McDonald’s Supply Chain Issues and Process
McDonald’s supply chain issues are diverse considering the vast number of outlets that the company operates. Its supply chain process on the other hand, though comprising a vast network of individuals and companies is pretty straightforward.
This multinational fast-food chain began as a restaurant in 1940. It got rebranded as a self-service drive-through restaurant in 1948. The company was converted to a franchise in the 1950s as a result of an agreement between the owners, Richard and Maurice McDonald, and a multimixer salesman, Ray Croc. The company has operated as a franchise ever since this conversion.
Based on a 2022 business valuation, the brand has been listed as the 6th highest global brand. It currently operates in over 100 countries with over 38,000 restaurants that serve about 69 million customers daily.
Considering the successes of the brand and some of the challenges it has faced over the years, we shall discuss McDonald’s supply chain process, management, and some issues that arise in the supply chain.
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What is a supply chain?
Supply chains are usually common in fast food chains like McDonald’s which offer consumers a diversity of products through their restaurants. They are also common in all business corporations that are into the manufacturing of goods be it clothes, cars, electronics, machinery, equipment, furniture, etc.
Companies that have a supply chain usually manage activities in the supply chain to ensure a smooth and efficient flow of goods leading to the meeting the customer needs. This is known as supply chain management.
The McDonald’s supply chain process comprises the varied steps involved in the company’s operational procedure. From the start of the supply chain in sourcing ingredients to the final step of getting the meals on their menu to the customers at their outlets.
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What is the supply chain for Mcdonald’s?
The above indicates that although McDonald’s supply chain is structured in a straightforward way, it is a robust network of direct and indirect suppliers that help to meet the company’s huge demand for foodstuffs and other items.
McDonald’s commitment to quality, consistency, and sustainability means that its suppliers must meet not only the required quantities but must also meet the company’s quality standards as well.
By upholding quality standards, the company ensures that customers around the world can enjoy their favorite McDonald’s meals with confidence. The structure of McDonald’s supply chain process further ensures that consumers get to access meals at the most affordable rate possible.
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Mcdonald’s supply chain flow chart
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McDonald’s supply chain process
- Raw material sourcing and suppliers
- Distribution centers and transportation
- Restaurant orders and operation
- Menu standardization
- Customer service
Raw material sourcing and suppliers
McDonald’s supply chain process starts with the sourcing of raw materials. Being one of the companies with vertical integration, the company owns some aspects of its supply chain in the production of raw materials.
They also procure a range of ingredients such as beef, chicken, fish, potatoes, baking supplies, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, and various condiments from their teeming suppliers. These suppliers include both individuals and corporate organizations who produce food ingredients.
Apart from the ingredients for meals, McDonald’s also works with a vast network of suppliers to source for other items such as packaging, serviettes, cutlery, and other materials.
McDonald’s sets specific guidelines for each ingredient that they purchase in terms of quality standards, food safety protocols, and sustainability requirements.
In order to keep up with the company’s strict quality, safety, and ethical standards, McDonald’s maintains long-term relationships with most of its suppliers. For instance, the company has maintained McCain and OSI food solutions as its UK suppliers for potatoes and red meat products respectively for over 40 years. This long-term supplier relationship ensures McDonald’s suppliers understand the company’s requirements better and have also developed a certain degree of loyalty to the brand.
The company also initiates partnerships that are beneficial to them and the suppliers as well. For example, McDonald’s partnership with Keystone Foods resulted in the development of Chicken McNuggets in the late 1970s which became available in selected restaurants from 1982. This benefitted McDonald’s by increasing their menu offerings to customers and it benefitted Keystone Foods by creating a demand for boneless chicken meat.
McDonald’s suppliers
McDonald’s suppliers vary based on the region but typically include agricultural producers, meat processors, food manufacturers, and packaging companies. Below is a list of some companies and individuals that are part of McDonald’s suppliers.
Table showing McDonald’s suppliers and items they supply
| Name of McDonald’s suppliers (individual or company) | Ingredient supplied |
|---|---|
| Coca-Cola | Beverages |
| Lopez Foods | Beef |
| Hildebrandt Farms | Milk |
| McCain | Potatoes and Hash browns |
| Gaviña Gourmet Coffee | Coffee |
| Milking R Dairy | Milk |
| 100 Circle Farms | Potato |
| Detpak | Food packaging |
| Mike Dietrich | Apple |
| Taylor & Fulton Farms | Tomatoes |
| Cargill protein | Eggs |
| Fresh Express | Salad |
| Cargill Protein | Chicken, beef, fish, and pork |
| Kenny Longaker | Fish |
| Transcend Packaging | Paper straws |
| Leo Dietrich & Sons | Apple |
| OSI Food Solutions | Beef patties |
| Taylor Company | Grills, ice cream machines, and shake equipment |
| Dirk Giannini | Lettuce |
| Tyson Foods | Chicken, beef, fish and pork |
| Aryzta | Buns, English muffins, hotcakes, and McCafe cakes |
| Frank Martinez | Potato |
| Forsman Farms | Eggs |
| Eurofresh | Fresh fruits and vegetables |
Distribution centers and transportation
This aspect of McDonald’s supply chain process deals with getting the various raw materials that have been sourced and supplied to the company’s regional distribution centers. The distribution centers help streamline the supply chain by consolidating and managing inventory because they act as hubs for receiving, storing, and redistributing products to McDonald’s restaurants in their respective countries.
McDonald’s currently has about 200 distribution centers worldwide, the number of distribution centers in a country varies based on the number of restaurants that operate in that particular country. In the United Kingdom, for example, the company has 4 distribution centers that cater to the 1,395 restaurants in the country.
When moving products, from the distribution centers to the restaurants, McDonald’s utilizes various transportation methods, including trucks, trains, and in some cases, ships.
The transportation process, especially that of food ingredients is carefully managed to ensure timely delivery of the foodstuff while maintaining product freshness and quality. This is especially necessary for temperature-sensitive ingredients such as fish which require specific temperatures to maintain freshness. Hence part of the transportation systems includes trucks or trains fitted with temperature control mechanisms.
Therefore, the logistics system is equipped for either cold storage or dry storage depending on what they are transporting. In this logistics aspect of McDonald’s supply chain, the company owns some trucks and partners with third-party logistics providers to handle the transportation logistics efficiently.
Some of the third-party logistics providers that aid the smooth operation of the McDonald’s supply chain process include Martin Brower Global, Armada, Mile Hi Foods, Anderson-DuBose Company, Havi Logistics, and Earp Distribution.
Restaurant orders and operation
Another aspect of the supply chain process of McDonald’s is the restaurant orders and its operations. McDonald’s restaurants will place orders with the distribution centers for the specific items they need based on the estimated number of customers they serve and the meals that are most ordered in that particular restaurant.
The ordering system takes the aforementioned into consideration to minimize wastage, ensure efficiency, and maintain the desired output levels for each restaurant.
Upon delivery of the ordered items to the restaurant, the restaurant staff receives the products and stores them in appropriate storage areas, such as refrigerators, freezers, and dry storage. McDonald’s has detailed guidelines and standard operating procedures for handling and storing ingredients to maintain their quality and safety.
Menu standardization
Menu standardization is one of the critical aspects of McDonald’s supply chain, through it, the company strives to offer consistent menu items and tastes across its restaurants worldwide. This means that although there might be some variance in certain meals to keep up with the particular geographical demands, McDonald’s largely maintains a standardized menu such that you can buy the same types of meals across its restaurants.
For instance, fast foods such as the Big Mac, Chicken McNuggets, Filet-O-Fish, and Chessburger can be bought in any McDonald’s outlet worldwide. In order to achieve this Menu standardization, McDonald’s ensures that its suppliers provide standardized ingredients that can meet the company’s requirements as well as customer demands.
McDonald’s restaurants are expected to follow specific recipes and cooking procedures when preparing diverse products. This consistency is maintained through regular audits, quality checks, and ongoing supplier relationships.
Customer service
The last step in McDonald’s supply chain process is the services offered to consumers through its restaurants. Among the over 38,000 McDonald’s outlets worldwide, more than 80 percent are owned by independent franchisees. This large percentage of the restaurants being franchises allows McDonald’s corporate to be more focused on earlier steps along its supply chain process. This in turn enables the franchisees to better dedicate themselves to their restaurants.
By actively participating in earlier steps of its supply chain process, McDonald’s can effectively supply the ingredients needed by its restaurants at the best possible prices through its distribution centers. The restaurants make the meals that customers order based on the company’s recipes and quality standards.
Usually, it is after an order is placed that the meal gets prepared, this method has been adopted by the company to maintain the taste and nutrients of the foods they serve. It also aids in curtailing waste and boosts efficient meal preparations.
McDonald’s has employed the use of technology in the customer service aspect of its supply this aspect of its supply chain. Individuals can pre-order meals through the McDelivery app before they come to the store to pick them up. They could also opt for their order to be delivered by any of the company’s delivery partners which include Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub.
The company has been experimenting with several outlet variations to meet the ever-changing demand of its wide array of customers. This includes setting up table services at restaurants, creating drive-through outlets, self-order kiosks, and partial digitalization of some aspects of its services such as creating digital menu boards.
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What are the challenges faced by McDonald’s?
In March 2001, a group of South Florida farmworkers, the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), began a campaign demanding better wages for the people who pick the tomatoes used by McDonald’s and other fast food companies.
By April 2007, McDonald’s in collaboration with its tomato suppliers in the United States announced plans to pay an additional penny per pound of tomato supplied. The increase was to take effect at the beginning of the 2007 growing season and would be paid directly to farmworkers. This move showed that McDonald’s was committed to ensuring that the farmers who worked with its suppliers were well compensated for the work they do.
In the aspect of sustainable energy sources for its restaurants, McDonald’s announced on November 7, 2019, that it had made two investments for large-scale virtual power purchase agreements (VPPA) in the United States. These investments will facilitate the setting up of a solar farm and a wind farm which are expected to generate enough energy to power an equivalent of more than 2,500 McDonald’s restaurants.
By virtue of the VPPA, McDonald’s will aid in reducing about 700,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. In 2020, a new McDonald’s restaurant was opened at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It had solar panels covering the roof and solar glass panels throughout the building; these were designed to generate all the energy the restaurant needed. It was thus, a restaurant running on 100% renewable power.
The drive toward sustainable energy is not only limited to its United States restaurants. McDonald’s restaurants in Ireland, Sweden, Austria, United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Germany, Netherlands, and Portugal are already at or close to sourcing 100% of the energy needed to power their restaurants from renewable sources.
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McDonald’s supply chain issues
- Changes in customer preferences
- McDonald’s shortages
- Ethical and sustainability concerns
- McDonald’s supplier management issues
- Economic downturns
- Inventory management and logistics
Similar to other companies in existence, McDonald’s also has its fair share of issues and challenges from time to time. These have been listed above and will be discussed below:
Changes in customer preferences
One issue that has affected McDonald’s supply chain has been the changes in customer preferences. Customers are constantly evolving and changing their minds about the kind of meals they enjoy.
For decades, the brand has prided itself on its menu standardization and offering almost identical meals in all its outlets. This eased its supply chain as both its suppliers, distributors, and restaurant operators could more easily predict the ingredients that they would require to prepare meals.
Changing customer preferences has affected the supply chain by changing some of the ingredients the company uses in its meals. People’s desires to eat more healthy meals have necessitated some changes. For instance, in early 2018, McDonald announced its switch from using frozen patties to using fresh patties in its burgers in about 300 of its outlets in the United States.
Additional changes to ingredients include the use of canola-based oil with soy and corn oils for the company’s cookies, pies, and other baked items. They have also switched to using cooking oil that is devoid of trans fats for their french fries.
For McDonald’s outlets in areas where vegetarians and Muslim customers abound, the company makes sure the menu fits into the consumer requirement for this particular demography. For instance, McDonald’s serves only Halal foods in the middle east. This largely means that pork is not part of the menu.
McDonald’s restaurants in India are the only outlets that do not serve beef on their menu. This is because of the country’s reverence for cows.
The company has also included a variety of offerings to cater to vegetarians, this includes McPlant burgers, McPlant Steakhouse burgers, McPlant Nuggets, etc.
This McDonald’s supply chain issue of offering a diverse menu with numerous options, including regional variations and limited-time promotions makes the management a bit complex. This means it has to be managed with care to ensure the availability of all ingredients and products while minimizing supply chain disruptions and streamlining operations.
An additional way customer preference is an issue in McDonald’s supply chain is through the growing demand for customized food options. A significant number of consumers no longer want to just eat the regular things on the menu, instead, they want to create their own meals by having access to a wide range of customizable options. This has made the company expand its menu to include some level of flexibility for customers to work with.
For instance, in 2016, the chief financial officer of McDonald’s Corp., Oak Brook III, Kevin Ozan explained that product sales fared differently in its 22 regions in the U.S. Thus, to cater to specific customer demands, the company had to implement some level of flexibility to its menu.
In New York, McDonald’s restaurants offered chicken selects, bagels, and a third pounder on their menu. In Southern California, Chobani yogurt was part of the menu. These show McDonald’s commitment to providing flexible menu options to its teeming consumers based on local market demands.
McDonald’s shortages
Another McDonald’s supply chain issue is shortages. This shortage could either be a shortage of employees or that of items used by the brand. The shortage of items generally occurs when the company’s suppliers are unable to provide the desired quantity of items that the company orders.
Let us discuss some of these McDonald’s shortages below:
McDonald’s supply chain issue of Labor shortages
The shortage of labor in its restaurants is another supply chain issue faced by McDonald’s. It started when the pandemic caused the shutting down of economic activities and the closure of businesses to contain its spread.
Nearly three years since the pandemic, most restaurants, bars, hotels, and casinos remain short-staffed even as other sectors of the economy have recovered. The Washington Post reports that this labor shortage is a result of the switch of a significant number of individuals from service work to other industries.
Labor is an important component of McDonald’s supply chain, especially the workers that work at its restaurants. This is because they are the final step in McDonald’s supply chain process and serve as a link with its customers. Hence, a shortage of labor will definitely impact the supply chain.
An example of how McDonald’s supply chain has been affected by the labor shortage is through the reduction in operating hours of some of its restaurants in the united states. The reduction in operating time by about 10% has affected the company’s sales too. It has been estimated that sales were reduced by about 3-4% for McDonald’s as a result of the labor shortage.
McDonald’s supply chain issue of tomato shortage
In March 2022, the shortage of tomatoes in the United Kingdom made McDonald’s adjust their recipe. The Big Tasty with Bacon and the Big Tasty was served with a slice of tomato instead of the regular two slices. This change in the recipe due to the tomato shortage was attributed to the closure of some greenhouses.
A significant number of tomato producers in the United Kingdom including APS Group which supplies around 40% of UK tomatoes closed down some of their greenhouses due to the increasing cost of gas. Gas is needed by tomato growers to heat up their greenhouses.
McDonald’s in North and East India have also had tomato shortages this year. Fox Business reported on July 9, 2023, that McDonald’s restaurants now serve the popular Maharaja Mac Chicken burger without tomato. This development has been attributed to climate change which is causing scorching heat waves and severe monsoon rains that have caused crop failures across the country.
McDonald’s supply chain issue of bottled drinks and milkshake shortage
Another shortage that McDonald’s faced in August 2021 was the shortage of bottled drinks and milkshakes in its over 1,250 restaurants across Wales, England, and Scotland. This shortage was reported by several news outlets including the BBC as Customers had to order meals without milkshakes or bottled drinks because they were off the menu.
This shortage of ingredients was attributed to the aftereffects of the pandemic which had necessitated the imposition of restrictions on movement and self-isolation to individuals that had been exposed. The inadequate number of lorry drivers to bring supplies to the company’s outlets is another factor contributing to the shortages. The lack of drivers was a result of the post-Brexit EU immigration rules.
McDonald’s shortage of bottled drinks and milkshakes has long been forgotten. The company announced on September 13, 2021, that milkshakes and bottled drinks were back on the menu across their restaurants in England, Scotland, and Wales.
McDonald’s paper bag shortage
Around August 2021, McDonald’s experienced some shortages in paper bags. This McDonald’s supply chain issue was caused by customers demanding to have their meals served in paper bags even when they were eating at the restaurant.
To solve the shortage, the company began convincing customers to have their orders served using trays when they were eating at the restaurant. This aided the company in managing the short supply by reserving serving meals in paper bags only for customers who were ordering their meals to take out.
Shortage of orange juice
Another shortage McDonald’s faced in its New Zealand outlets around November and December 2022 was the shortage of orange juice. In a statement, McDonald’s spokesman Simon Kenny stated that “due to the impact of Covid on the fruit picking season, there are global issues with orange juice supply. Orange juice stock for McDonald’s in New Zealand is being affected, and we’re working through contingency plans.”
The shortage of orange juice made McDonald’s offer only small and medium orange juices with its breakfast menu in a bid to not take it off the menu completely.
Ethical and sustainability issues in Mcdonald’s supply chain
With the rate at which individuals are getting more involved and concerned about the businesses they patronize, along with global outcry and sensitization about the sustainable use of resources, another challenge the McDonald’s supply chain faces is that of sustainability and maintaining ethical standards. Thus, McDonald’s has to integrate sustainability and ethical practices into its supply chain process.
As a means of integrating sustainability practices into its supply chain process, McDonald’s began sourcing a portion of the beef used in its Canadian restaurants from sustainable sources in 2016. This was implemented by the company’s Sustainable Beef Pilot project team in collaboration with its beef supplier, Cargill.
Other organizations that were part of this sustainable beef production and processing drive include the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association, the World Wildlife Fund, the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (CRSB), and the Alberta Beef Producers.
The drive towards sustainability also means that the company has to source its ingredients from suppliers with environmentally friendly and socially responsible practices. This has led to the company seeking new suppliers and ending its partnership with some suppliers.
One aspect that has changed here is McDonald’s discontinuing the use of expanded polystyrene coffee cups and sandwich boxes as well as plastic straws in most of its restaurants. In the UK and Ireland, McDonald’s signed a new supplier, Transcend Packaging to supply paper straws alongside McDonald’s long-time packaging supplier, Huhtamäki.
McDonald’s operates in various countries, each with its own set of regulations and requirements. This means the company’s supply chain will be impacted differently in the countries where they operate. Meeting diverse legal, environmental, and labor standards while maintaining consistency in operations can pose challenges in terms of compliance, training, and adapting to local market dynamics.
However, the company has shown a high level of commitment to maintaining ethical and sustainability standards in its supply chain. It does this by ensuring that its outlets source ingredients from farmers who maintain the highest possible standards; this must be in line with the country’s requirements in terms of ethics and sustainability.
In Japan, for instance, the company had to switch to using wooden utensils when the government enacted a law in July 2020 to reduce the use of single-use plastics in the country. Before then, McDonald’s restaurants in Hong Kong had already begun gradually phasing out foam packaging in 2018 and had transitioned to using the McDonald’s app in 2020 to ensure paperless transactions thereby reducing the amount of paper used in its outlets.
McDonald’s has also worked towards reducing and recycling packaging waste. In Canada, it has recycled plastic straws into trays. McDonald’s has also created a new series of Happy Meal books for its young customers. The books were created using 40% of recycled cold cup material. This is based on the company’s global goal to drastically reduce plastics in Happy Meal toys around the globe and transition to more sustainable materials by the end of 2025.
These Happy Meal books are useful educational tools because they offer lessons in looking out for the environment; especially on how to help reduce plastic use, save energy through efficient usage, and how to protect forests. Every book also has a QR code that connects readers to four mini-games. The games are designed to help children understand how McDonald’s recycles used cups into the brand-new books they are reading.
McDonald’s is also actively involved in managing energy consumption throughout its supply chain. This can be seen through the solar power deal the company and its logistics partners signed in 2022 with Enel North America. The deal will provide McDonald’s logistics partners 100% of their electricity needs.
McDonald’s supplier management issues
Supplier management is another aspect that could pose an issue in the supply chain of McDonald’s. The company relies on a vast network of suppliers to provide the numerous food ingredients and other items they use.
Throughout its operations, maintaining high food safety and quality standards has been of paramount importance for McDonald’s. Thus ensuring consistent adherence to safety protocols across all suppliers, distribution centers, and restaurants can be challenging.
One example that shows McDonald’s commitment to maintaining quality standards was the recent removal of tomatoes from its menu in India as of early July 2023. Although it was mainly due to short supply, the poor quality of the available supply further propelled tomato removal from its menu.
Managing relationships with numerous suppliers across different geographical locations presents challenges such as ensuring compliance with quality standards, negotiating favorable contracts, and mitigating risks related to supply disruptions or changes in regulations particularly in regions with varying regulatory frameworks.
In Canada for instance, in order to keep up to quality standards and avoid a short supply of chicken patties and nuggets, McDonald’s had to source for the patties for its McChicken sandwich and McNuggets from a contingency supplier in April 2021. The change was a result of complications from the pandemic that made its nuggets supplier, Cargill suspend operations between April 13 to 23, 2021.
An important step that McDonald’s has taken to mitigate this supply chain issue of supplier management is building and maintaining long-term relationships with its suppliers and franchises. They also patronize local-based suppliers.
The long-term relationships ensure that the supplier already understands McDonald’s standard operating procedures while being locally based ensures that the suppliers clearly understand the country’s operating requirements as well as rules and regulations guiding production and supplies.
McDonald’s supply chain issues caused by economic downturns
Economic downturns that occur due to various reasons including inflation and pandemics pose a significant supply chain issue for McDonald’s. This is because economic downturns usually result in higher operational costs for companies as the cost of cultivating crops or rearing animals tends to be higher. It also results in reduced consumer spending, as people become more cautious with their spending, especially on discretionary items such as eating out.
According to NPR, rising prices and higher interest rates have taken a toll on families and businesses in the United States. McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said there have been some changes in customer purchases recently; more customers are removing fries from their orders or reducing how much they spend at the restaurant.
The combination of higher operational costs and low consumer spending is a big issue. The company will have to increase its prices to maintain profitability and consumers will not be willing to eat out as often, especially with the increasing prices, thus, the company will have to reduce the ingredients it purchases from suppliers.
An example of how the economic downturn has affected McDonald’s supply chain process can be seen when McDonald’s outlets had to close seat-in spaces and play areas at the peak of the pandemic. During this time, there were restrictions on movement hence, the supply chain process was completely shut down.
The gradual reopening of businesses after the pandemic came with considerable changes as well. Most locations only offered take-out or transitioned to drive-thru and online food-ordering delivery services. Although the reopening generated significant queues in McDonald’s restaurants in the United Kingdom, the company reported a 68% decrease in earnings for the second quarter, April to June 2020 when compared to the previous year, 2019.
Inventory management and logistics
McDonald’s needs to strike a delicate balance between minimizing inventory holding costs and ensuring sufficient stock levels to meet customer demand. The company must manage perishable ingredients and products with limited shelf lives while minimizing waste and spoilage. This supply chain issue could pose a significant challenge when not adequately managed.
Accurately predicting customer demand is crucial for managing inventory levels and avoiding stockouts or excess inventory. The shortage of milkshakes and bottled drinks discussed earlier shows how the unavailability of adequate logistics personnel can pose a challenge to the supply chain.
McDonald’s often considers various factors such as regional preferences, seasonal demand variations, promotional activities, and changing consumer trends to optimize its supply chain. For instance, in May 2012, the company offered two additional menu items during summer across its U.S. restaurants. The items were the blueberry banana nut oatmeal and the Cherry Berry Chiller is already available everywhere.
Inventory management and logistics work side by side, this is because in order to meet the ingredient requirement of restaurants, McDonald’s has to efficiently manage its inventory at its various distribution centers to meet the customer demands in that region.
Efficiently transporting goods from suppliers to distribution centers and further down to McDonald’s restaurants is also important. Coordinating transportation networks, optimizing routes, managing inventory replenishment, and handling last-mile delivery can be complex, especially considering the large number of restaurants across the globe.
Hence, McDonald’s employs a strategy of ensuring that its logistics division delivers the correct quality products that are linked to consumer demand. Since shorter supply chains create better consistency, the company has established regional distribution centers to cater to specific regions.
Another strategy employed by the company to tackle logistics issues is its utilization of in-house logistics as well as third-party logistics companies. This ensures that McDonald’s can manage its distribution of fresh, dry, and frozen products better, thereby ensuring that they reach their destination in the shortest possible time and in the best conditions that optimize quality.
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Why is McDonald’s supply chain successful?
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McDonald’s commitment and close relationship with its suppliers and franchises aid in maintaining and enforcing a high level of quality control at all stages of the Mcdonald’s supply chain to reduce issues that may arise. The company also focuses on responsible sourcing of ingredients, waste reduction, and environmental stewardship. They collaborate with suppliers to promote sustainable practices, such as sustainable agriculture, animal welfare, and eco-friendly packaging.
McDonald’s continuously works on improving its supply chain efficiency and sustainability by leveraging technology, data analysis, and customer and stakeholder feedback to identify improvement areas. This includes optimizing transportation routes, reducing waste, enhancing inventory management, and adopting innovative solutions for a more streamlined supply chain. All these combine in creating the successful supply chain of McDonald’s.
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Conclusion
McDonald’s supply chain process involves varied players right from the cultivation of ingredients to their processing, distribution, transportation, preparation, and final consumption by the company’s customers. Each player along the supply chain is an integral and important part of the success of McDonald’s supply chain throughout its over 80 years of existence.
McDonald’s supply chain issues have also changed over time as the company continually adapts the operation of its supply chain to keep up with technological advancements and changes in how and what consumers want to eat. All through the years, McDonald’s has been committed to maintaining the highest quality standards when it comes to its ingredients, preparation, and the taste of the meals they serve.
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