Gartner: Unilever heeft nu een van de beste supply chains in de wereld

Het Europese Unilever staat opnieuw op nummer één in de nieuwe Supply Chain Top 25 van Gartner. Het belangrijkste criterium waarop Gartner bedrijven voor de supply chain top 25 beoordeelt, is de mate waarin zij op een zo winstgevende manier inspelen op de veranderende vraag van de markt.

Apple, Amazon en Procter & Gamble hebben sinds 2015 een eigen Masters categorie. Gartner zegt over deze categorie: ' This highlights the accomplishments and capabilities of long-term supply chain leaders in the Top 25. Companies qualify for the Masters category if their composite score places them in the top 5 rankings for at least 7 out of the past 10 years'.

Gartner over Unilever:

"Unilever remains at No. 1 this year based, in part, on high opinion poll votes reflecting its strong supply chain brand and a perfect 10 on its CSR component score. Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan sets ambitious goals, such as halving the environmental footprint of the manufacture and use of its products, even as its business grows. 

Unilever has incorporated systemic environment monitoring and response planning into its highly automated S&OP process. On its factory floors, it has deployed a mobile application that captures real-time manufacturing performance measures for time, material, equipment and labor to determine areas of opportunity. Some of Unilever's other digital factory initiatives include use of collaborative robots and virtual reality simulators to automate repetitive manual tasks and improve safety, operation and maintenance of equipment. Its technicians also use augmented reality glasses to record and share best practice maintenance procedures.

Unilever completed a 5-year project to revamp its European distribution network, resulting in a 20 percent reduction in trucking, about €1.1 billion in savings and a 40 percent reduction in capital expenditure. Employees were embedded in local organizations for new product development and managing demand. Unilever redesigned its distribution network, from a point-to-point network to a 'courier-type approach' with nine hubs across Europe that consolidate the movement of all materials".

Source: Gartner.com

De top 25 voor 2017:

1. Unilever
2. McDonald's
3. Inditex
4. Cisco Systems
5. H&M
6. Intel
7. Nestlé
8. Nike
9. Colgate-Palmolive
10. Starbucks
11. PepsiCo
12. 3M
13. Johnson & Johnson
14. The Coca-Cola Company
15. Nokia
16. BASF
17.  Schneider Electric
18. Wal-Mart Stores
19. HP Inc.
20. L'Oréal
21. Kimberly-Clark
22. BMW
23. Diageo
24. Lenovo
25. Samsung Electronics

Masters: Apple, Amazon en Procter & Gamble

Gartner: Learn from the latest trends and innovative practices of the top global supply chains:

• Build digital supply chain capabilities, internally and with partners, in areas that best meet the strategic business objectives of your company and customers.
• Apply agile development techniques and a modular supply chain service approach to more quickly respond to changing supply and market conditions.
• Invest in programs that ensure the ongoing health of the people, environmental and partner ecosystems your company relies on for competitive advantage.