As the pandemic continues to disrupt global supply chains, industry leaders are thinking hard about what’s next—how will supply chain management change in the months and years after the pandemic?
We are already seeing a turn toward a more diverse supplier strategy as businesses learn hard lessons about single sourcing. And we are seeing, in real time, the critical importance of supply chain visibility, as organizations with better insight into their supplier networks are able to identify risk early and plan accordingly.
But the pandemic has shown us that how we think about supply chain visibility will need to change. Because the questions supply chain leaders are being asked to solve are growing more complex. How will organizations balance cost savings and lean inventory practices with risk preparedness? In a multi-tiered supply network, how can organizations combat counterfeiting and assure quality? How can they adapt to the policies and regulations of new countries of origin? How can organizations share information quickly enough to make just-in-time decisions in the face of disruption?
Bonnie Burns 