品 上海究通大学 SHANGHAI JIAO TONG UNIVERSITY Supply Chain Management 2013 Supply Chain Management 罗岩-1120329046-B1203292 What we can learn from Wal-Mart's Success? Introduction Wal-Mart is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores.The company is the world's third largest public corporation,according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2012,the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees,and is the largest retailer in the world. There are many reasons lead to its success,but the most important one is crossing-docking.Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or railroad car and loading these materials directly into outbound trucks,trailers,or rail cars,with little or no storage in between.This may be done to change type of conveyance,to sort material intended for different destinations,or to combine material from different origins into transport vehicles (or containers)with the same,or similar destination. Background Cross-docking,obviously,obviates part of inventory which was before regarded necessary;thus cross-docking is to some degree an application of JIT (Just in Time) which pursues zero inventory. In the meantime,cross-docking also takes advantage of pull supply chain to improve its flexibility;thus it's also a practice of postponement strategy. Advantages of retail cross-docking: Streamlines the supply chain from point of origin to point of sale; ● Reduces handling costs,operating costs,and the storage of inventory; Products get to the distributor and consequently to the customer faster; ● Reduces,or eliminates warehousing costs; Page 1 Total 4Supply Chain Management 2013 Page 1 Total 4 Supply Chain Management 罗岩 – 1120329046 - B1203292 What we can learn from Wal-Mart’s Success? Introduction Wal-Mart is an American multinational retail corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's third largest public corporation, according to the Fortune Global 500 list in 2012, the biggest private employer in the world with over two million employees, and is the largest retailer in the world. There are many reasons lead to its success, but the most important one is crossing-docking. Cross-docking is a practice in logistics of unloading materials from an incoming semi-trailer truck or railroad car and loading these materials directly into outbound trucks, trailers, or rail cars, with little or no storage in between. This may be done to change type of conveyance, to sort material intended for different destinations, or to combine material from different origins into transport vehicles (or containers) with the same, or similar destination. Background Cross-docking, obviously, obviates part of inventory which was before regarded necessary; thus cross-docking is to some degree an application of JIT (Just in Time) which pursues zero inventory. In the meantime, cross-docking also takes advantage of pull supply chain to improve its flexibility; thus it’s also a practice of postponement strategy. Advantages of retail cross-docking:  Streamlines the supply chain from point of origin to point of sale;  Reduces handling costs, operating costs, and the storage of inventory;  Products get to the distributor and consequently to the customer faster;  Reduces, or eliminates warehousing costs;