Logistics Manager
  • Logistics
    • A-E
      • 3rd Party Logistics
      • Air Cargo
      • Coronavirus
      • Express & e-delivery
      • Editor’s Blog
    • F-M
      • Health & Safety
      • International logistics
      • Latest issue
      • Logistics & Supply Chain
    • O-Z
      • Ocean Freight
      • Policy and legislation
      • Professional development
      • Rail freight
      • Road transport
      • Sustainability
      • Temperature-controlled
  • Intralogistics
    • Automation
    • Commercial Vehicles
    • Equipment
    • Infrastructure & Services
    • IT & Software
    • Materials handling
    • Packaging
    • Picking and sortation
    • Robotics and innovation
    • Storage
  • Supply Chain
    • A-L
      • Automotive
      • Construction
      • Energy
      • Fashion
      • Food & drink
      • Forecasting
      • Healthcare and Pharma
      • Hi-tech
    • M-Z
      • Manufacturing
      • Military
      • Omni-channel
      • Public Sector
      • Retail
      • SME
      • Sourcing and procurement
      • Supply Chain Analysis
      • Supply Chain Awards
      • Supply Chain Strategy
      • Supply Chain Technology
      • Supply Chain Visibility
      • Technology
  • Property
    • A-M
      • Big Sheds
      • Design & Build
      • East Midlands and East Anglia
      • M25 East
      • M25 West
      • Mid-box
    • M-Z
      • North East & Yorkshire
      • North West
      • Scotland
      • South-West & Wales
      • Speculative Development
      • Urban Warehouses
      • West Midlands
  • Corporate Insight
  • Digital Magazines
    • June 2023
    • May 2023
    • April 2023
    • March 2023
    • February 2023
    • January 2023
  • Events
    • Sustainable Supply Chain Conference
    • ESG Industrial & Logistics Conference
    • Supply Chain Excellence Awards
    • CiTTi Awards
    • IntraLogisteX
    • Robotics & Automation
  • Webinars
LinkedIn Twitter
  • Subscribe
  • Free weekly e-newsletter
  • Free daily e-newsletter
  • Advertise
  • Contact Us
LinkedIn Twitter
Logistics Manager
SUBSCRIBE >
  • Logistics
      • 3rd Party Logistics
      • Air Cargo
      • Coronavirus
      • Express & e-delivery
      • Editor’s Blog
      • Health & Safety
      • International logistics
      • Latest issue
      • Logistics & Supply Chain
      • Ocean Freight
      • Policy and legislation
      • Professional development
      • Rail freight
      • Road transport
      • Sustainability
      • Temperature-controlled
  • Intralogistics
      • Automation
      • Commercial Vehicles
      • Equipment
      • Infrastructure & Services
      • IT & Software
      • Materials handling
      • Packaging
      • Picking and sortation
      • Robotics and innovation
      • Storage
  • Supply Chain
      • Automotive
      • Construction
      • Energy
      • Fashion
      • Food & drink
      • Forecasting
      • Healthcare and Pharma
      • Hi-tech
      • Manufacturing
      • Military
      • Omni-channel
      • Public Sector
      • Retail
      • SME
      • Sourcing and procurement
      • Supply Chain Analysis
      • Supply Chain Awards
      • Supply Chain Strategy
      • Supply Chain Technology
      • Supply Chain Visibility
      • Technology
  • Property
      • Big Sheds
      • Design & Build
      • East Midlands and East Anglia
      • M25 East
      • M25 West
      • Mid-box
      • North East & Yorkshire
      • North West
      • Scotland
      • South-West & Wales
      • Speculative Development
      • Urban Warehouses
      • West Midlands
  • Corporate Insight
  • Events
    • Events News
      • Conferences
      • Exhibitions
      • Top 50
    • Sustainable Supply Chain Conference
    • Industrial & Logistics Property Conference
    • Supply Chain Excellence Awards
    • CiTTi Awards
    • IntraLogisteX
    • Robotics & Automation
  • Digital Magazines
    1. October 2023
    2. September 2023
    3. August 2023
    4. July 2023
    5. June 2023
    6. May 2023
    Featured

    Logistics Manager Magazine October 2023

    2nd October 2023By Michelle Mooney
    Recent
    2nd October 2023

    Logistics Manager Magazine October 2023

    4th September 2023

    Logistics Manager Magazine September 2023

    1st August 2023

    Logistics Manager Magazine August 2023

  • Webinars
LinkedIn Twitter
Logistics Manager
Logistics & Supply Chain

Professor Martin Christopher

Alexandra LeonardsBy Alexandra Leonards1st April 20035 Mins Read
LinkedIn Twitter Email Facebook

When Professor Martin Christopher began his teaching career, nobody knew what a supply chain was, still less studied it. Indeed, the whole idea of studying anything to do with logistics or even distribution was regarded as mildly eccentric, at least in the UK. Slowly, distribution and, later, logistics studies emerged from the shadows.

It wasn’t always realised then – and is not necessarily even today – that ‘making product available is critical to the way you compete. You may prefer Coke to Pepsi but if there is no Coke available, you’ll take Pepsi.’

Obvious, maybe, but how many companies actually build it into their business strategy? Firms often spend a fortune on advertising but little, comparatively, on supply chains. There are some honourable exceptions. ‘How did Dell get to be number one? Sure, they make good computers, but so do other companies. It’s all down to the supply chain.

‘In fashion, Spanish-owned retailer Zara is another of the good guys. In their game, market responsiveness is all, and it changes its merchandise 20 times a year. You couldn’t do that without having supply chain in mind. Wal-Mart got to be the number one US retailer, while K-Mart is in serious financial straits. Both sell much the same kind of goods, but with Wal-Mart, from day one, they aimed to have the lowest cost of getting goods onto the shelves of anyone.’

Supply chain vulnerability
So, for those that grasp the opportunities, modern supply chains can do some remarkable things. But there are also pitfalls. One area Professor Christopher has become increasingly involved in is the issue of supply chain vulnerability, an area of increasing interest to the UK government which had suffered, in rapid succession, the UK fuel strikes in 2000, foot and mouth disease and then 9/11. ‘It all heightened the importance of supply chains, and also brought home that they are very fragile.’ The Department for Transport commissioned the Supply Chain Resilience Report, the second phase of which is expected to be published this spring.

So should we unlearn all the lessons of the past 30 years? ‘There’s nothing wrong with ‘lean’ per se, but you need to know what you’re doing. Over the last decade, we’ve moved manufacturing offshore, so pipelines have stretched. Lean manufacturing is not a bad idea – unless it puts a business at risk. Supply chains need to be agile.

‘However, many strategic decisions are made without any regard for the consequences. Costs, naturally, are the main driver, but the definition of costs has been too narrow. Producing shirts in Indonesia might reduce production costs, but those are only one element. With long pipelines, there is the risk of inventory markdowns. Now maybe it doesn’t particularly matter in this specific area, but in others, like high tech, it might well do.’

A question Professor Christopher likes to ask classes is: ‘What is your longest lead-time?’ (His ‘students’ tend to be senior managers in the industry). ‘Almost everybody has at least one product for which it is three months or more – which significantly limits agility. Moreover, many firms have concentrated on one or two factories or distribution centres in Europe.’

Another interesting statistic comes out: ‘We did a survey some time ago, and found that a tonne of freight moves twice the distance that it did ten years previously. It doesn’t take much for everything to grind to a halt. It could be something relatively mundane, like the recent US ports strikes, let alone an unexpected event like terrorism.’

But would he really want to reverse globalisation? ‘It doesn’t take much to change the equation. Just to take one example, if airlines had to pay duty on aviation spirit, the economics of importing beans wouldn’t look so good.’

Only rarely, if ever, are these issues discussed at board level, yet they are absolutely vital to many firms’ future. ‘It’s not just transport costs – it’s also inventory-carrying costs – we’re perhaps complacent because interest rates are low.’

But long supply pipelines can aggravate inventory problems enormously. ‘If a firm realises it has made a bad buying decision, there may already be three months’ worth of stock in the pipeline. Zara can make a bad decision as well, but their pipeline is only three weeks long.’

 

Professor of marketing and logistics at Cranfield School of Management

  • Started studying what we now know as supply chain management when it was an obscure branch of operational research, initially at Bradford, before moving to Cranfield. The then Martin Christopher teamed up with a visiting academic from the US to write one of the first books on the subject, Customer Service and Distribution Strategy. More recent publications include Logistics and Supply Management and Marketing Logistics.
  • Chairs the Centre for Logistics and Transportation at Cranfield, the largest facility of its type in Europe. In addition, he sits on the council of the Institute of Logistics & Transport where he is an emeritus fellow.
  • Awards include the Sir Robert Lawrence Gold Medal for his contribution to logistics education and, in the US, the Council of Logistics Management’s Foundation Award.
Share. LinkedIn Twitter Facebook Email
Alexandra Leonards

Related Stories

Hai Robotics unveils new robot and picking solution

2nd October 2023

GXO deploys AI to reduce emissions in Iceland supply chain

27th September 2023

Consortium makes first paperless cross-border shipment

25th September 2023
Latest News Stories
3rd October 2023

Bis Henderson Space and Consultancy relaunched as ‘Visku’

2nd October 2023

Godwin Developments secures 54-acre Northamptonshire site

2nd October 2023

West Midlands industrial estate acquired in joint venture

Free weekly e-newsletters

Discover what’s causing a stir in the world of logistics and supply chains


Key Content
  • Digital Magazines
  • Logistics
  • Intralogistics
  • Supply Chain
  • Property
  • Corporate Insight
  • Events News
  • Opinion
Akabo Media
  • About Us
  • Advertising
  • Contact Us
  • Subscribe
  • Free Daily E-Newsletter
  • Free Weekly Top Stories E-Newsletters
  • Free Weekly Supply Chain E-Newsletter
  • Free Weekly Property E-Newsletter
  • Sign up to be notified when we publish a new digital edition
Our Events
  • Sustainable Supply Chain Conference
  • ESG Industrial & Logistics Conference
  • Supply Chain Excellence Awards
  • CiTTi Awards
  • Robotics and Automation Exhibition
  • IntraLogisteX
© 2023 Akabo Media Ltd Registered No 07766641 England | All rights reserved.
Registered Office: Akabo Media, GG.007, Metal Box Factory, 30 Great Guildford St, SE1 0HS
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits.
By clicking “ACCEPT ALL”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
Cookie settingsRejectACCEPT ALL
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
CookieDurationDescription
__cf_bm30 minutesCloudflare set the cookie to support Cloudflare Bot Management.
_zm_chtaid2 hoursZoom sets this cookie to facilitate video conferences via zoom from the website.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
_ga1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to calculate visitor, session and campaign data and track site usage for the site's analytics report. The cookie stores information anonymously and assigns a randomly generated number to recognise unique visitors.
_ga_*1 year 1 month 4 daysGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store and count page views.
_gat_gtag_UA_*1 minuteGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store a unique user ID.
_gid1 dayGoogle Analytics sets this cookie to store information on how visitors use a website while also creating an analytics report of the website's performance. Some of the collected data includes the number of visitors, their source, and the pages they visit anonymously.
CONSENT2 yearsYouTube sets this cookie via embedded YouTube videos and registers anonymous statistical data.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
CookieDurationDescription
OAID1 yearCookie set to record whether the user has opted out of the collection of information by the AdsWizz Service Cookies.
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE5 months 27 daysYouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface.
YSCsessionYoutube sets this cookie to track the views of embedded videos on Youtube pages.
yt-remote-connected-devicesneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt-remote-device-idneverYouTube sets this cookie to store the user's video preferences using embedded YouTube videos.
yt.innertube::nextIdneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
yt.innertube::requestsneverYouTube sets this cookie to register a unique ID to store data on what videos from YouTube the user has seen.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
CookieDurationDescription
TS018dd1basessionDescription is currently not available.
TS01f92dc5sessionDescription is currently not available.
SAVE & ACCEPT
Powered by CookieYes Logo