Next in our supply chain resiliency value series, we are excited to share an interview with BJ Patterson, President of Pacific Mountain Logistics. Thanks to B.J. for sharing his expertise on the Manufacturing Summit’s panel “Amazon Effect: Pass or Play – the New Sales & Distribution Game and How it Affects Manufacturing”.
B.J. is responding to a question related to supply chain resiliency on disruptions in logistics. In essence, the key question is how to maintain margins throughout the supply chain when we 1) ship a single item vs. a pallet of items in terms of warehousing/ material handling inefficiencies; 2) when customers’ orders require many more truck trips than ever before and 3) truck space is at a premium yet we are shipping a lot of air since Amazon-like shipments often have 1 item in a large box on a truck. Certainly, there are no easy answers; however, we must be thinking about how we’ll create supply chain resiliency so we can thrive with these changing market conditions.
With an increasing frequency, supply chain partners are pulling together to find solutions to these types of challenges. Moreover, the strategic use of data is at a premium. If you can better coordinate all of these ever-changing market conditions to gain visibility and efficiencies within your extended supply chain, you just might take the lead in your industry.
Our most successful clients don’t wait for these disruptors to crush them; instead, they are always looking for potential disruptors and searching for solutions and proactive approaches to take the lead position instead of disappointing customers in an era where the customer experience is of paramount importance. What are you doing to navigate these logistics disruptors? We are always interested in feedback and ideas to share.