Supply Chain Essay

The criteria of our report was to purchase the materials for the shelving unit through the fair trade channels, therefore we have decided to purchase our wood from Wicks DIY store the reason being is firstly they sell fair trade wood and also, much of the wood used in these products is produced by members of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), an international agency that promotes responsible management of the world’s forests. Buying FSC certified products from Wickes guarantees that the forests from where the timber was harvested are being managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards.

For the main structure of our shelving unit we are using wood. There are various types of wood which could be used however; we are using melamine faced chip board panels also known as furniture panels. These panels are mostly used for furniture shelving and many other applications. We chose this specific wood because it is good quality finished wood which already varnished and glossed and also it is priced reasonably. Chipboard will be used for the notice board which will be attached within the shelving unit.

To complete the notice board we will need to affix a sheet of magnetic and wipe-able material on the chipboard therefore we have decided to purchase a complete notice board from a company named Moores who have been established as a manufacturer of quality noticeboards including magnetic dry wipe boards and felt and cork pinboards since 1977. they have quality products that are produced within their factory by craft mans and they purchase their wood from third world countries such as Uganda.

the notice board we require is the megneticdry/wipe white board. Seeing as we are unable to purchase fair trade materials within the supply chain channels we will again purchase fibreboard from Wicks DIY store. Fibreboard MDF is steaming softwood chippings of birch and larch they are reduced to fine wood fibres. Chippings or birch and larch after reduction are then bonded together with resin and pressed into boards in a similar way to conventional chipboard.

Mostly drawers are lined with this material for support therefore we will also be using fibre board as the under lining of our drawers . Within our shelving unit we have a compartment which is placed inside the drawer which holds and organise all type of stationery. We decided to have this compartment as an additional feature because we believe that as a student it is necessary all our stationery is organised therefore this will contribute. We also have a rack which holds CDs within the shelving unit which is made of plastic.

We will purchase the CD rack and the drawer organiser from Ikea mainly because we couldn’t find any fair trade plastic and also because it is much valuable to buy ready made then producing our own. According to Baily (1978) to search out and weight up, and eventually select, sources of supply is a very important part of the buying function. Some argue it is the most important part. The place which has been decided to manufacture, package and distribute our product is from Park Royal, is one of the economic drivers of London.

Home to world-class companies as well as too many hundreds of small and medium-sized businesses, it is constantly renewing and reinventing itself in line with new opportunities in changing markets. by having our manufacturing plant in Park Royal we will have the advantage to distribute our product around stores within the UK in less time because there are many interlinked motorways such as A4, M1, North circular and other motorways. More original goods are introduced to the market and perhaps customers needs and wants change over a period of time.

There are price cuttings and more and more merchandise start to disappear the market. As it is widely known that the product life cycle for a shelving unit is continuous just like other everyday products such as shoes, jackets, home furniture etc. The list goes on and on. However, some of these items need something special added in order for them to maintain itself in the product life cycle. For example in the case of the shoes perhaps a unique feature could possibly be added which might be something specially designed to perfectly fit your feet and be absolutely comfortable in it.

Since we have designed and made a shelving unit for students all of which were made from fair-trade material, it is possible to create an exclusive feature that will ensure it to sustain the development in the product life cycle. The shelving unit’s unique feature is of course the corkscrew. If you refer to appendix x you will see the diagram show casing the design and where the corkscrew appears. This feature was created primarily for its usefulness. Students will not need to bother on writing on note pads or books, the cork is just there in front of you and it is easy to write on immediately.

As a group a particular design was chosen for the final product and it has to be said that the final version looks really good. Furthermore this particular shelving unit accommodates all of student needs. If you refer to table 1 in appendix z, you can see how the product life cycle has been continued after the decline section. This was done because our shelf offers students something that other shelves do not offer. This helps us in the sense of that the shelving unit will rise up again and will continue to do so. Don’t know where to keep all your things?

Then look no further than your shelving unit. It is really amazing how much possessions you can collect when you are away studying at college or university. Not to mention the stress implicated when you unexpectedly realise you need to gather all your books and other belongings somewhere. Well that’s when a shelving unit comes in handy. The shelving unit offers students all the space you can think of. This is so essential and ideal for a student to put all their belonging such as book, laptop, files and so on and so forth.