ISMM holds 20th convocation

The Institute of Supply and Materials Management (ISMM), the National Institute for Supply Chain Management conducted its 20th convocation on 18 December 2011 at the auditorium of Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies.

The convocation was held under the patronage of Professor P.W. Epasingha, Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka and Chairman Information and Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA) as the Chief Guest and MAS Holdings Group Director Dian Gomes as the Guest of Honour.

Prof. Epasingha speaking to the gathering said that supply chain management is one of the key areas for the success of a business and he is happy to see the progress of ISMM. He brought to the notice of the gathering the importance of the Information Technology as well and requested the graduates who are passing out to focus on important areas of the business.

Gomes said that the passing out students must not think that they have come an end but instead should now begin the journey and learn more on the subject to be an efficient professional. He also reiterated the importance of two areas such as courage and integrity. He stressed that good leaders should have courage to meet the challenges in the competitive environment.

ISMM President Danesha Perera addressing the gathering brought to the notice of the students and the gathering the importance of having sustainable Supply Chain Model in an organisation. He indicated that having a sustainable supply chain is a lot more difficult than just having a sustainable company.

The triple bottom line consists of the natural environment, society or social responsibility, and economic performance. He stresses that achieving success in sustainable supply chain model companies should focus on “enablers” such as strategy, organisational culture, transparency and risk management. He said a reasonable strategic question might be, “How do we build in affordable sustainability that will best enhance the lasting profitability of the firm and its critical supply chains?”

Perera reiterated that productivity should not come at the expense of the environment or key stakeholders such as employees and suppliers. Productivity is doing more with less. It does not have to be taking advantage of powerless entities in the supply chain. It can be reducing costs or reducing resources needed to operate. The culture of sustainability within the firm and across the supply chain should be deeply ingrained.

He quoted one Fortune 500 Purchasing Manager as saying “I can do more to improve sustainability with one purchase order than 1,000 protestors can do with all their efforts.”

A supply chain where information moves transparently up and down the supply chain facilitates coordination and management of manufacturing and logistical activities. When we envisage, every now and then the discipline of supply chain management in a risk management context an argument could be made that supply chain visibility is actually part of a risk management strategy.

As a part of a good risk management strategy we should consider reducing “blind spots” in the supply chain by avoiding supply disruptions as part of a risk management strategy by including contingency planning for supply-chain events.

Finally Perera eagerly request the students who passed out after going through a very complex and versatile study program for a period of three years to consider the sustainability of supply chain management in their organisations and use the cross functional knowledge gathered to meet the challengers in the developing and competitive environment.