DEALING INDISRUPTION Uncertainty, instability, and delay in global supply chains revealed that companies were seriously underinvested in the management of their rst mile of supply, including planning, supplier and carrier collaboration,
Bui ld resi l ience through active col laboration. Nobody can plan for every possible scenario, but teams need to sti l l be prepared for anything. Companies real ize that al l teams having real-time access to the same data can help each function perform better. Active col laboration also reduces the need for constant reporting and status sharing. If al l teams have access to the same data, teams reduce their dependency on each other, freeing time and resources to focus on core responsibi l ities and supply chain strategies.
ocean and air shipment visibility, and interactions with multiple forwarders and 3PLs at once. These underserved rst-mile processes were critical to business survival when pandemic impacts settled in for the long haul to worldwide economies. The future demands that businesses adapt continuously to frequent supply chain disruption and volatility. Companies will re-prioritize rst-mile service provider partnerships and technology investments as they pursue greater supply chain transparency, starting with overseas suppliers. Improving resilience requires more agile source-make-move decisions and execution support. Getting products across that last mile to end customers reliably depends entirely on improving control and exibility for the rst mile.
Monica Truelsch, Senior Director, Go-to-Market, Infor
Alex Wakefield CEO, Longbow Advantage
In 2022, businesses will re-examine their business continuuity plans to ensure supply chain resiliency is front and center. Additionally, companies are taking action to diversify their supplier base, ensuring that product shortages and international regulations will not slow down delivery times and overall operations.
Prioritize supply chain risk management in strategic planning. Organizations must audit their people, processes, and technology for key points of failure. Regardless of industry, size, or business model, a deep
Mark Robinson President, UPS Capital
understanding of vulnerabilities is essential to disruption mitigation. Supplier visibility is another vital capability required for success in the next age of supply chain management. Despite increased spending on Supplier Risk and Performance Management (SRPM) products, many executives don’t have clear visibility beyond Tier 1 suppliers. Growing demand, a lack of data analytics, and shorter product life cycles further exacerbate this challenge.
Advanced analytics and automation wi l l continue to accelerate, helping organizations mitigate disruption via digital , agi le supply chain management. The implementation of predictive and prescriptive analytics—as wel l as advances in big data, algorithms and robotics— wi l l have broad-reaching effects. Speci f ical ly, the organizations that harness the power of these solutions wi l l benef it from greater visibi l ity, data- driven decision-making, execution eff iciency, predictabi l ity and prof itabi l ity. Of course, al l of this hinges on effective data security and governance, as wel l as a dedication to reski l l ing employees.
Clayton Nicholas Founder and CEO Vibronyx
Automate, automate, automate. Embracing robotic process automation and similar technologies enable supply chains with agility and resilience. Integrating these technologies simpli es transactions, automates the redundant, highlights exceptions, and limits human touch while increasing visibility to keep goods moving smoothly. Continuous innovation and increased agility are not optional, they are necessary to succeed and proactively plan and avoid disruptions. Burt White Global Director of Supply Chain Consulting, Slync.io
Abe Eshkenazi CEO, The Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM)
148 Inbound Logistics • January 2022
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