Benchmarking supply chain management: finding best practices

Abstract

Represents a more popularized adaptation of the complete report written as documentation of the benchmarking activity in the project SMArTMAN SME. Uses benchmarking in the SMArTMAN SME project to increase the knowledge about the supply chain management process and to enable the industrial partners to learn from best practice. Identifies other enterprises in Europe and their processes. A set of flow charts portrays what is considered to be a best practice process spanning the areas of procurement and supply chain management. This process has been designed by merging the best elements from each of the benchmarking partners’ processes into one generic process. Describes practices observed at the benchmarking partners that seem to be of “best practice” level and which were not suited for inclusion in the flow charts.