Supply & Demand Chain Executive

Watching Supply and Demand Chain Executive's Women in Supply Chain award grow into the special and large presence it is today is both humbling and empowering to me. The supply chain is going through big changes and tough times, but it's the innovative leaders that will bring us through to other side, stronger than we were before. The number of women in this industry grows daily and are some of the greatest minds and thought leaders in the supply chain.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has estimated that 10% of global pharmaceutical commerce involves counterfeit drugs. In Europe alone, it is estimated that the pharmaceutical industry was losing €9.6 billion in sales due to counterfeits during the period of 2012-2016, which represents 3.9% of total sales. Biotechnology, drug, food...

Supply chains are all fundamentally designed to handle disruptions, routinely adapting to changing conditions. However, not every supply chain is resilient and agile enough to respond to major disruptions like those arising from the coronavirus pandemic. The impacts of COVID-19 caused many companies to initiate layoffs, liquidate assets and even file for bankruptcy protection. Others were able to use technology to quickly see and understand how their businesses were affected, take corrective actions and even grow — not just surviving but thriving.

It has been a long journey for the supply chain since March 2020, when the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic set off a chain of events that made the world think of the industry very differently. Logistics and warehousing moved from a necessary cost, where executives looked to save the most money possible, to a major role that needs significant strategy behind it. In those past two years, planes, trains and automobiles (and ocean freighters) still move your goods – but with major new factors to consider.

Today’s supply chain landscape has presented shippers with a complex set of challenges. From responding to growing consumer demand of 2-day shipping at little to no cost, to increasing communication with customers with real-time updates on the status of their orders, and capacity restraints from major carriers limiting shipping volume. Shippers are faced with no easy task to simply fulfill their customers’ orders.

Among the many lessons we’ve learned in the last few years, one of the most important is how vulnerable our current supply chain can be. One of the industries most impacted by this disruption has been the pharmaceutical industry, which must deliver products and therapies to patients in a timely manner, regardless of what’s happening to disrupt our supply chain.

As both the pandemic and recent global events have revealed just how fragile supply chains are, any business reliant on one has had to first, scramble to maintain supply, and second, examine how to avert future interruptions. Shortages have made the usually straightforward practice of tracking and maintaining inventory become a matter of just trying to get inventory, not to mention managing the downstream impacts.

Inflation: a word that nearly everyone in the nation dreads – yet one we’re hearing all too often. As supply chain disruptions continue to rule headlines thanks to ongoing political crises, changes in production patterns, and the COVID-19 pandemic, prices for goods and materials are climbing. As a result, supply chain professionals are preparing for the emerging possibility that inflation is here to stay.

Accuracy is one of the major pillars of a successful supply chain, along with velocity and transparency. The global supply chain is stretched further than ever before, still catching up with the seismic shift from B2B2C to B2C during the pandemic – the sheer number of parcels has increased a shocking 27% since 2020. At the same time, technology has moved forward to meet the moment and prepare for the future, with an eye on accuracy.

Tada Cognitive Solutions releases a new Production Control Tower, enabled with digital twin technology to drive operation visibility right within the warehouse or factory. The control tower, focused on the production side of things, is the latest in a series of supply chain and manufacturing releases to embraces digital twins and automation, as the industry looks to solve many crisis that occur today. Tada explains that its new product improves productivity through real-time insights that are funneled directly to the production team.

Even before the pandemic, the global supply chain was proving the familiar adage that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Under the weight of the pandemic, we saw the chain break in many areas. Shippers also began to further appreciate the need for the right logistics and transportation partners, as well as their strengths and weaknesses. In the case of third-party logistics and fourth-party logistics service providers (i.e., 3PLs and 4PLs), many shippers were left wondering if they were working with the right resources. With Mondor Intelligence projecting the global third-party logistics market will reach a value of over $1.75 trillion by 2026, reflecting an 8% growth rate for the period from 2021 to 2026, it is even more important to understand the state of the current logistics industry, how 3PLs and 4PLs differ, and the best route to take when selecting a logistics service provider.

There are countless articles published talking about the importance and value of mentorship, and many of these voices were heard during Women’s History Month in March. Many of these articles strike home at the essence and reasons why mentorship is especially critical for professional women in the workforce.        

Coca-Cola recently announced a partnership with Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG) Foundation to drive awareness for a commercial truck driving program and to inspire interest in truck driving careers. Managing editor Brielle Jaekel sits down with vice president & chief people officer of Coca-Cola UNITED Gianetta Jones to talk about the partnership and why it is so important to invest in these jobs right now during the trucking shortage.

On this special bonus episode, David Rink, director of solutions consulting at Slync.io and a winner of our Pros to Know award, gives advice to his younger self, saying that it is important to understand the big picture so you can get to the bottom of the root causes of issues much easier.

Paper products, clothing, diapers and food: just a few of the necessities that we as a society rely on, which arrive in vast quantities at shipping ports and airports throughout the world. Now imagine a major earthquake strikes one of these locations, causing immense physical damage and resulting in a cession of operations at the port or airport. Funds for repairs and resumption of operations, from either traditional insurance or government sources, trickle in slowly. This leads to a backlog of ships and planes unable to leave or piling up at other locations, slowing the unloading and transit of goods and cargo to their end destination. The supply chain and economy seize, with individuals unable to attain necessary items, and corporates unable to generate anticipated revenue and effectively run their operations. However, there are insurance solutions, namely parametric insurance, that can help shipping ports and airports manage their financial exposure to earthquakes more efficiently and provide the necessary liquidity to prevent the worst-case scenario from occurring.

Manufacturers have been focused on supply chain diversification for several years, driven by a marked shift towards economic nationalism in many of the world’s major economies and the ongoing U.S. – China trade war. Even before the onset of COVID-19, many manufacturers had identified broadening the range of...

After years of outsourcing parts of the supply chain farther and farther away from company's country of origin, the supply chain is currently swinging back around and looking to re-shore, near-shore and have greater visibility into sourcing in general. While it is hard to believe for many and is often hidden by lengthy supply chain, modern slavery does indeed exist. Without visibility into sourcing some business may not realize they are buying from these very sources built on unethical practices. While ensuring ethical practices in sourcing and procurement is certainly the moral thing to do, it is also the right thing to do for resiliency, according to new research from Modern Slavery PEC. While so much sourcing comes from regions in India today, the report found that fashion supply chains in India that focused on sourcing ethics were much more resilient to the pandemic and what came after. Additionally, those with stronger relationships with sources faired much better as well.

Port closures and congestion will remain until a resolution presents itself to restore supply chain predictability. At the time of publication there are still several unresolved concerns that hinder a return to some level of predictability for 2022, and possibly into 2023. This piece utilizes Aberdeen insights to shine a light on the current disruptions, as well as provide actions to take if things continue in this way.

What was once “nice to have” information has been defined by law. As concern grows around modern slavery, GDPR, conflict minerals and climate change, governments and related third parties are demanding, with regulatory backing, that businesses ensure ethical supply chains. To mitigate regulatory and reputational cost, organizations need...

Stephan Dumont, key account executive with UgoWork, describes the many benefits of lithium-ion power solutions in the material handling industry, how these solutions achieve safety and sustainability and how its exclusive Energy-as-a-Service (EaaS) program translates into improved energy management, live from UgoWork’s booth at MODEX 2022 in Atlanta.