delivers as it should—without leaving money on the table.

Ratings and reviews

A great book. Easy and quick read for people at any level of organization. It gives a good insight on the silo nature of supply chain. It also talks about the "supply chain talent". At the end it all comes down to having people with the right skills and vision. Great read - time well spent!

About the author

Reuben E. Slone is Executive Vice President of Supply Chain at OfficeMax. He has published several articles on supply chain management in Harvard Business Review. J. Paul Dittmann is Director of Corporate Partnerships at the University of Tennessee and Managing Director of the Demand/Supply Integration Forums. John T. Mentzer is a professor of marketing and logistics at the University of Tennessee.