Manufacturers to Consumers:

Let us now visualize the several stages involved in moving the finished products from the manufacturing units to the consumers. They are such as:

• Packaging of goods
• Presenting goods by retailers to market places/stores
• Stocking them in warehouse/containerization
• Loading into carriers/transportation
• Moving good from wholesalers to retailers
• Delivering to consumers
• Storing to the nearest wholesalers

These seven stages are as seven days of a week. It is complicated to skip one to save on another. But, there are few companies following direct marketing. The time taken or cost involved also varies in such cases. These companies do not have retailers. They take the orders and directly deliver to the customers.

Problems envisaged in movement of products from manufacturing units to consumers are various and may be listed as under:

• Perishable products
• Breakage during handling
• Losses in transit
• Accidents & calamities
• Unavoidable delays in terms of strikes and bandh
• Rats and rodents
• Labour unrest
• General costing since at times even double handling is involved.