The two major issues/opportunities I foresee in the coming year in the supply chain arena are the desire on the part of manufacturers to collaborate with one another — and with their “ship-to” customers — and consolidate inventories to take advantage of a wide array of transportation opportunities available to them; and talent acquisition and retention (both general labor and managerial).
More and more senior-level logistics and supply chain executives are expressing a willingness to partner with competitors because they understand the issues surrounding transportation, such as eliminating trucks with empty miles and reducing congestion on the roadways.
Couple this with the continued growth of omni-channel, e-commerce business to consumers as a percentage of total retail, and you have major implications on the broader supply chain. Amazon is becoming a competitor to just about anyone who ships product. This will promote innovative thinking on how to get products through the many classes of trade to the consumer and still make a profit.
On the labor side, we need to begin thinking about and taking action on where we’re going to get the talent that is critical to perform the tasks inside distribution centers. Companies today are seeking professionally trained supply chain managers. It’s important for us, as a discipline, to bring “supply chain as a career awareness” into the lower levels of education so that students have an understanding of the profession and the many benefits it offers professionals.
Rick Blasgen, President and CEO, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals