Research On The Supply Chain Management Of Apple Inc. In The Model Of IPhone Manufacturing Outsourcing

With the continuous deepening of economic globalization, enterprises can choosesuppliers in the worldwide to construct its supply chain, and then sharpen its corecompetitiveness. Manufacturing outsourcing has become a common operationstrategy and increases the new challenge to the supply chain management because ofthe potential risk of out of control. But this strategy adopted by more and moreenterprises, and many enterprises has achieved rapid development by this strategy.This study based on the theory of manufacturing outsourcing and the supply chainmanagement, and selected Apple Inc. as the research object which is the customer ofFoxconn Group where author worked for three years. And the study analyzes thechange, growth and innovation of Apple supply chain management based on theiPhone manufacturing outsourcing. Apple Inc. has its own knack in four key elementsin supply chain management, such as demand management, supply management,production management and logistics management. Through streamlining product line,brand marketing to position in high-end, and bundling-sale with TelecommunicationService Providers, Apple Inc. managed the demand admirably. Apple Inc control eachnode in the supply chain closely from the raw material suppliers, final productassembly factories to Logistics company and then to make Apple Inc. as the core ofthe supply chain system. The efficient operation system helps Apple Inc. to be on salequickly, to seize global market, and to achieve high growth. However Apple Inc.should balance the interests of some other enterprises effectively in the supply chain,and establish an effective supply collaboration system. The supply chain managementof Apple Inc. has become the industry benchmark, and the whole industry have beenstudying and learning the strategy of the manufacturing outsourcing and supply chainmanagement of Apple Inc. However it is not easy to simply imitate the Apple Incsimply.