Hello and welcome to the Supply Chain Consortium.  You have been invited by your peers to participate in a Benchmarking and Best Practices process that has the potential to significantly enhance the performance of your supply chain.  Benchmarking compares your supply chain strategies, operations, processes and performances to that of your peers and to companies that are thought to be exceptional performers.  Best Practices identify the supply chain processes that have proven to deliver superior results in real world implementations.

Listen to the podcast below for more information about how Benchmarking and Best Practices improves your operations - press play to start.

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The initiatives sponsored by the consortium answer many questions for you and other members, including:

	Economic Impact – How do I stack up to my peers?  Where can I improve?
	Costs – Are my supply chain costs competitive?
	Operations – How do my operating characteristics compare to my peers (e.g. freight terms, modes, contract relationships, etc.)?  What operating characteristics are found most often in the best performing supply chains?
	Performance Measurement – How do my peers measure supply chain performance?  Where do they stand in developing measurement processes?  What are their goals?  Where do they stand in achieving those goals?
	Collaboration – How much real collaboration is there today with suppliers and logistics service providers?  How much visibility do you have up and down your supply chain?  What is being done on performance scorecards, incentive programs and innovative contractual relationships?
	Outsourcing – Where and why do my peers use outsourcing?  Does outsourcing result in lower overall costs and better service?
	Technology – What technologies are my peers using in their supply chain operations?  What is working and what is not?  Is there a correlation between the use of technology and supply chain effectiveness?  What are the near term priorities in technology?
	Supply Chain Network – How does the design of my inbound supply chain network compare to my peers?  Is my network more or less efficient?  More or less reliable?
	Organization – How does my organization structure compare to my peers?  Are some organization structures more effective than others?  Where is control for key functions vested?
	Value – How do my peers demonstrate the contribution their operation is making towards overall corporate goals?

All data provided by consortium members are aggregated with data provided by other members.  Company specific data is safeguarded by the review facilitator, Tompkins International, and is not shared with other members or external entities in any form that could be attributed to a specific participant.  Individual responses are kept absolutely confidential.

The Supply Chain Consortium provides a broad range of tools, events and processes to its members to drive world class performance, including:

	Extensive online interviews that collect data on more than 11,000 benchmark and best practice data points
	Hot Topic outreaches that collect, analyze and disseminate insights on current events and breakout trends that merit immediate member consideration
	Online queries and filters for analyzing the data gathered in online interviews and Hot Topics
	A search tool for quickly locating consortium resources on specific issues
	Leadership Forum – two-day events attended by supply chain executives each year to examine the latest benchmarking and best practice data, including breakout sessions focused on key issues that emphasize executive interaction
	Strategic Assessment Dashboard – A "top down" confidential view of each member’s supply chain that answers the fundamental questions – How am I doing overall and where are the gaps?
	Analytical reports – in-depth reports that provide meaningful summaries of benchmarking and best practice data and practical guidance on applying key learning’s
	PeerNet – a shared list of member contact information and functional expertise that fosters the direct exchange of personal experiences in applying best practices
	Topic Forums – open, online discussion forums that allow members to share experiences and insights on a broad range of supply chain issues
	Training Aids – self-paced training courses that guide members through the effective application of each of the consortium’s resources

The links on the Resource Center home page provide additional information on each of these resources.

The Supply Chain Consortium is led by an Advisory Board composed of senior supply chain executives.  The Advisory Board provides guidance on process content, development priorities and peer invitations.  The companies represented on the board include:

The Supply Chain Consortium has been expanded to cover four major industries:

• Distributors/Wholesalers

• Manufacturers

• Retail

• Service Providers

In addition to industry designations, consortium member companies are further defined by market segments as follows:

• Apparel, Fabric and Accessories

• Automotive, Truck and Vehicles

• Beauty, Health and Wellness

• Department Store and Discount

• Electronics and Electricals

• Food and Beverage

• Hardware and Home Improvement

• Hobby, Toys, Arts, Crafts and Sporting Goods

• Home Products/Furniture/Appliances

• Industrial/Commercial Manufacturing

• Pharmaceutical and Drugs

• Service Providers

• Specialty

These industry and market segment designations are useful for filtering the data to provide comparisons of "companies like me".

Tompkins International transforms supply chains for profitable growth.  For more than 35 years, Tompkins has evolved with the marketplace to become the leading provider of growth and business strategy, global supply chain services, distribution operations consulting, information technology implementation, material handling integration, and benchmarking and best practices.  The company is known for innovative, practical solutions that improve supply chain performance and produce value-based results.  Headquartered in Raleigh, NC, Tompkins has offices throughout North America and in Europe and Asia.  For more information, visit www.tompkinsinc.com.