Barbeque Grill Supply Chain Analysis

¶ … Supply Chain (Barbecue Grill) Barbeque Grill Supply Chain Analysis The Brinkmann Corporation is a leading manufacturer of outdoor cookers, smokers, outdoor lighting, hand-held lighting, lawn and garden products, pet products, camping equipment, boat covers, and fishing gear. The company's strong position on the market relies on its quality, selection, innovation, performance, styling, and reliability. The Brinkmann Corporation develops new products, and improves designs in order to provide customers quality, value, and customer satisfaction (Brinkmann, 2014). The company provides a wide variety of grills, like charcoal smokers, gas smokers, and electric smokers.

The biggest dilemma for some of barbeque chefs is whether to use charcoal or electric grills. This analysis focuses on the charcoal grill segment. The barbecue grill market seems to be stable, reaching a $1.373 billion in 2011. The market is dominated by warehouse home centers. More than half of barbecue grill sales are attributed to such centers. Regarding the grill segments, gas grills reveal the highest growth, while charcoal grills are customers' second favorite type of grill and their market evolution remains constant.

The market segment distribution in the barbecue grill industry is the following: Source: www.homechannelnews.com Competition Analysis The most important competitor of Brinkmann Corporation on the grill market is represented by Weber -- Stephens Products. Weber grills have a 35% market share estimated by U.S. retailers (Cahill, 2013). Weber's market success can be attributed to its high quality products, but also to its national sales and distribution network that manages to introduce Weber grills in most retail chains. Another barbecue grill manufacturer is MAK Grills.

The company manufactures superior products that attract customers with their durability. This is a good product to invest in by customers that have frequent barbecue and need reliable products. PK Portable Kitchen is another U.S. barbecue grill producer. The quality of these grills relies on their functionality, but also on their esthetics. Customers that purchase and use PK grills can refuel them with charcoal or wood chips.

Supply Chain Analysis Upstream Supply Chain The main components of the Brinkmann charcoal grill are the grill cover, main burner, air shutter, bottle opener, cart assembly, charcoal ash tray, charcoal grate, charcoal hood, control panel, cooking grid, firebox, and legs. The raw materials required for manufacturing these components are represented by porcelain, iron, stainless steel, different types of plastics, and others. The packaging of the grills requires paper, card board, plastics, and different printing materials. These raw materials are used in the grill manufacturing process of most barbecue grill producers.

Downstream Supply Chain The Brinkmann Corporation uses several sales channels for its charcoal grills. It sells them online through its website, but it also sells through the most important retailers in the country. The company's products are sold in retail stores across the U.S. The international development strategy addressed by Brinkmann allows the company to sell its products in most countries where these retailers are represented. The charcoal grills can be ordered online and shipped to almost any region in the world.

The supply chain of Brinkmann Corporation is detailed in the following diagram: The success of Brinkmann Corporation also depends on its relationship with suppliers. In situations where companies have few large suppliers, their dependence on them can determine several setbacks. This is because a reduced number of suppliers allow them to make the rules in these relationships. They can establish the prices of raw materials, establish the minimum quantity they want to work for, and delivery schedules.

In situations where companies work with a large number of suppliers, it is the company that establishes the rules. This is because by working with numerous suppliers from which it purchases smaller quantities of materials, the company is not dependent on any of them. Therefore, it is important to develop a flexible supply chain management strategy that allows the company to develop successful relationships with suppliers. In addition to this, Brinkmann's success on the market also relies on its relationship with.