The first wave of the coronavirus hit everyone unexpectedly. While some businesses were awake and had planned for such an event, others were caught sleeping. With China, the global centre of manufacturing shutting down, companies were left in a state of crisis. Even though logistics worldwide had previously seemed to be robust and well-established, the global lockdowns have exposed the real state of it.
We are now in the midst of the second wave and businesses need to adjust in order to overcome this crisis effectively.
It is not only about the ability to produce goods it is also about the ability to meet the demand for them. Consumer buying behaviour changed over the pandemic period. The needs and wants of people changed and there was an increase in demand for products, that up until that point, had not been considered popular.
For companies to survive these new realities they had to optimise their response by adopting new supply chain resilience and agility capabilities.
The five most effective strategies are:
Stop the delay of information along the supply chain
Communication between the parties in the supply chain is paramount to meeting demand timeously. Any change in the process of supply needs to be reacted to as quickly as possible to eliminate any losses.
Companies needed to adopt a real-time communication system sooner rather than later. An effective system is a hotline or a what-app group. All members of the supply chain need to be on board with the system for it to work.
All routine processes or down-to-earth tasks should be automated
Customers will continue to want to pay low prices or feel like they are getting value for money for products and services. As a result, businesses will need to ensure they operate efficiently and frugally when it comes to using capital and when it comes to manufacturing capacity.
It is important to automate routine processes and free up the time of professionals, in the supply chain, so that they are able to address more important problems like developing a new sales strategy and customer relationship management.
Down-to-earth tasks can be managed by machinery and software. By adopting machinery and software, to manage these routine tasks, you improve the agility of the supply chain and lower the costs of the business’ logistics.
The supply chain operates more efficiently and cost-effectively. Products/services will have maximum added value and consumers will view them as worth the price they pay.
Data should be visible immediately / in real-time for all suppliers along the supply chain
All data along the supply chain should be visible immediately. There should be no delay in the passing on of data and information. This eliminates wasting the time of staff and delaying processes.
It assists with meeting demand timeously, effectively and cost-efficiently.
A database of all interactions that gives access to relevant, up-to-date information about the current processes and status of different shipments, in real-time, is a powerful tool on the way to combatting post-pandemic supply chain disruptions.
Unity of the Workflow
One platform should be used by everyone so that no data is lost. It is imperative to eliminate the possibility of errors for the system to be successful.
Help desk and training
All staff or professionals along the supply chain should have access to training on the system. Training videos and a help desk should be available for immediate assistance should anything not be functioning properly.