SAP SE
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“ It ’ s a great time to be in the world of supply chain ”
— Mike Wade , Head of Digital Supply Chain in South Europe , Middle East & Africa , SAP Digital Supply Chain ( DSC )
or supply chain operations ,” he continues . “ I ’ ve been in this role for three and a half years , but I have been with SAP nine . It ’ s a great time to be in the world of supply chain . The focus is higher now than it ever has been , and the good news , even in this world that ’ s accelerating and adopting new innovation , is that there is still absolutely – and probably more than ever – a need to focus on the supply chain . So it ’ s a good place to be .”
With the increased focus on the supply chain industry experienced over the last eight to nine months , Wade comments that “ supply chains have been a focus like never before , we felt the impact of that in the early days of COVID .” When supply sources were put under pressure at the outset , Wade reflects on his discussions with others in the industry , whose demand profile changed massively seeing huge increases . “ I ’ ve talked to multiple CEOs , and I ’ ve talked to some who have been given by their chairman or board open cheques to secure the supply source for their business . On the other hand , I talked to customers who were told to close their doors for three months during the peak of COVID – their business was closed . We see both ends of the scale . And what this has really focused on is resilience . Resiliency in supply chain operations and supply chain planning is critical .”
With resiliency now more than ever being a critical requirement in supply chain operations , Wade explains that “ a new lens has focused organisations in a different way , making companies ask the questions : how agile are the
DECEMBER 2020