One of the readers asked me about one previous article which I wrote about effective supply chain manager. She asked me what is the positive results will be achieved if a supply chain manager attends in product development sessions or collaborates with the new product development team ?

In order to answer this question, let's start by marketing side of the issue. If for example marketers find that consumers prefer a particular size of yogurt, it might influence package design, which could affect shipment sizes and hence the way product is transported to market. It becomes the supply chain manager's job to inform marketers, early in the game, about the logistical challenges that certain product configurations pose---and to suggest possible alternatives. In order for this to work, the various departments must make the latest information available to one another and hash out solutions collaboratively.

Just as they do for marketers, supply chain managers can provide sourcing information to designers about products in the development pipeline. The supply chain manager might point out the relative costs of different materials, for example, or quality problems that might be raised by a design that calls for highly complex parts. In so doing, supply chain executives play a critical role in helping to shape new products into their most viable forms.