Derisking Your Supply Chain

The struggle to keep nations fed, health workers protected and the newly-remote workforce equipped with the right tech, has exposed weaknesses in global supply chains.

As the dust settles, executives need to preserve any hard-fought-for agility and understand what fresh procurement challenges the recovery phase will throw at them. Emma Carroll explores how they will do this.

Including commentary from:

Stephane Crosnier, Supply Chain & Operations Lead, UK&I, Accenture Strategy: "Some organisations are investing in their suppliers, either by sending their own people to help with operations or by taking direct stakes in them, and so providing a cash injection."

Amy Francis, Senior Relationship Manager, Criticaleye: "Before COVID, globalisation meant that businesses were often choosing to manufacture goods in a small number of locations that were distant from customers. This caused a lack of resilience when the crisis struck."

Trevor Hoyle, SVP, Ground Operations Europe, FedEx Express: "While there may be a course correction, I can’t see us going back into an age when we manufacture everything at home."

Dave Ingram, Chief Procurement Officer, Unilever: "Industries have to move from a minimum wage to a living wage commitment, and from certification systems to proving that you know where things came from. Consumers will demand that at any price point."

David Lechleiter, former VP of Global Supply Chain, Vaccines, GSK: “The big question is: what is shifting in the risk / benefit ratios with COVID, and will it impact ways of working for the long term?”