Apple drops $10.5 billion into the supply chain

November 14 2013

Every organization has to worry about the supply chain and logistics. For a small mom and pop shop around the corner that could mean scheduling pickups and filling a personal vehicle to make deliveries. Larger companies with deeper pockets have more options.

According to an article from Bloomberg, Apple has just set a record by deploying $10.5 billion worth of manufacturing technology like assembly robots and milling machines. These are being used to handle a lot of the behind-the-scenes workload including polishing the hard plastic of the iPhone 5Cs, carving the MacBook's aluminum body and testing the mobile device camera lens.

"The spending, which Apple outlined in its fiscal 2014 capital-expenditure forecast, underscores how the world's most valuable company is diving deeper into designing and inventing technology for its manufacturing process," the article reads.

Even with a record amount of money poured into the manufacturing aspects of their businesses, this is only one aspect of the supply chain. Having a completely automated construction line will certainly speed up production, but without a proper second leg like delivery, that part of the plan is meaningless. It doesn't matter how fast Apple can produce iPhones, iPads and MacBooks. If the company does not have a reliable way to get the devices into the hands of consumers than it is all for not.
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This is why a reliable delivery service is crucial. Whether it means shipping across the country or across Northeastern Ohio, every company needs to be sure that it has a proper shipping service.