Courses in Operations Management and SCM

Logistics has always been one of the departments that has contributed most to the competitiveness of companies. Unstable and changing environments are making it difficult to manage areas of operations. To this must be added the impact of the technological revolution and the emergence of e-commerce.

Companies must be aware of the importance of effectively integrating the supply and logistics chain. With its implementation, organisations can reduce operating costs by 20-30%. However, the new challenges faced by companies are making evident some weaknesses in logistics chain management.

Faced with these volatile and unstable contexts, companies require professionals trained to face the inherent challenges and take advantage of the opportunities that arise.

Therefore, specialised training in operations management and supply chain management (SCM) is increasingly in demand. Operations management requires professionals capable of incorporating Logistics 4.0 into the supply chain to meet the customer needs that the fourth industrial revolution entails.

The supply chain consists of the management of the product or service from planning to consumption. That is, it covers all the steps, including the inherent logistics. This process includes individuals, activities, resources, technology and organisations. And it aims to bring a substantial competitive advantage to the company in which it operates through optimising the resources involved in the company’s distribution chain.

The current, highly digitised, environment requires supply chain managers to be responsible for incorporating new systems which streamline logistics processes.

New requirements require companies to respond to consumer needs in an efficient and sustainable way. This is a great challenge in the area of logistics, as it is increasingly difficult to find strategies that ensure a balance between cost, service and quality.

Digital transformation has changed from a long-term necessity to an ever-present obligation. Operations are evolving towards intelligent ecosystems. This means that the processes, flows and capacities of organisations must adapt to this in the shortest possible time if they are to be competitive in the markets in which they operate.

Operations Management (OM) is one of the functional areas of any business. Like other areas in which a company is involved, operations have also been affected by the impact of the current, unstable business environment.

In addition, globalisation in recent decades and the technological revolution have ensured that organisations have had to transform processes to face these new realities.

The operations management department is responsible for implementing the company’s strategic objectives. To do so, it must manage the resources needed to develop, produce and distribute goods and services to meet the needs of clients.

The main tasks of the Operations Management Department include planning, procurement, execution, delivery and returns. The responsiveness of the business will be determined by the outcomes of these activities.

The COO (Chief of Operations) is the person in charge of leading the company’s operations and managing resources to ensure efficient implementation of business plans.

One of the biggest challenges for the company’s production and operations centres is incipient digital transformation. The emergence of e-commerce and Logistics 4.0 are transforming the processes that make up the distribution chain of the business.

Supply chain management (SCM) and operations management are responsible for maximising the performance of the supply network. In other words, they must strike a balance between the benefits and the costs of storing and distributing products. This makes it possible to optimise stock management.

To do this, they must anticipate and calculate the balance between supply and demand for the products offered by the company. Any imbalance between these elements can lead to large losses for the company.

To be able to offer competitive prices, it is essential to optimise the costs of raw materials and their storage so as not to create waste in inventory resources. The balance between all these elements will be a constant in your day to day management.

In addition to ensuring greater efficiency, quality and levels of service, the SCM must also monitor the activities of the company. The automation of some processes allows the monitoring in real time of the delivery of supplies and production times, among other activities.

With these innovations, better decision-making is achieved thanks to the advantage of having this type of information. The correct implementation of these tools and processes will make the company more competitive and efficient, and thus it will gain a greater market share.

Another of the main functions of the SCM is to identify purchasing trends in order to develop the products which best meet the needs of customers. S/he is also the person in charge of creating a system which will guarantee the delivery of products on time and in perfect condition.

All these logistics and operations tasks contribute to improving the levels of customer experience satisfaction, to say nothing of the economic benefits that can result in reducing costs in logistics processes.