Supply Chain Monthly

At this point in the year, you’d normally be hearing something like, “Well, 2021 has been yet another year of growth and innovative advancements in Supply Chain and we are looking for greater advancements for 2022.” Instead, words like “unprecedented,” “historic,” and “uncertain” have been used to describe a year like no other and more of the same in the year ahead.

In fact, there has been very little for any of us to draw upon in terms of precedence. The challenges and constraints within our supply chains due to the pandemic became apparent and newsworthy – all the way down to the consumer. Many organizations are still struggling to know where everything is at, and consumer trust in the supply chain has been tested.

There’s no doubt that the pandemic increased costs and disrupted efficiencies, but it also highlighted the value of end-to-end visibility, data and analytics. It’s these learnings that need to be analyzed and shared, so that we all come out of this stronger and more resilient.

First, there’s no doubt that resiliency and redundancy within our supply chains is critical. But resilience is most effective when paired with visibility. Supply lines require the ability to see, feel and touch, and we not only need visibility into our supplier’s, but our supplier’s suppliers. I see advancements in planning, sourcing, and logistics process and event management digitization rising right to the very top for 2022.

Next, companies need information and knowledge to be agile and make quick decisions. CSCMP’s 32nd Annual State of Logistics Report^® describes the homebound consumer, who in 2020 embraced e-commerce and exacerbated shippers’ normal ability to meet consumer expectations and manage costs and quality. E-commerce growth then spurred demand for warehousing, but not for traditional SKUs because in response to the pandemic, our unpredictable consumer not only changed how they shopped, but what they purchased. Incrementally more will occur in 2022.

Finally, the supply chain must be flexible enough to absorb any shocks that comes along, including natural disasters, humanitarian crises, tight labor markets and unpredictable demand. The State of Logistics Report^® also describes supply chains as “continuing to reset from the pandemic with resilient logisticians adapting, planning and shifting to meet current and future demands.” It’s about talent … capable and competent talent in 2022. We are in a real fight to attract, retain and develop supply chain talent. There’s no better way to describe it. Leader’s need to embrace the fact that a winning strategy begins and ends with capable, competent people in 2022.

When considering whether to add automation to your distribution operations, it’s common practice to create a business case with sound financials. But supply chain leaders should also make sure the proposed project has been subjected to a rigorous design process that makes sure it is resilient to change and considers incremental alternatives.

 

More volume, more speed, more SKUs (stock-keeping units), more accuracy, more channels. … Supply chain leaders are facing increasing pressure from the business to deliver more from their distribution centers, and many are turning to highly automated solutions as a reasonable response to these demands.

Congratulations to CSCMP member and esteemed professor, Ted Stank, for being named a 2021 Chancellor's Professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
 
This distinction is one of the highest faculty honors bestowed by the University of Tennessee, Knoxville and is awarded to exceptional scholars, researchers, and professors who represent the best of what UT has to offer (as shared on the Global Supply Chain Institute's LinkedIn). Ted Stank is the Harry J. and Vivienne R. Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business in the Department of Supply Chain Management and the faculty director of UT’s Global Supply Chain Institute.
 
Ted leads the Advanced Supply Chain Collaborative, a joint initiative between UT and leading Fortune 500 partner firms focused on better understanding innovative applications. His research focuses on the strategic implications and performance benefits associated with supply chain management best practices. He's authored more than 100 articles in academic and professional journals and co-authored five books. 

CSCMP offers a big congrats to our recent CSCMP SCPro™ Level One Passers: Dorota Rostkowska (College of Lake County), Esther Rosado, and Dan (Carol) Du.

SCPro™ Certification is a three-tiered program that assesses progressive knowledge and skills across integrated supply chain activities. This process validates an individual’s ability to strategically assess business challenges and effectively implement supply chain improvements through the analysis of real-world case studies and developing a comprehensive project plan to achieve results such as a positive ROI.

"I appreciate the resources that CSCMP provides as well as the opportunity to connect with other practitioners and researchers in the field. Several of the practitioners I communicate with regularly have been most impactful. The cross-talk and sharing of ideas has proven invaluable. In particular, I appreciate the interdisciplinary aspect of CSCMP where an idea from one industry can be used in another."

"My advice is to keep in touch with CSCMP feedback and reports and you can increase the value added through reading all incoming daily, weekly, monthly, and annual reports and to keep in communication with other members. The most valuable benefit is you will be up-to-date with the dramatic changes and accordingly improve your performance."

Cisco is the worldwide leader in networking for the internet, with over 35,000 employees in more than 115 countries. The company was founded in 1984 by two computer scientists from Stanford University seeking an easier way to connect different types of computer systems. Cisco's networking solutions connect people, computing devices and computer networks, allowing people to access or transfer information without regard to differences in time, place or type of computer system.

Watch CSCMP's Corporate Spotlight video to learn more about Cisco today!

CSCMP's happy to welcome new CSCMP Corporate Members: Deposco and Ortec to our network!

 

CSCMP's customizable memberships offer education, access to supply chain research, networking and exposure to elite C-level conversations via members-only webinars, workshops, and the global CSCMP EDGE annual conference. Connect with a CSCMP Account Manager today to build a custom package for your team. We look forward to hearing from you.

CSCMP Town Hall Series
Featuring Turvo, project44, Truckstop.com, and DAT
CSCMP’s Town Hall Series allows senior-level executives (from sponsoring companies) to present TED-style talks addressing the most innovative strategies and cutting-edge solutions explored by today’s top companies. Right now, access the following talks from Turvo, project44, Truckstop.com, and DAT.

IBM's Journey to Delivering and Implementing Smarter Supply Chains
A CSCMP EDGE Fireside Chat
Supply chain excellence is more important than ever. It’s why we are all here – to learn how the latest technology and innovations can be applied to improve supply chain transparency, resiliency, agility, visibility, security and efficiency. Join us in this fireside chat with IBM Supply Chain leaders as they share their experiences, lessons learned, advice and predictions they have gained as they implement a smarter supply chain internally and deliver AI-based supply chain solutions to customers.

This SAP Supply Chain Bootcamp, presented by CSCMP Corporate Member, Reveal, is a 3-day, end-to-end supply chain MasterClass focused on utilizing SAP to improve service levels, increase profitability, optimize inventory, and drive operational efficiencies.

Register today to join fellow supply chain professionals in Scottsdale, AZ on Feb. 2-4 at the Talking Stick Resort!

 

 

More information about this MasterClass can be found at: SAP Supply Chain Bootcamp

According to the November Logistics Manager’s Index Report^®, the overall index is 73.4, up slightly from from October’s reading of 72.6. The LMI states that this is driven largely by increased costs – particularly Warehousing Costs which registered an all-time high this month. Upstream firms continue to struggle to find transportation to move goods forward, while downstream firms hold significant levels of inventory. We'll see whether these pressures subside in early 2022 with the traditional post-holiday slowdown and Chinese New Year. 

Become an official EDGE 2022 Supply Chain Exchange Exhibitor today to position your brand as a global innovator and leader in the end-to-end supply chain.