Hannah Deacon Joo mag 1 | Page 29

THE EFFICIENCY OF NON-INTEGRATED AND INTEGRATED SUPPLY CHAINS Integration is the act or instance of combining into an integral whole. ‘’Integration is also how businesses improve co ordination so material and information flows efficiently through each stage of the supply chain.’’ There are many advantages of integration: - Improve efficiency across the supply chain -reduce waste created Gain access to the market a lot quicker Staying ahead of the competition Reduce stock holding Can help adjust to customer demand -it is quite difficult to integrate chains. - Dependent on the size of the organization -improve information flow between marketing buying and distribution to ensure all customers’ needs are fulfilled within the store. -cross brand co- ordination within the company for example using the same transportation for multiple brands to save money