High-Tech Industry Supply Chains are Trending Toward Demand-Driven

Tompkins International & One Network Reveal Top Seven Priorities for High-Tech Companies

RALEIGH, NC, and Dallas, TX, September 27, 2012 — With technology products and upgrades flying off the shelves, high-tech companies have a difficult time keeping up with demand and growing competitive pressures.

The new paper, Supply Chains Priorities for the High-Tech Industry, written by Tompkins International and One Network Enterprises, outlines a solution: rapidly responding to real-time demand throughout all supply chains.

“High-tech organizations are realizing that supply chain operations excellence provides significant competitive advantages,” says Gene Tyndall, EVP at Tompkins International and co-author. “The key is to redirect the supply chains’ attention from focusing 90% on the supply base to more than 50% on the demand side, and then build demand-driven supply chains. Instead of worrying about questionable forecasts and inventory numbers, focus more on the items that are actually being sold.”

Along with near real-time visibility at item levels, the constant need for high-tech companies to achieve speed to market is also more essential than ever.

The technology, together with demand-driven operations strategy and processes provided by Tompkins and One Network, enable point-of-purchase data to be captured; it also allows forecasts to be updated continuously by aligning the variable demands and then shared with all partners in near real-time. With this in place, trading partners within supply chains can react in near real-time, instead of over weeks.

“Trading partners can now have instant access to changes in demand and supply as well as the ability to execute and re-optimize their value networks in real time based on that data,” adds co-author Doug Kane, Industry Partner in High-Tech and Manufacturing, with One Network.

“The executives at top-performing high-tech companies understand that optimizing supply chain operations directly correlates with profitable growth, higher operating margins, and capital efficiency – each of which creates value for their companies.”

The seven top success factors for value creation include:

1. The right operations strategy;
2. Effective business processes and people;
3. Integrated business planning and execution;
4. Demand-driven operations – the value network;
5. Optimized logistics;
6. New and powerful technology; and
7. Supply chain risk management.

To learn more about high tech priorities for successful demand-driven supply chains, download the Supply Chain Priorities for High Tech white paper.

About Tompkins International

Tompkins International transforms supply chains to help create value for all organizations. For more than 35 years, Tompkins has provided end-to-end solutions on a global scale, helping clients align business and supply chain strategies through operations planning, design and implementation. The company delivers leading-edge business and supply chain solutions by optimizing the Mega Processes of PLAN-BUY-MAKE-MOVE-STORE-SELL. Tompkins supports clients in achieving profitable growth in all areas of global supply chain and market growth strategy, organization, operations, process improvement, technology implementation, material handling integration, and benchmarking and best practices. Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, USA, Tompkins has offices throughout North America and in Europe and Asia. For more information, visit www.tompkinsinc.com.

About One Network Enterprises

More than 30,000 companies are already connected to the RTVN for demand driven services that have repeatedly proven to lower inventories and operational costs, improve service, and increase profitability— Imperial Logistics, the US Department of Defense, Del Monte Foods, the US Marine Corps, and many others—are becoming demand driven with One Network’s RTVN. Headquartered in Dallas, Texas, One Network also has offices in Europe and India. For more information, please visit www.onenetwork.com.