SUPPLY CHAIN ​​MANAGEMENT IN THE BAKERS FOOTWEAR INDEX • Executive Summary • Phase I: Move the process to a new warehouse in Shenzhen • Phase II: Develop a postponement strategy for maritime transportation • Phase III: Refine the system • Next step: Introduce domestic products • The big gain • Conclusion INTRODUCTION Supply chain management (SCM) is the process of planning, implementing and controlling supply chain operations with the aim to meet customer needs as efficiently as possible. Supply chain management encompasses all movements and storage of raw materials, processing inventories and finished products from the point of origin to the point of consumption. The term supply chain management was coined by consultant Keith Oliver, of the strategic consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton in 1982. reduce overall transit times.DC Bypass, a supply chain strategy that allows products to be shipped directly from manufacturing facility to retail store and “bypass” traditional DC operations, it is an ideal solution for companies looking to streamline their import operations, reduce costs and shorten delivery times. By importing from the source and delivering directly to the store, importers, especially in the specialty retail, footwear and mass merchandising industries, can eliminate days from the supply chain, reduce stockouts and lower total landed costs. This strategy Distribution can be implemented by loading containers with your own goods or with a mix of retail and wholesale goods for a particular gateway with pre-labeled cartons for shipping to the final destination. Then, based on container availability, goods are moved cross-country or across the street to a cross dock facility where they are segregated for final delivery to the store without having to be handled and relabeled at a distribution center. Although DC Bypass is a strategy that has been around for years, most importers have been reluctant to adopt it due to gaps in information systems and supply chain infrastructure. Bakers Footwear Group, Inc. took this as a challenge to first identify ways to improve flow and reduce costs through the distribution network, then implement DC Bypass.