CXOs Challenged to Leverage Supply Chain as Competitive Advantage in New Book Published By McGraw-Hill.

WALTHAM, Mass. and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Strategic Supply Chain Management shows how top organizations are improving their competitive position through their supply chains; reveals metrics and core disciplines for top performance

Supply chain authorities Shoshanah Cohen and Joseph Roussel, both partners at management consultancy Pittiglio Rabin Todd & McGrath (PRTM), have published the first executive guide to supply chain practices that improve companies' competitive position. Written for CEOs and other senior management team members, Strategic Supply Chain Management: The 5 Disciplines for Top Performance sheds new light on the potential of the supply chain as a strategic differentiator.

Published by McGraw-Hill and available now at Amazon.com, Borders and other leading booksellers, the book provides in-depth profiles of leading organizations' supply chain management practices, documenting how Eli Lilly, Autoliv, Avon, Owens-Corning, U.S. Department of Defense, General Motors, and Seagate Technology have transformed their supply chains to realize competitive advantage.

"Too many senior officers don't view their supply chain as a strategic business asset," said Shoshanah Cohen, co-author and partner at PRTM. "But when aligned with the overall business strategy, supply chain management provides major opportunities to impact both the top and bottom lines."

Said co-author and PRTM Partner Joseph Roussel, "Strategic Supply Chain Management is based on decades of supply chain experience with our clients at PRTM, and was written to help CEOs as well as other members of the executive team work together to improve overall performance."

The book has already received high praise from leading supply chain experts and executives from organizations such as Dell, Stanford University, the Supply-Chain Council, and BASF Corporation. Jim Miller, Vice President, Operations at Cisco Systems said, "This book will serve as a timeless tool for those looking to transform their organization's supply chain into a sustainable competitive advantage."

The five core disciplines for top performance are:

1. View your supply chain as a strategic asset

Many senior officers at leading companies already view the supply chain as a strategic asset, but for numerous organizations this still remains a great obstacle. The book describes how companies can set the agenda required to reconfigure supply chains for competitive advantage.

2. Develop an end-to-end process architecture

Cohen and Roussel provide guidance on how to develop simple and robust supply chain processes and the supporting infrastructure that can rapidly be adapted as business strategy evolves. They offer steps organizations can take to decrease supply chain complexity--the single greatest cause of poor return on investment in supply chain management.

3. Design your organization for performance

Success in supply chain management depends on putting the people in place who have the next generation of skills required by supply chain management. The book describes the business management focus required of today's supply chain managers and points the way towards implementing a high performance organization.

4. Build the right collaborative model 

Supply chain collaboration--where the skills and talents of outside partners are leveraged to create benefits for all involved--has in many cases failed to deliver on its promise. This book describes the management framework upon which companies can build successful collaborative relationships.

5. Use metrics to drive business success

The authors help senior officers more effectively use measurement as a management tool by describing how to choose metrics that truly enable their business strategy and drive desired behaviors.

Strategic Supply Chain Management also includes never before published Best-in-Class Company (BICC) performance data based on supply chain research conducted by PRTM's benchmarking subsidiary, The Performance Measurement Group, LLC. This research illustrates the quantitative advantage already being achieved by top organizations.

More information about the book can be found on PRTM's web site: www.prtm.com.

A high resolution image of the book is available at: http://www.prtm.com/assets/images/books/supply-chain/prtm_scc_book.jpg

About the Authors

Shoshanah Cohen and Joseph Roussel are partners in the Worldwide Supply Chain Practice of global management consultancy PRTM. Both were instrumental in PRTM's development of the industry-standard Supply-Chain Operations Reference-model(R) (SCOR(R)) and have worked with numerous management teams to define and implement dramatic improvements in supply chain effectiveness. Cohen, based in Mountain View, California, sits on the editorial advisory board of several industry journals, and speaks frequently at international forums on supply chain issues, as does Roussel, who is based in Paris, France.

About PRTM

PRTM (www.prtm.com) works closely with leading companies worldwide to achieve breakthrough business results--fast. Since 1976, we've delivered measurable value to our clients, earning one of the highest levels of repeat business in the management consulting industry. PRTM is also a recognized thought leader and innovator. There are 14 PRTM offices and more than 400 consultants in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.