Manufacturing cost is one of the principal performance measures negatively affected by inadequate supply-chain coordination. When downstream orders become more variable than actual customer demand, manufacturers must accommodate an unstable production requirement rather than a comparatively smooth consumption pattern.
Organizations generally respond through some combination of excess capacity, overtime, schedule changes, expedited production, additional setups, or higher inventories. These responses reduce resource utilization and increase manufacturing cost per unit. Production plans also become less stable, which can increase changeovers, disrupt procurement schedules, and reduce operating efficiency.
The impact extends beyond manufacturing. Poor coordination also increases inventory cost, replenishment lead time, transportation cost, and shipping and receiving expense. Simultaneously, product availability and profitability tend to decline. The economic consequence is therefore a reduction in total supply-chain surplus.
The established supply-chain performance framework explicitly lists manufacturing cost among the costs increased by lack of coordination.
Quality and reliability remain important supply-chain objectives, while pricing is a commercial mechanism that can itself create coordination problems. However, among the options presented, manufacturing is the recognized cost category in the coordination-performance model.
Reference Topic: Business Value and ROI of Supply Chain Excellence — Manufacturing Cost, Coordination, and Supply Chain Profitability.
