LOGISTICS
“ SOME LOGISTICS COMPANIES ARE MOVING AWAY FROM TRANSPORTING PHYSICAL
INVENTORY TO PRODUCING ON-DEMAND INVENTORY USING 3D PRINTING ”
ANDREA RICCIARELLI , SUSTAINABLE SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT DOMAIN ADVISOR ,
SAP
“ Companies wouldn ' t have known such things years ago – so technology can definitely help – but really it ' s about identifying the key risks before they happen , so you can build that into your processes . Then it ' s about having your people trained , so they can respond to these problems .”
But in such a tough economic climate , what if a business can afford to invest in only one area of risk mitigation ? Where should it start ?
“ Data ,” said Woodham . “ That ’ s the place to start , but it ’ s also how you invest in data . Too often , businesses invest in technology based on their most recent crisis , rather than around predicting what the next crisis will be .”
Ebb & flow of supply chain management and mitigating risks Woodham referenced the semiconductor shortage to illustrate his point : “ Lots of companies invested in risk mitigation around the chip shortage , but the truth is that the shortage will sort itself out , because supply and demand usually does . The question those companies need to ask is : Why was I unable to predict the semiconductor crisis ? The answer to that comes down to how they use data .”
Another strategy to which organisations are turning to mitigate logistical risk is shortening their supply chain via nearshoring or reshoring manufacturing . Woodham told
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