Drake Foodmarkets Exclusive Interview with Bean Media Group and Australia's Best Magazine
Bean Media Group's interview with Drake Foodmarkets appeared in the award-winning magazine 'Australia's Best'. Drake's purchasing guru David Ronson discussed supply chain management strategies and how the company is so successful.
(PRWEB) May 1, 2008
Australia's Best Food and Drink Magazine received praise from many industry professionals. Here is the article on Drake Foodmarkets that appeared in the magazine.
As part of Drake's culture, they pursue a standard of excellence, maintain personal and professional integrity and are supportive and cooperate with others. They recognise there is a strong relationship between culture and performance and they are continuously working to improve on building an achievement culture (a culture that has seen their Net Profit
After Tax grow).
Their particular focus is on their leaders who help achieve results and make Drake Foodmarkets a great place to work.
Successful leaders at Drake Foodmarkets not only deliver consistently strong results, but they
Also deliver them in the right way. They are not just interested in what people deliver, but how they deliver.
They know this is critical to their ability to plan for the future growth of business.
David Ronson, Confectionery/Bulk foods buyer for Drakes talks to Australia's Best Food & Drink about the importance of supply chain management to Drakes and why their suppliers are key to their success.
"The basic fundamentals of supply chain management and its importance to our business are simply that without stock there is nothing to sell. It is important to focus on minimising out of stocks and maximising stock on hand as this gives the consumer a broader range of options and convenience resulting in happy customers.
"Technology alone cannot solve the issue of out of socks, but people can. One thing that sets Drakes apart from the chains is that our managers have more line accountability and the power
To make localised ranging decisions. If suppliers cannot keep up with demand then their products are replaced with ones that will not be out of stock.
Suppliers soon get the message on just how highly having stock available is regarded in Drakes.
"The difficulty that independents are faced with is that there is less direct control through the supply chain process, as much of the product is warehoused by an external source.
Another factor that supports supply chain management is strong two-way communication with third parties. The better the communication is the more controlled the process will be from
Start to finish.
Drake Foodmarkets have a top to top agreement with key suppliers. Generally the healthier the relationship with a supplier is the more fruitful the partnership will be for both parties. Drakes undertake business plans with all key suppliers that generate quantifiable targets in key areas.
These targets are put in place with the goal of developing the business in
Identified areas.
"Suppliers have recognised the fact that an effective strategy through thorough market research and good communication leads to profitable results for both parties. Suppliers are key to the ongoing success of Drake Foodmarkets. It is this support that is vital in assisting us in countering the might of the duopoly. Building relationships with direct suppliers also helps in extending our range with products that are not supported by the chains. This enables Drakes to offer its customers a wider range and a better overall shopping experience".
Australia's Best Food and Drink Magazine can be found here (http://www. australiasbestmagazine. com. au/publications/Food%20and%20Drink%20Magazine. pdf)
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