If you are dependent on any region, non-friendly country, customer, supplier, material, or anything noteworthy to your success, you must diversify. Although this concept has always been true, the pandemic highlighted the critical importance. Some companies simply lost their source of supply overnight and have not recovered if not diversified.
The supply chain is in a constant state of disruption. As we discussed on Supply Chain Chats, simple backup plans are no longer enough. In fact, you can look at recent events and determine if a backup is sufficient. Starting with the pandemic, of course, most if not all companies didn't have a sufficient enough backup plan.
California's minimum wage went up to $20/hr. for fast food restaurants with at least 60 locations nationwide that do not make bread. This law is causing widespread unintended consequences. For example, Fosters Freeze in Lemoore closed suddenly after the wage hike. Mod 5 Pizza is closing five locations.
Manufacturing promotes safety and security and mitigates risk. Controlling your supply chain and mitigating geopolitical risk can become paramount overnight as geopolitical events occur, natural disasters emerge, and supply chain challenges arise (strikes, disruptions, shortages).
Clients typically set goals; however, goals without an understanding of where you stand is non-value added. Although it is common to set goals and expect employees to achieve them, it is far less common for clients to understand how they will get from the current state to the desired future state.
Enterprise resource planning systems, CRMs and other tech such as RFID, barcoding, customer and supplier portals, blockchain, IoT, and GPS tracking all support this goal.
In the last month, we've participated in at least six economic forecast presentations or discussions with experts (economic, banking, investment, manufacturing). Although they each had nuances, common themes emerged. Adding our expertise into the mix, we see volatility on the horizon.
40% of the goods movement from Northeast Asia to the U.S. East Coast go through the Panama Canal, and so the Panama Canal issues are driving shortages, late deliveries, and re-routing of goods.
Lisa Anderson emphasizes the critical necessity of prioritizing supply chain optimization as global disruptions continue. Key issues, such as the worsening conditions at the Panama Canal, have been highlighted as significant contributors to the ongoing supply chain crisis.
As companies are searching for ways to successfully navigate these turbulent times, the best ones are achieving a win-win focus on the customer and costs. Since the pandemic, there has been a heightened awareness of the customer experience as companies struggled with supply chain disruptions, delays, shortages, and the lack of resources.
