DISRUPTIONMITIGATION
expectations for training and workplace culture. For your supply chain talent’s long- term success, fulfillment companies must offer competitive wages, as well as a strong work environment to take care of permanent employees and ensure high retention rates. HR departments— if they’re not already—need to look at ways to offer flexible work shifts, develop new training so employees can boost their skills and learn new ones, take action to show employees that they are valued, and other activities to enhance employee loyalty. At the same time, supplement your workforce with temporaries to provide optimal staffing and keep customers satisfied. 4. TECHNOLOGY IS YOUR FRIEND. Technology is evolving all the time and adapting to the latest warehouse management systems technology or even
the upgrades can be daunting. And pricey. But that shouldn’t stop your long-term view. A worthwhile WMS must help you grow your business. It must improve your efficiency, data, and trending analysis to stimulate growth. It must also provide an intuitive user interface, while validating and enabling sound business decisions in concert with your ERP system, using APIs that make data exchanges seamless and productive. 5. DISRUPT YOUR OWN DISRUPTIONS. The past two years have been hard. Many companies have gone out of business. Numerous smaller fulfillment companies were bought and the big players keep getting bigger. But, we’ve also seen innovation. These demanding times have cultivated creativity and driven us to work harder. We’ve become more sensitive to the workforce at large. Innovative solutions
keep costs down while providing great services. On the global front, we have seen remarkable innovation and the creation of new markets. Think about the food delivery business! On the finance side, strong interest by venture capitalists and private equity firms in e-commerce offerings will no doubt create their own supply chain innovations. And, we must contend with disruptions outside of business that affect the global supply chain. While these situations may be outside our control, we can control how we react and the crisis plans we have in place that allow us to be agile and pivot to maintain business operations. Through it all, we must never take our eye off of our business and all of its components—and what we can expect tomorrow. A well-oiled supply chain ensures your long-term success. n
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