Social Media in the Supply Chain: Benefit or Bust?
Posted March 19th, 2013
A recent B2B survey by Aberdeen Group, Inc. found that more than half of the respondents were not using social media in any manner to manage their supply chains. That statistic troubles Terri L. Griffith, a Santa Clara University professor and author of The Plugged-In Manager. Her view is simple – and quite blunt. Companies who are not incorporating social technology into their supply chain “need to get a clue,” she warns. Here are two great reasons why you should follow her advice and go social.
Critical Collaboration
According to Dylan Persaud, president of enterprise software consulting firm Eval-Source, “Social, as it refers to supply chain and manufacturing, means collaboration.” Instead of relying on countless meetings and inbox-busting email chains that are hard to follow, utilizing social media technology allows for streamlined communications with vendors and suppliers. On the manufacturing side, this means clear conversations about the tolerances, materials and workmanship of parts, while on the supply side, real-time discussions can be had regarding stock of raw materials and finished inventory. Persaud points out that in-the-moment, easily accessible exchanges of information provided by social technologies could prove particularly important in life and death industries like aerospace and defense.
Insightful Information
Social media allows companies to gather a wealth of information that can impact their supply chain and manufacturing processes. For example, after a positive review of a stroller by an influential parenting publication, discussions surge on Facebook and Twitter – and so does demand/sales, which could be predicted by monitoring the social chatter. Using consumer feedback to adjust existing products or create new ones is another option. As blogger Paula Natoli of Supply Chain Nation notes in her recent article about social media and the supply chain, “Understanding consumer sentiment around brands and/or other attributes about a product can enable more efficient assortment planning up front – and a better assortment leads to happier consumers, which leads to more sales.” The bottom line is that by using social technologies, an informed company ends up being both responsive and prepared.
The small percentage of companies who are using social media to influence their supply chain and manufacturing management currently use a patchwork of public and private technologies. But Curtis McEntire, founder of business social network Mazree, envisions something much grander: a B2B version of Facebook. In his opinion, “B2B companies will never be able realize the full benefits of social technology until one primary B2B network rises as ‘the place’ for B2B interaction and engagement. For a network to become the destination for communication between buyers and sellers, it must key in on the aspects that bring businesses in supply chain together; provide all players with one network for communication that benefit each of their businesses; and to streamline processes to meet the common goal.”
You can count on Bayside Solutions to incorporate all technologies, both social and traditional, into their search for qualified manufacturing personnel. For assistance in finding temporary or permanent top-notch talent in the Bay Area, contact us today.
