TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Survival in today s business environment has become extremely challenging because of the level of coordination that is required. Companies must eliminate barriers between the functional silos within their own organizations. They must replace traditional supplier relationships with win-win relationships, which requires collaboration. Executives and operations managers must understand how to make the supply chain as efficient and effective as it can be in order to give their companies a good chance to succeed in today s competitive business environment.
Part I will provide best practices for improving the POM process between companies and their suppliers and for strengthening relationships at the operational and execution levels. Part I is divided into three chapters (see Figure 1). Chapter 1 provides an executive briefing on POM the process, challenges, solutions, success stories, lessons learned, and the recipe for success for process improvement.
Chapter 2 describes the POM process at the operational level and discusses replenishment philosophies, best practices replenishment programs, and other processes that are directly related to POM such as contract management, material planning, and transportation scheduling. Closing the loop between these processes is crucial in achieving a lean and agile supply chain.
