Information is used in making a wide variety of decisions at every stage of supply chain drivers:
Facility : Determining the location, capacity, and schedules of a facility requires information on the trade-offs among efficiency and flexibility, demand, exchange rates, taxes, and so on
Inventory : Setting optimal inventory policies requires information that includes demand patterns, cost, of carrying inventory, costs of stocking out, and cost of ordering
Transportation : Deciding on transportation networks, routing, modes, and vendors requires information including costs, customer locations, and shipment sizes to make good decisions and saving on both inventory and transportation costs