European network of warehouses , we help our e-commerce customers to be faster – though we enable them to ship the next day , or even same day – and have more resilience in their supply chains . Given one geography falls under a lockdown or supply restriction , we can serve the markets from one of our multiple other stocking points . That kind of service sets a whole new industry standard and will be a blueprint for other markets and geographies as well .”
With the future in mind , De Bok recognises how vital it is to be lean and willing to adapt . Citing the changing world around us , coupled with increased investments in the industry ,
De Bok sees an acceleration of the evolution of supply chain . “ No one has a crystal ball and can predict the future . The only thing that we all know is that you need to be agile and able to respond to any changes in the market immediately ,” affirms De Bok . “ The need for flexibility starts right at planning around sourcing and being able to adapt from this point on is vital . This is why data analytics , collaborative robotics and the ongoing digitalisation of planning is so important . Just seeing how quickly we ’ ve been able to move this year makes me optimistic that whatever happens , we can transform our industry for the better .”
37 supplychaindigital . com