Integrated Supply Chain Management and Total Quality Management: A New Challenge

In a dynamic international market, quality is not enough. Supply at the right time, place and cost is critical for competitive advantage. The global business competition also is not only between the firms but between supply chains of the firms. Most leading companies have adopted SCM and TQM. However, an integrative implementation of both systems is difficult. It takes time and great effort, and consumes considerable investment due to the extended scope that covers not only internal functions but also the operations of external business partners. If the implementation can, however, be accomplished, costs can be recovered and the organization should reap a great deal of benefits. If the implementation fails, there would be a serious impact on the business performance of an organization.