3 Ways People Affect Supply Chain

My summer internship has given me exposure to an efficient and effective supply chain. With Walmart being the number one retailer in the world, it has high expectations for how its business operates. These past few weeks, I’ve gotten the chance to learn how Walmart strives to maintain its efficiency and effectiveness.

Here are some lessons I learned in my Supply Chain courses that I have witnessed in my internship:

·??????Customizing your supply chain to fit your business.

·??????The value of supplier relationships.

·??????The importance of keeping your employees satisfied.

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Customizing your supply chain to fit your business, sounds straightforward, but it is easier said than done. Walmart is a massive retailer containing several strategic business units (SBUs). Would it be smart for every strategic business unit to run the same strategy? The answer is no.

Every strategic business unit is its own business. To go even further, every merchant in each business unit is the CEO, and every replenishment manager is the COO of their category, It would not make commercial sense for Walmart to expect each category to operate the same. This is why Walmart lets each SBU find what supply chain strategies work for them. The merchant for strawberries is expected to operate differently than the merchant for books. This simple concept has let each “business” in Walmart remain efficient and effective in their own way.

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The value of supplier relationships is key. Mutual respect between a buyer and a supplier can benefit everyone involved. These relationships lead to trust, accountability, and great negotiations. Every week of my internship, I am shown time and time again how important it is to keep great supplier relationships.

Whether there is an issue on the supplier side or the buyer side, both teams work together to face the issue head on. They identify the issue, the cause of the issue, then work together to find the appropriate solution. These actions help save face for the relationship currently, but also show to each other they can trust one another in the future for upcoming issues that might arise. ?

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While supplier relationships are extremely important to a business, you also have to remember to look internally at your relationships. It is very important to keep your employees satisfied.

Last week, the interns had the opportunity to sit down with Chief People Officer, Donna Morris. When Donna started at Walmart, she made it her goal to have Walmart be a certified great place to work. This year, she succeeded in her goal. Not only is it a great workplace environment at the Home Office, but also at the stores. Associates are given opportunities to grow and get a free college education if they choose to. The college education program is something that makes Walmart unique, and something I find truly inspiring. There are so many stories throughout the company of associates getting a college degree, then applying for jobs at the Home Office. It is so helpful to learn from them and their experiences in the stores or distribution centers. Their stories remind me to always think about the labor that goes into any ideas I have.

Keeping the associates in mind, helps me think of ways to make things more efficient on their end of the supply chain. This in turn keeps Walmart’s overall supply chain much more effective and efficient.

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This summer has been very insightful for me to apply my knowledge from the classroom into real world scenarios. Every one of my supply chain courses throughout the semesters have preached a customized supply chain for your business, valuing supplier relationships, and knowing the importance of your employees. Being able to apply my learnings to real world scenarios has been very beneficial for my future. I cannot wait to see what else is in store for me during my summer at Walmart.?