21 marzo de 2018
Warehouse.
Reception of supplies.
Procurement and purchases.
External transport.
Internal transportation.
Inter-company transport.
Distribution.
Treatment and attention of orders.
Recycling of waste and of the products discarded by the customer.
Production planning.
Production control.
Information and communications.
Maintenance.
Sales.
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General Structure of the Distribution Channels
The general structure of the distribution channels present in all distribution networks and used
by different companies to make products and services for final consumption available. In
addition, distribution channels require updates to evolve and process as a result of changes
that occur in the environment.
For the logistics strategy and operation, a strategic plan aligned with the strategic business
plan is built, detailing the mission, vision, strategic objectives and program of actions to guide
the logistic management at all levels, that is: the planning of the inventories, supply, product
receipts, mobility, third-party services, distribution and customer service. Some of the main
characteristics that must be taken into account when planning are the following :
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They have great information about the product, competition and market.
They position the product in the place they consider most appropriate.
Sell products in places that are difficult to access and not profitable for the manufacturer.
You can talk about two levels of channels, direct and indirect:
Direct Channel
Maker--------------------------------------------------> Consumer
Indirect channel
A distribution channel is usually indirect, because there are intermediaries between the supplier
and the user or final consumer. The size of the distribution channels is measured by the
number of intermediaries that form the path that the product travels. Within the indirect
channels can be distinguished between short and long channel.
A short channel has only two steps, that is, a single intermediary between the manufacturer
and the end user. This channel is common in the commercialization of automobiles, household
appliances, designer clothes ... in which the retailers or retailers have the exclusivity of sale for
an area or commit to a minimum of purchases. Another typical example would be the purchase
through a hypermarket or hyper.
Short Channel
Maker---------------------------------> Retailer ----> Consumer
Long Channel
Maker-----------------> Wholesaler ----> Retailer ----> Consumer
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In general, it is considered that short distribution channels lead to reduced retail sales prices
and, conversely, that long distribution channels are synonymous with high prices. This is not
always true; it may be the case that products bought directly from the producer (for example,
wine or dig to a winery, in origin) have a higher sale price than in a commercial establishment.
The following graphic shows the different functions performed by the channel members shown
sequentially.