The global supply chain is not back to normal. Will it ever be? The latest headlines indicate that BCOs and LSPs can’t assume the return to normal is inevitable. To prepare for an uncertain future, supply chain orchestration and visibility technology that provides access to comprehensive data is essential.
Continue reading to learn more about the importance of technology and data in a challenging supply chain environment, and contact us if you’d like to learn more about what Cargologik can do as your comprehensive supply chain platform.
Supply Chain Technology to the Rescue
Technology continues to be seen as the magic bullet for overcoming supply chain management issues. Companies are “getting cautious” about a future that seems filled with uncertainty, and there’s a growing consensus that technology is an essential part of moving operations forward even as unanticipated disruptions and events continue to emerge.
Not all supply chain technologies are created equal, though. Disparate technologies that fail to communicate with one another can lead to supply chain fragmentation. It’s better to find a single source-of-truth platform that can empower efficient booking and document management as well as supply chain visibility and orchestration.
The Power of Unified Supply Chain Data
Supply Chain Brain recently wrote about the power of unifying data for a comprehensive view. Again, supply chain fragmentation is a serious issue that makes effective supply chain management more difficult than it needs to be. When you have in place a single platform that effectively unifies data, you’re able to get a complete view across your supply chain operations so that you and your team make the best possible decisions.
Visibility is one area where unified data is essential. The Supply Chain Brain story includes survey data from stakeholders around the world who overwhelmingly view end-to-end supply chain visibility as “vital.” Visibility is not only important to operations but also a key to ongoing customer experience and satisfaction.
We’re Not Back to Normal Yet
A new report indicates that 2023 was a year of growing stability across the global supply chain — but that there’s still a great deal of work to be done. The Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) and KPMG have released their latest Supply Chain Stability Index, which shows that there will not likely be a return to pre-pandemic normalcy this year. There are simply too many disruptions around the world for peak stability.
The delay in returning to pre-pandemic stability may indicate that the global supply chain will never return to its state before COVID-19.
Other Disruptions Around the World
While the Red Sea and Panama Canal continue to grab most of the disruption-related attention across the global supply chain, there are other developments that could cause problems for BCOs and the LSPs that serve them. For example, the New York Times reports that scrutiny of a Chinese company could disrupt the supply chain for important prescription drugs in the United States. At the same time, the once-thriving chip industry in Taiwan is moving to other destinations as part of a supply chain shift. These potential disruptions, plus others, require a heightened level of flexibility from supply chain stakeholders.
How Supply Chain Disruption Impacts the Dairy Industry
It’s always interesting to see how supply chain issues are affecting specific industries. A recent story in Dairy Foods Magazine examines how the dairy industry is striving to move past supply chain issues, making adjustments to keep operations moving forward even in the face of constant disruption.
The story explicitly highlights how organizations in the industry are currently focused on technological advancements and sustainability efforts. This mirrors what’s happening in many other industries, as companies are trying to get ahead of regulations by emphasizing sustainability while also using new technologies to work around disruptions and other supply chain issues.
Omnichannel Commerce Relieves Supply Chain Pressure
The pandemic-era rise of omnichannel commerce was a stressor for e-commerce businesses at first. But now, in an ironic twist, many are finding that supply chains built for omnichannel commerce are actually relieving supply chain pressure.
Lessons to Be Learned From Baltimore
The tragedy in Baltimore continues to reverberate around the nation and world. The loss of life is issue No. 1 in the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. As the community recovers from the accident and begins to heal, there are supply chain lessons to be learned as well.
Logistics Viewpoints writes about the “reminder that supply networks remain fragile” and that “disruptions are not always anticipated.” As stakeholders across the global supply chain strive to make operations safer, avoiding incidents like the Baltimore bridge collapse, they should also strive to make the global supply chain more resilient when disruptions do occur.
Establish the End-to-End Visibility Your Supply Chain Needs
Supply chain technology continues to be emphasized as essential to achieving end-to-end visibility and greater efficiency and ROI in supply chain management. At Cargologik, our platform can be the single solution your organization needs for comprehensive supply chain orchestration — visibility to document management and everything in between.
If you’ve been searching for the right technology to power your supply chain operations, get started now.
