Inventory Optimization In Full Focus in the Turbulent Economy
If you follow the stock market, you might think the economy is strong. As consumers, we are frustrated with the price of everyday supplies such as food, gas, and housing.
If you follow the stock market, you might think the economy is strong. As consumers, we are frustrated with the price of everyday supplies such as food, gas, and housing.
Volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA) continues to rage and threaten manufacturers and supply chain chain organizations. The VUCA threshold skyrocketed during the pandemic, and it has not returned to normal.
According to the ISM, "The Manufacturing PMI", a measure of manufacturing activity, registered at 48.5% in June, which is a decline from 48.7% in May.
There is substantial geopolitical risk with China. Look no further than the South China Seas. Philippine officials say Chinese forces seized two naval boats in a disputed South China Sea shoal. A few days prior, a Philippine ship and a Chinese vessel collided. It is a risky situation in the South China Seas.
In attending the Southern California E-Commerce & Logistics Summit, it is clear that focusing on global logistics as a system of systems is paramount (special shout out to Fran Inman for the use of her phrase). Not one link in the supply chain can succeed on its own.
The risk of China has increased dramatically over the years. Early on, executives were concerned about intellectual property theft. Although that is still a concern, there are much bigger issues.
If you are dependent on any region, non-friendly country, customer, supplier, material, or anything noteworthy to your success, you must diversify. Although this concept has always been true, the pandemic highlighted the critical importance. Some companies simply lost their source of supply overnight and have not recovered if not diversified.
According to UPS's CEO, UPS’ network flexibility gave it an edge over FedEx in landing a deal with the U.S. Postal Service. Instead of following a hub-and-spoke model to service the USPS, UPS can use its regional gateways to support the local and regional requirements of the USPS customers.
According to The California Policy Center, 237 companies have left California since 2005. Most companies cited the expanding regulatory and taxation environment.
The aerospace supply chain has been struggling to recover since the pandemic. The industry has been plagued with shortages, labor issues, and supply chain issues. According to McKinsey, demand was back to 97% of pre-pandemic levels as of December 2023.