Supply Chain: Round-The-World Deliveries

The challenge: to deliver products to all four corners of the world in record time. Mission accomplished thanks to the Markem-Imaje supply chain teams. Here after, closer look at a flawless organization.

 

EXTENSIVE COVER
Conducting a global business would be impossible without an efficient supply chain and Markem-Imaje is well aware of it. In order to supply to its customers all around the world, the group relies on a network of production sites and logistics platforms spread across three continents (see map). Thanks to these strategic locations, Markem-Imaje is able to manage import and export operations in more than 120 countries. This system also means that orders can be consolidated when products arrive from different sites.

A FLEXIBLE ORGANIZATION
Another asset is that the various professions involved are concentrated so as to optimize supply chain efficiency. Purchasing, production, logistics: complete integration of all supply chain functions leads to better coordination and hence greater responsiveness to customer requirements. The aim is to guarantee delivery times that are as short as possible while keeping transport costs and stock levels under control, and – something that is crucial in today’s context – limiting the environmental impact. Global management of platforms also means that the same industrial and service quality can be guaranteed worldwide. Thanks to a common IT operating system, each site is progressively integrating exactly the same standards for processing orders. This ‘regionalized’ supply chain means that local specificities can be taken into account.

The expert’s opinion…

THIERRY LALLEMANT…
… Senior Vice-President supply chain

“Global yet local services”


OUR MAIN STRENGTH: OUR REGIONAL LOGISTICS PLATFORMS.
This type of organization gives us a very broad geographic coverage, but at the same time keeps us close to our customers. The platforms are strategically located at the centers of our operational zones, allowing us to offer our customers the best possible service.

OUR ORGANIZATION HELPS US ADAPT TO OUR CUSTOMERS’ REQUIREMENTS.
The flexibility of our supply chain means we can offer standardized services, which reduce delivery times, and also meet more specialized orders as a function of the region concerned. This is especially the case in Asia, where the system enables labeling of products in a local language; or in the United States, where specific services guarantee certain customers the availability of replacement products in record time in the event of a breakdown.