SupplyChain Magazine July 2022 | Page 20

FIVE MINUTES WITH ...

“ 3PLs and 4PLs have a critical role to play in supply as they ’ re often able to see disruptions early ”

collaboration will we see such benefits coming through .
But not only do organisations need to collaborate with logistics companies , the logistics companies also need to collaborate with one another .
This is an emerging area . It isn ’ t happening enough at the moment but it will become more prominent going forward , particularly as regards sharing capacity .
A good example is the delivery of goods and services . Traditionally , logistics will measure delivery ‘ fill ’. It doesn ' t necessarily always measure and monitor its return fill . Sometimes return vehicles don ’ t contain any products – so-called empty running .
So there is definitely an opportunity for logistics companies to consider sharing capacity , in order to make the entire network more efficient . With the drive towards sustainability becoming more and more important , reducing the amount of inefficient transport moving around is definitely something logistics providers will seek to tackle , in my opinion .
Q . WHAT IS THE BIGGEST BARRIER TO THE DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF SUPPLY CHAINS ?

» Developing the business case for change is still a huge challenge for many organisations . Lots of businesses still tend to focus on the top- and bottom-line , which is understandable because that ' s how we ' re all measured .

I think that migrating towards more of a value-driven assessment is required if an organisation is to start moving things forward in the right direction .
And businesses – particularly those with limited investment capabilities – need to focus on the important aspects of their supply chains . Seeing past the immediate first tier can be a tricky one for a lot of organisations .
20 July 2022