Logistics

• Logistics
  Supporting mission-critical supply chain strategies, increasing flexibility, and speed to market, or improving competitive positioning are examples of the critical objectives of Meridian’s Logistics Management Services. Through a careful analysis of business requirements, cost drivers, service differentiators, facility infrastructure, and systems capabilities, Meridian can custom design, implement, and manage a supply chain solution tailored to a customer’s specific needs.

• With world class information systems and operational proficiency in all supply chain disciplines, Meridian can:
• Assemble, integrate and manage all services required for a client-specific supply chain
• Deploy state-of-the-market supply chain systems and technologies for advanced decision support and visibility
• Apply best practices in logistics and supply chain performance
• Provide single source accountability for supply chain performance
• Collaborate across customers with service providers
• Supply chain process are supported with minimal investment in administration, management, systems, and capital
• Maximum efficiencies in transportation, warehousing, and inventory management are achieved

Integrating procurement, manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing upon a solid and well engineered supply chain allows Meridian to provide complete supply chain solutions.

• To Source or Not to Source – Does Global Sourcing make Sense for You?

The debate over whether it is healthy for American companies to shift manufacturing offshore is over. According to John McCarthy, Forrester Research’s Group Director of Research, “This is going to be one of the biggest macroeconomic shifts in the overall U.S. economy in the next 10 years.”

Gartner Research forecasts that some 80% of American corporations will have at least considered offshore manufacturing by the end of next year. The reason – aggressive companies know higher profit margins can only be realized through greater cost efficiencies and better utilization of time and money.

Outsourcing manufacturing to China is critical to maximizing productivity. The real question is, “How long will your company remain competitive if it fails to use this proven business concept?”

Global sourcing will have as positive an effect on American business supremacy as Henry Ford’s innovative concept of the assembly line. It generates the necessary funds for increased R & D. This enables companies to remain on the forefront of their industry in the increasingly competitive global economy. The concept of “creative destruction” or being willing to constantly adapt to maximize productivity is the genius of American entrepreneurship.

Many of today’s most sophisticated companies have chosen to almost exclusively concentrate on R&D and sales, outsourcing the vast majority of their high volume and/or labor intensive assembly operations - thereby eliminating problems of production, staffing and continuing plant modernization.

Others like Wal-Mart are famous for outsourcing the manufacturing of entire product lines to cut prices, raise market share, and dominate their industry.

Finally, many firms choose to produce their higher margin, patented and/or more sensitive components in house and outsource their less critical or non-technologically sensitive items.

The following are questions all companies must ask themselves on a continuing basis:

• Would cutting production costs 20-40% breathes new life into that marginal product line?
• Is lack of plant space preventing an expansion into a new product line?
• Is customer demand outstripping production capability?
• Are increased costs of component parts threatening a major product line?
• Is it becoming more difficult to staff that second or third shift?
• Is production problem solving taking up too much management time?