The CTO has hired WZW consultancy to analyse the complete supply chain for Ocean Blue and provide recommendations and a strong strategy how it should establish future suppliers and an supply chain for current and future global customers. The research should consider the following:
What is the current Blue Ocean supply chain and how does it impact the company?
Does the company operate a lean and agile supply chain, if not what needs to be implemented to improve this situation?
How can the company manage its current and future suppliers?
What processes should be implemented to create a long-term strong supplier base i.e. supplier framework?
Investigate the complexity of manufacturing vs customer demands – how could standardisation help here?
How can the company implement a sales forecast system to ensure stock levels remain at the level to avoid last minute ordering and delays in vehicle builds?
What, if any, is the impact to manufacturing by making the product local to the customer base or expanding the current manufacturing location in Germany?
How can we establish a returns process to improve customer satisfaction?
Your role is to produce a written report to help Ocean Blue answer these questions above. It is expected to be supported by academic references throughout.
