What is a fractional supply chain expert?
A fractional supply chain professional is a supply chain expert that works for multiple companies on a fractional or part-time basis. This approach makes hiring a supply chain professional with deep experience affordable for almost any budget. The cost of this hire should be seen as an investment in your business. An efficient, well-managed supply chain will generate benefits across the board. As a result, there should be a solid ROI (return-on-investment) for this hire.
The ROI (return on investment) can be in the form of immediate cost savings, reduced production downtime due to material issues, or implementation of supplier contracts to secure pricing and delivery well into the future. In fact, a supply chain expert with deep experience should be able to resolve any supply chain issue, including planning, S&OP implementation, metrics development, supplier selection/development, logistics setup/improvement, and any other outside service-related issues.
Why hire a fractional vs full-time hire?
Hiring a bright supply chain professional with 5-10 years of experience will certainly add value to your business as the supply chain is improved. However, a full-time hire comes not only with a full-time salary commitment but also other employee costs, such as benefits. Instead, when you hire a fractional expert with 15+ years of experience, your only cost commitment is the term you agree to with the fractional company. This allows for great flexibility in labor cost, but also in ramping up for big projects where additional support is needed and scaling down when sales are in decline.
A fractional supply chain expert will be able to leverage their years of experience to develop a supply chain strategy that supports not only the company strategy and goals but also provides a plan for supplier development, cost savings, and cash flow improvement. Once a good strategy is created and implemented, your buyer and planners’ daily actions will be aligned to the company strategy and goals, resulting in predictable results that improve the bottom line.
Finally, the cost of a major supply chain disruption can wreak havoc on your business. If you need help with your supply chain, hire a Fractional Supply Chain expert for the ROI.