ABSTRACT
Success in business environment demands that superior products are delivered to market more quickly than ever before and more cost effectively than the competition. That the effective and efficient management of the supply chain has a significant role to play in these endeavours is well established. The supply chain is often viewed as a series of pathways, as a number of links in a chain, or perhaps even as a pipeline that connects an organization at one end to its raw materials and suppliers and at the other to its customers and consumers. In the supply chain of the future the boundaries that currently define an organization will undoubtedly become blurred and the responsibility for some activities will move to the most appropriate supply chain participant. Re-engineering is not, therefore, for all organizations. Re-engineering is not a quick win, it is a lengthy process and can take anywhere from 18 months to several years.
