The global supply chain has faced significant challenges in recent years. What are the solutions to those challenges? And how are BCOs, LSPs, and others setting priorities for their supply chain operations in 2024 and beyond?
Recent headlines provide answers to those questions, as well as insights and updates on disruptions that could emerge in the year's second half. Continue reading to learn more about what’s going on around the global supply chain, and get in touch with us to discover how the Cargologik platform brings solutions to your supply chain operations.
Fixing the Supply Chain’s ‘Faulty Links’
The pandemic exposed faulty supply chain links across all industries, particularly healthcare and pharmaceuticals. This story from PharmaPhorum outlines many lessons learned from that challenging time, including the need for “digital visibility.”
The need for visibility is also a significant factor in the retail industry, according to this Supply & Demand Chain Executive article. Retailers are leaning into radio frequency identification (RFID), but the best visibility solutions take into account multiple data sources. The need for visibility extends beyond just shippers and BCOs. For example, the Port of Long Beach is investing millions into improved visibility and other tech advancements.
Short-Term Business Results Supplant Supply Chain Sustainability
Organizations are focused on improving short-term business results related to the global supply chain and placing less emphasis on supply chain sustainability. To boost these short-term business results, organizations are focused on “the digitization of supply chains and adoption of new technologies.”
This is a consistent message shared by industry experts and publications. Mastering the digitization of supply chain operations is essential for organizations that want to thrive in 2024 and beyond. Using analog and manual systems and even legacy software puts BCOs and LSPs at a significant disadvantage in an industry that is becoming more complex and competitive. The right technology is essential for collaboration, visibility, and the other must-haves of supply chain management today.
Walmart Invests in Supply Chain Technology
It’s not just small and midsize businesses that are focused on improving their supply chain operations through investment in technology. Walmart is embracing technology to help manage its inventory, predict demand, and streamline operations.
This level of investment is good for Walmart and good for the overall economy. As the story states, this digitization project “is set to create approximately 2,000 new jobs and significantly boost Walmart’s capacity to meet growing consumer demand.”
Labor Actions May Create Supply Chain Disruptions
A potential strike of Canadian rail workers could disrupt more than 900,000 tons of cargo that move every day on railways within the country. The Canada Industrial Relations Board recently paused the imminent strike to review the impact on public safety, but there’s no guarantee that the reprieve will last.
Disruptions like this highlight the need for end-to-end supply chain visibility and orchestration. Shippers, BCOs, and the LSPs that work with them will need options as they consider how to move cargo in and out of Canada, from manufacturing hubs and distribution centers to end users and customers. It’s difficult to explore those options without visibility, and the customer experience will likely suffer.
The United States faces a similar challenge as workers at East and Gulf Coast ports threaten to strike starting in October. Now is the time to plan for these potential disruptions by implementing the technology needed to keep your supply moving forward, no matter external factors.
The Power of Supply Chain Orchestration
Productivity. Speed. Visibility. Those are the outcomes of establishing orchestration, which is the future of supply chain operations. The article highlights the enormous strides made in the supply chain technology realm in the past four years. It notes that supply chain orchestration has emerged as the best way to “eliminate these inefficiencies by dynamically balancing supply chain resources so that the value of every resource is maximized and orders can be filled faster, more efficiently, and at a lower cost.”
The inefficiencies specifically outlined in the piece are “trucks arriving late, employees calling in sick, order volumes exceeding projections, and equipment failures.” These things inevitably happen, no matter how streamlined and optimized an organization’s supply chain operations are. Orchestration via technology is the best way to overcome these inefficiencies and keep products and goods moving — no matter what surprises may come.
A Tech Solution for Modern-Day Supply Chain Challenges
Navigating today’s complex, challenging supply chain requires the right technology to help you avoid disruptions, achieve visibility, manage documents, and execute a multitude of other tasks. At Cargologik, we’ve built a supply chain orchestration platform designed to meet the modern needs of BCOs, LSPs, and others.
Don’t waste your time, money, and energy on fragmented supply chain systems and legacy technology. If you’re in the market for technology that can serve as your single source of truth for supply chain operations, we can help. Get started now.
