Amazon tops Apple for Supply Chain Leadership

Authored by Pete Hodgkinson

When you think of the best supply chains in the world, Apple and Amazon almost always come to mind. But which company is the best?

According to a new survey by SCM World of more than 1,100 executives, 58% of respondents admire Amazon most for its supply chain management practices. Only 37% said Apple was the best (5% said neither). Amazon also won the battle in three out of four practice areas:

• Agility (62% to 33%) — the ability to quickly and cost-effectively shift amounts or type of production to improve operational performance 

• Collaboration (59% to 31%) – the ability to work across organisational boundaries to solve systematic operational problems and create new value for both customers and partners. 

• Execution (57% to 38%) – the consistent and reliable delivery against commitments and within budgeted expenses. 

Not surprisingly, though, Apple won the fourth category — innovation — in a landslide, taking 78% of the votes. The results are a reversal of Gartner’s Supply Chain Top 25 for 2012, which ranked Apple first and Amazon second.

Which supply chain do you admire most and why?

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