Marine Industry Supply Chain Standards
Welcome to Supply Chain
The Marine Industry Supply Chain Standards (SCS) is a set of recommended guidelines for invoicing, shipping, packing, labeling, returns, and Proposition 65 intended for use by marine industry suppliers and buyers in their sales and purchasing transactions. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide assistance to the industry in adopting best practices - to improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and deliver a better experience to the boating customer.
The Best Practices Manual has grown out of an effort initiated by NMMA's Accessory Manufacturers Division to bring suppliers together with their retail and distribution partners to address efficiency issues in their day-to-day transactions. The resulting Mutual Efficiency Forum (MEF) outlined several target areas for reducing errors, time delays and unnecessary costs in the supply chain including, performance measurement, dispute resolution, standardized shipping procedures and E-commerce transactions.
Among those participating in this process and endorsing the BPM are the industry's leading retailers including Bass Pro Shops, Boater's World, Boat U.S., Overton's, SailNet and West Marine. The National Marine Distributors Association (NMDA) and National Marine Representatives Association (NMDA) have also endorsed the SCS for use by their members.
Use of this document is completely voluntary, but the real benefit will come when the guidelines become an integral part of customers' standard vendor agreements and manufacturers' operating procedures throughout the industry. The six hundred-plus accessory manufacturer members of NMMA are being encouraged to serve as model suppliers in the industry and make use of these guidelines -- developed to fit the business and operational needs of both suppliers and vendors.
The SCS is also meant to be a working tool, revised and published annually to react to changing needs and technology advances. A suggestion form has been included to collect feedback on the implementation of the guidelines. Recommendations for future revisions will be reviewed on an annual basis in February in time to publish the SCS for the spring selling season.
If you have any questions about the SCS or the work of the MEF, please don't hesitate to contact John Warnik, NMMA, at (312)946-6295 or jwarnik@nmma.org
