The strategic supply chain processes that management has to decide upon will cover the breadth of the supply chain. These include preduct development, customers, manufacturing, vendors and logistics. Product Development Senier Management has to define a stratefic direction when cousidering the products that the company should manufacture and offer to their customens. As product cycles mature or products sales decline, management has to make stratefic decisions to develop and introduce new versions of existing products into the marketplace, rationalize the current product offering or whether develop a new range of producta and servies. These strategic decisions may incllude the need to acquire another company or sell existing businesses. However, when making these strategic product development decisions, the overall objectives of the firm should be the determining factor. Custorners At the strategic level, a company has to identify the customers for its products and services, When company management makes strategic decisions on the products to manufacture, they need to then identify the key customer sefments (部分) where company marketing and advertising will be taretde. Manufacturing At the strategic level, manufacturing decisions define the manufacturing infrastructure and technology that is required. Based on high level forecasting and sales estimates, the company management has to make strategic decisions on how products will be manufactured. The decisions can require new manufacturing facilities to be built or to increase production at existing facilities .However, ifthe overall company objectives include moving manufacturing overseas, then the decisions may lean towards using subconreacting and third party logistics. As environmental issues influence corporate policy to a greater extent ,this may influence stratefic supply chain decisions with regards to manufacturing, Suppliers Company management has to decide on the strategic supply chain policies with regards to suppliers. Reducing the purchasing spends for a company can directly relate to an increase in profit and strategically a number of decisions can be made to obtain that result. Leveraging the total company’s ppurchases over many businesses can allow company management to select strategic global suppliers who offer the greatest discounts . But these decisions have to correspond with the overall company obiectives. Logistics As well as strategic decisions on manufacruring locatons , the logistics function is key to the success of the supply chain .Order fulfillment is imprtant and company management needs to make strategic decisions on the logistics network. The design and operation of the network has a significant influence on the performance of the supply chain . Strategic decisions are required on warehouses, distribution centers which transportation modes should be used .If the overall company objectives identify the use of more third party subcomtracting , the company may strategically decide to use third party logistics companies in the supply chain.