Category: Supply Chain Trends
Tips for Successful Logistics Hiring Decisions in 2024
Introduction Logistics hiring has never been simple and easy. 2024 will present many of the usual hurdles to finding enough people to work in this nuanced field. However, a supply chain world under constant stress will also continue to add layers of complexity to the talent landscape. Finding the best person for the job won’t be easy but can help to secure your competitive edge while allowing your company to build capacity. We’re going to help you understand what you need to prioritize as you explore logistics hiring and people development decisions in 2024. The intersection of supply chain [...]
Failed 2023 Predictions & Supply Chain Trends to Monitor in 2024
Introduction The year in supply chain has been full of change and disruption. Some of the predicted supply chain trends in 2023 came to fruition and some didn’t. We know that no one has a crystal ball and that prognosticators often fail. We’re going to look at some things that panned out and others that didn’t and what that might mean for 2024. Make no mistake about it: we live in disrupted times. Change management is becoming more of a must have skill set in supply chain, rather than a luxury. Companies and individuals have tried to avoid this [...]
Diversity in Supply Chain – (DEI) Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Supply Chains
Managing diversity in your company’s supply chain workforce can be challenging. However, the overall benefits of a diverse workforce improve your company’s worth. In business, the bottom line indicates the health and growth of a company. Most return on investment (ROI) numbers can be calculated fairly easily, but there are some intangibles that improve ROI and aren’t so easy to correlate. One such “intangible” is diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in a company’s workforce. In this article, we make a case for actively pursuing DEI (sometimes called just D&I for Diversity and Inclusion), in supply chains and business. Multiple guests on the Supply Chain Careers Podcast have emphasized how diverse backgrounds and viewpoints positively enhance the ability for supply [...]
What to Expect When Working with a Supply Chain Recruiter
The time may come sometime in the near future for you to make a very important hire. That effort could best be left up to professionals who specialize in the specific duty of sourcing and placing candidates well qualified for the role you’re seeking to fill. Here are just a few things to expect when working with a recruiter. Working with a supply chain recruiter brings along with it some very unique duties and expectations which may not be familiar with people who haven’t engaged in this type of work before. Here’s a bit of a primer on what [...]
Christmas is Canceled?! Supply Chain Impacts
Just when you thought the supply chain couldn’t get any worse, CHRISTMAS IS CANCELED!
Supply Chain Disruptions Ripple from War in Ukraine
As the 2nd quarter of 2022 approaches, the world continues to confront massive supply chain disruptions. Oddly, 2022 showed some promise of calm and stability in world markets. The latest Covid surge was slowing, allowing for production and manufacturing to return to normal in southeast Asia. American ports were finding relief in their previously heavily congested cargo bays and berths. The American economy continued adding jobs and surging ahead with strong earnings and low unemployment. The rest of the world started to echo these moves. And then a disruption that has threatened to crater these gains: War. Russia invades [...]
Omicron and the Supply Chain
An already stressed supply chain labor pool Impacted by Covid19 The combination of lockdowns, shift in ecommerce buying habits fueled by government cash injections, an already depleted labor force, and production evolutions with real time issues like a Suez Canal blockage created a perfect storm of supply chain issues. Now, the world faces further issues due to omicron and the supply chain. Let’s start with the labor force. A US Census article from November 2020 forecasts a manufacturing labor shortage due to the average age of manufacturers being 55 and above. In 2015, two thirds of the US workforce [...]
Outstanding Operations Leadership Program: O2L
Operations Leadership Program (O2L) - Introduction Extensive research on the performance of Fortune 500 companies has shown that the key to driving sustainable long-term performance is to place an equal emphasis on the performance and “health” of an organization.1 The research notes that companies that balance the two outperform their peers by three-fold. In this context, “organizational health” refers to all the systems, processes, and cultural elements that are a part of executing the business priorities. An example from a recent engagement is expanding the S&OP process to manage inventory build-up to support new business development. This led to [...]
7 Strategies to Navigate the Trade and Tariff Volatility
Ever since the first tariffs were enacted on imports from China, many retailers, wholesalers and manufacturers have been in a panicked state. The tariffs have increased import prices on various products, leading to the choice for companies to absorb the costs themselves or pass onto consumers. This has also driven down consumer confidence as well, which is contributing to a slowing economy. Even with the talk of rollbacks, both economies have already suffered billions of dollars of losses. One recent study shows the tariffs threaten almost 1.5 million US jobs and more than $180 billion of nationwide economic activity. [...]
