2.) Describe the Supply Chain Management problems encountered by Limited Brands in this case. What was their business impact?
Limited Brands supply chain problems climaxed in 2002 when a distribution center was bombarded with 400 trailers of merchandise at a facility that is designed for only 150. This 'logjam' backed up onto one of the freeways creating a local publicity disaster for an otherwise shimmering business image. The "catastrophe" brought visibility to a growing supply chain problem within the company.
Limited Brands had been growing very rapidly for many years leading up to 2002. Most of this growth was through acquisitions. The acquired companies typically had their own supply chain software which meant that Limited Brands was running sixty major systems with hopes of keeping everything organized. As was demonstrated in 2002 this would not be possible. Because the different systems did not have the ability to communicate to one another, there was no way to ensure proper coordination.
3.) What management, organization, and technology factors were responsible for these problems?
Management: The very rapid growth of Limited Brands was a driving force for the supply chain mess that was to come. Decisions to acquire companies, although potentially beneficial for the bottom line, must be well planned and orchestrated to make sure problems such as this one don't arise.
Organization: The organizational problems were clear. People did not know what was going where, when. They were pretty much operating blindly not knowing if a shipment would arrive on time or if it was headed to the right location. For a company this big and wide spread it was not an option to have such disorganization.
Technology: The main technology issue was the various legacy programs controlling specific materials throughout the supply chain. The use of mergers and acquisitions provided for a variety of supply chain management programs that could not be linked together intensifying the mess the company was already in.
4.) How did Limited Brands solve these problems? What management, organization, and technology issues were addressed by the solution?
Limited Brands set out to revolutionize their supply chain software. The company hoped to be able to "develop an enterprise-wide view of the supply chain" (385) by eliminating the legacy systems and consolidating it into one system. They hoped this would allow the customer to be at the front and back of the supply chain and allow them to address their customer's needs easier.
Management: Limited Logistics Services launched several programs in attempt to ease the supply chain problems. They created two regional docking centers on either coast as a way to funnel products from the shipments directly to the stores. This reduced time to market by 10 days and allowed for more dependable deliveries.
Organization: Limited Brands united their entire information operations under one entity called Limited Technologies Services. This allowed for a fully operating 750 employee subsidiary with a budget of $150 million to maintain operations and functionality of all Limited IT systems.
Technology: Contracted Tibco to create a global SCM software to allow Limited to track the flow through the supply chain. Also enabled OSCAR (outbound supply chain and reporting) allowing the company to access real time records of shipments and gain a better grasp on their deliveries.
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