Getting the right product to the right place at the right time, at the lowest possible cost — that single sentence sums up what supply chain management is trying to achieve, and it has driven the field since companies first realized, back in the 1970s and 80s, how much money they were leaving on the table by treating inbound and outbound supply as two separate jobs.

Run well, a supply chain is both art and science: it governs the movement and storage of raw materials, work-in-progress, and finished goods from origin to final consumption, and it coordinates every business function that touches procurement, so that supplier and customer relationships work in the company's favor rather than against it. This course puts participants inside real warehouse procurement activity, from modern stock-management methods to the latest inventory-control techniques, and builds the planning skills needed to spot problems early — including what to do with slow-moving or obsolete stock sitting in the warehouse.

Skills You Will Build

• Get the right product delivered at the right time and at the lowest possible cost.
• Keep stock levels as lean as possible while still delivering the best service to customers.
• Apply the scientific and practical concepts behind purchasing methods, and sharpen your decision-making.
• Negotiate confidently with suppliers and balance competing offers.
• Reduce risk across the supply chain.

Who Should Attend

• Managers and directors of institutions and companies.
• Staff working in procurement.
• Employees responsible for logistics services and supply chains.
• Warehouse and store managers and custodians.
• Business owners, company managers, and business administration students and graduates.

Module 1: The Economics of Purchasing

• The importance of the purchasing function, its economic dimensions, and how it is organized administratively.
• Appropriate quality — does procurement have a role in defining it?
• Why the cheapest price is not always the best choice, and the economic order quantity theory, seen from both supporting and opposing views.

Module 2: Choosing and Negotiating with Suppliers

• When to buy, and how to choose the right supply sources.
• Negotiation and trade-off skills when dealing with suppliers.
• Ethics in purchasing, and the different buying methods suited to an increasingly international business environment.

Module 3: Supply Chain Foundations

• Supply chains: definition, origin, and their importance to a company's logistics operations.
• The objectives and core elements of supply chain management.

Module 4: Supplier Relationships

• The different types of relationships found within a supply chain.
• The traditional, transaction-based relationship — and when a company needs to move beyond it.

Module 5: Building Successful Logistics Skills

• The practical skills needed to achieve sustainable logistics success.
• Bringing purchasing, negotiation, and supply chain management together into one integrated system.