A key to effective supply chain management is an authentic commitment to partnership.
In the past, supply chain relationships were often arm's length and sometimes adversarial. Now, most companies recognize that an efficient supply chain is a competitive necessity that is best achieved through "true" cooperative partnerships that include:
(1) Agreement to mutually beneficial objectives (strategic and operational)
(2) Confidence in respective abilities to execute (to minimize "checking" and task duplication)
(3) Openness, including a willingness to share proprietary information (i.e. "open the books")
(4) Timely and forthright communications regarding both opportunities and challenges
(5) Flexibility to respond to "outlier" situations such as rush orders, special handling, credit crunches.
(6) Adaptability to change, including a willingness to "go own ways" when interests diverge.