David Strausser, podcast host of Shark Bite Biz, and I talk about what’s going on in supply chain during the pandemic and many of the hot topics like business process automation, digital transformation, ERP, and WMS technologies that can help your company achieve growth during this challenging time. We are passing through a unique period of time. The global pandemic was extremely difficult to be prepared for, but yet here we are. If your business depends on products or parts from another business, how well do you know your supplier? How well do you know your supplier’s supplier? There is a whole chain reaction of disruption happening in the manufacturing and distribution world and you really need to make sure your business will be a good place. In essence, we talk supply chain disruptions due to the pandemic and how to optimize your supply chain. Listen to our episode (after a short advertisement).

What Should We Consider and/or What Impacts Could Arise?
Although there are many steps every manufacturer or distributor should take during these unprecedented times, there are a few critical and common steps everyone should pursue. At a minimum, immediately address the following:

  1. Your customers’ customers – Understand your demand, changing buying behaviors, changing product and service needs, etc.
  2. Your suppliers’ suppliers – Understand your supply capabilities, your suppliers and suppliers’ suppliers cash positions, risks, ability to innovate, etc.
  3. Don’t forget your internal operations – The equivalent of your customers’ customers’ view of your operations, capacity, staffing flexibility, skills, etc.
  4. Frequent touch points – Aligning demand and supply (SIOP, also known as S&OP), employees, customers and suppliers
  5. Sync up with your strategy – Are you still going in the “right’ direction? Think about rapid and agile strategy.
  6. Innovate – Only those that innovate thrive. During these unprecedented times, successful companies will pull away from the pack by innovating.

Read more about these types of topics in my eBook,  Future-Proofing Manufacturing & Supply Chain Post COVID-19. Gain ideas and strategies to successfully emerging from coronavirus and thrive long-term. If you are interested in doing an assessment and rapid roadmap tailored to your company, please contact us about this new service offering.

Please share your stories, challenges, ideas and successes.