SHIPPERS INTERVIEW Europe
WHEN SPEED REALLY MATTERS
With a complex supply chain, managing the critical reverse logistics process needed to keep the products of Cisco Systems working to their maximum efficiency is quite a task. Ian Martin Jones talks to the head of the department
responsible for the Europe, Middle East and Africa division of the company and discovers why air logistics is a vital part of the everyday supply chain at Cisco
people to connect, communicate and collaborate. As such, the company has one of the most complex supply chains in the IT business, with more than 600 suppliers and some 50,000 purchased parts supporting almost 200 product families, says Frank Hofstee, senior manager, service supply chain operations, technical services Europe at
C 6 AIR LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT
isco Systems is the worldwide leader in networking products and programmes that enable
Netherlands-based Cisco Services. Part of the business remit of Cisco
Services is to guarantee the warranty on Cisco products to the buyers and users of those solutions and “we handle a lot of reverse logistics with equipment coming in for repair, upgrade and routine maintenance,” he said. “To meet the requirement of business-critical hardware having to be replaced in a matter of hours from a defective or potentially broken diagnosis in the
developed countries, to next-business- day delivery in emerging countries, my team manages a fine maze of multiple depots in each country where we store critical spare parts. These parts need to be despatched, replenished and, because of their uniqueness, often need to be repaired or refurbished as well – usually overseas.” In terms of its everyday operation:
“Handling the supply chain is not what Cisco does for a living,” Hofstee stated.
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