Materials management is the process of analyzing, maintaining, and managing the supply chain. This is the planning and execution of these supply chains that ensure the business or company meets the overall material requirement.
In addition, this is also the rate that lowers the overall expenditure of the business whilst optimizing the quality of the material.
This process has become exceptionally important within every industry, from builders to healthcare—materials management has ensured the optimized supply flow and financing of many companies and businesses.
Materials management is a process that yields many benefits. The most important of these benefits is a lowered overall expenditure for the business.
Some of the other benefits include:
While these are not all the benefits that come with material management, they prove to be some of the highest impact difference-makers within many aspects of various industries.
To better understand the process of materials management, it is easier to explain each of the components that it deals with.
Some of these components include:
Each process is important to the overall materials management function and will differ from industry to industry. Here is some critical information on each component and how it functions.
The raw materials that a business or company requires often make up the majority of the overall expenditure.
Maintaining a balance between obtaining high-quality raw materials and keeping their cost competitive is crucial for the success of any materials management function.
This component of materials management ensures that the raw materials procured meet the business's material requirements and are of high quality, while also being available at a lowered price.
Indirect materials are those that are utilized in the manufacturing of a product, including raw materials and natural resources.
Ensuring the quality of these materials is crucial to the final product's success, as previously mentioned. Meeting the requirements is crucial to the business's success because any delay or bottleneck in the production process can have a significant impact on overall productivity.
Optimizing the supply chain is a crucial step toward the overall production process. Efficiently meeting the business's needs at a lowered rate is a key function of materials management in optimizing the supply chain process.
A reliable and efficient supplier, coupled with a positive working relationship, plays a significant role in achieving this goal.
The timing and flow of materials are crucial. This component goes hand-in-hand with the supply chain process.
Deliveries of the materials and the flow need to be efficiently maintained in order to keep the business effectively running. Materials management often ensures that these processes are always met and that there are no issues with the overall flow of supply chain, timing, and flow.
Direct materials refer to the material components that are the most important to the production process. The need for this has to always be met because they form the fundamentally important basis from which the business functions.
The cost of these direct materials is often higher than the rest which means that it is imperative for the materials management function to obtain them at a lowered and quality-driven cost.
Supply chain management refers to the relationships that the business holds with its suppliers. Materials management, on the other hand, ensures that these relationships are always good and effective.
The reason this is so important is that maintaining the overall supply chain is a fundamental process that needs to be well-optimized to ensure the overall efficiency of the business. The first step toward a lowered expenditure and acquiring quality materials is at the supply chain.
Maintaining the life cycle of the materials is another essential function. Depending on the industry, materials have a certain life span that they last before newer materials need to be bought.
Materials management takes this into account and forecasts the average life cycle and materials need so that newer materials are only bought when it is needed. This ensures that the usage of your materials is maximized without unwanted waste.
A production schedule and cost of production is a forecast of the overall production process.
Understanding where the costs come from and the estimated schedule for the production is important in lowering the overall costs. The reason for this is that when a business understands where the costs are directed, it is easier to optimize the efficiency of a task.
Materials management has quickly become one of the most important functions within a business. Understanding the components that it deals with is the first step in making an overall effective change in the costs that a business faces.
Supply chain management, quality control, and producing quality products are all factors that the materials management function assists in optimizing.
Working in the healthcare industry is a large task on its own and receiving consultative assistance in your materials management could be the added boost that you need.
Offering high-quality storage equipment and consultative assistance to the health industry has been our goal and we always ensure that sterile processing departments, operating rooms, and healthcare supply chains receive the best in service and storage equipment.To receive proper compliance and sound materials management services that allow you to provide your patients with the best, contact us at 800-393-6090 at Distribution Systems International today!
With 21 years of sales management, marketing, P&L responsibility, business development, national account, and channel management responsibilities under his belt, Ian has established himself as a high achiever across multiple business functions. Ian was part of a small team who started a new business unit for Stanley Black & Decker in Asia from Y10’ to Y14’. He lived in Shanghai, China for two years, then continued to commercialize and scale the business throughout the Asia Pacific and Middle East regions for another two years (4 years of International experience). Ian played college football at the University of Colorado from 96’ to 00’. His core skills sets include; drive, strong work ethic, team player, a builder mentality with high energy, motivator with the passion, purpose, and a track record to prove it.
