Shipping and the Supply Chain: Material Supplier to Manufacturer

The supply chain is the process that is taken to turn raw goods into products that are then distributed to retail stores, which are consequently purchased by consumers. Each link in the supply chain depends upon courier services to help get the job done. In this article, let’s take a look at the first link in the chain: from component/raw material supplier to manufacturer.

Let’s say that we are making a toy truck for sale in stores nationwide. Now, a toy truck doesn’t just start out looking like it does in the store. It starts out with pieces of metal, plastic and rubber – the raw goods. When a manufacturer of toy trucks needs to process another order of trucks for assembly, it places an order to its supplier. It requests a certain number of sheets of the needed metal, plastic and rubber. The supplier, after receiving the order, then sends the order out to the warehouse, where the warehouse manager will direct the employees under him to gather and box the requested materials.

The warehouse workers will then ensure that the materials are packaged properly: that the boxes are strong and can handle the weight, that any packing that is needed is placed inside of the box, and that it is sealed up tightly with tape. They will place the boxes together and will check and double-check the shipment to make sure that is correctly mirrors the order that was placed by the manufacturer.

At this point, whoever is in charge of shipping orders will need to contact the company’s local parcel delivery service. They will need to report how many packages there are to be shipped, the dimensions of each box and the approximate weight of the parcel. Some companies may be able to print out shipping labels on site and affix them to the package, while others may wait for the local courier to bring the necessary labels at time of pick-up. Normally, there are numerous boxes that need to be shipped as large-scale manufacturers place mammoth-sized orders.

Once the courier arrives, he scans each box as he loads them onto his truck. The scanning is part of the track and trace system, which helps customers as well as the courier stay abreast at all times of the whereabouts of their package. Depending on how far away the manufacturer is located, the parcel may make a few different stops before it reaches its final destination at the headquarters of the manufacturer. Hence is link one of the supply chain from the vantage point of the courier.