COVID-19 And A Supply Chain Revolution

冠状病毒大流行暴露了系统性问题, 但是敏捷组织建立起来更加透明, technology-powered processes – here's how

It’s a paradox: the chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic cultivated the perfect environment for supply chain revolution. Fluctuating demand, 不可预测的消费者行为和破坏了贸易暴露的弱点, but they also created a unique opportunity for business leaders to make smarter and bolder decisions in terms of their supply chains.

Around the globe, 那些拥抱创新的组织, change and development have realized the short-term competitive advantages and lasting value of more efficient supply chains. It’s no wonder, then, 75%的企业计划进行调整，建立更具弹性的供应链, according to recent BluJay research exploring how firms around the world have navigated COVID-19 disruption. So what have business leaders learnt from 2020? 以及未来的供应链会是什么样子?

供应商的可见性和理解现在对业务至关重要

In 2020, 那些依赖中国商品的企业从惨痛的教训中认识到了缺乏灵活采购的危险. “In the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 crisis caused mass production shutdowns and supply chain disruptions due to port closures in China,” explains Kagure Wamunyu, 尼日利亚科技初创公司的首席战略官 Kobo360它集合了端到端的运输作业. “这在包括非洲在内的全球所有经济部门都产生了连锁反应.”

当前的危机为非洲国家创造了构建价值链的机会.

Kagure Wamunyu

Chief Strategy Officer

Kobo360

非洲从两个不同的角度经历了中国生产放缓的影响. In Q1 2020, 中国对非洲原材料和大宗商品的需求大幅下降, while the continent’s access to industrial components and manufactured goods from the region were also restricted.

然而，冠状病毒的影响对非洲来说是一把双刃剑. “当前的危机为非洲国家创造了构建价值链的机会 as well as take advantage of the breakdown in supply chains from China and Europe,” says Ms Wamunyu.

鉴于非洲大陆自由贸易区(AfCFTA)协定于2021年1月实施, which will form a US$3.4 trillion economic bloc, 关键制造地点的运营中断可能发生在一个理想的时间.

许多企业别无选择，只能寻找其他供应商. In doing so, 它们已经获得了发展包容性供应链的一些更广泛的好处, 包括获得新创意的能力, develop more competitive businesses, and tackle inequality.

Minority Supplier Development UK (MSDUK), which brings together global corporations and ethnic-minority businesses to develop more inclusive and diverse supply chains, 在病毒首次出现后的七个月里，企业会员的数量几乎翻了一番.

The pandemic prompted corporate businesses at MSDUK to buy from ethnic minority suppliers offering personal protective equipment and essential goods. “Those entrepreneurs were far better when it came to quality and service – they were working 24/7 to make sure they were providing those services to our corporate partners,” says Mayank Shah, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of MSDUK. “(发展包容性供应链)有一个非常简单的商业理由, even if we ignore the social impact.”

与主要供应商建立更牢固的(本地)关系

Over half (53 percent) of supply chain professionals believe creating a more resilient supply chain begins with developing stronger, 与主要供应商的关系更加透明, according to the BluJay survey.

Randall Aluwi, Tokopedia公司财务和投资副总裁, 一家专注于电子商务的印尼科技公司, identifies having strategic sourcing arrangements and a good relationship with suppliers as fundamental characteristics of a supply chain strategy capable of effectively addressing unexpected disruption. “The pandemic has sparked momentum for countries to strengthen their domestic economy by increasing the use of local resources, minimizing single-source dependencies, creating more sustainable supply chains, and, at the same time, promoting local economic sovereignty,” he says.

冠状病毒大流行暴露了支撑供应链的品种成本非常高.

Alan Braithwaite

Senior Adviser

BearingPoint

Aluwi先生指出，超过50%的“微”, 印度尼西亚的中小企业(MSMEs)属于农业和粮食部门. “One of the challenges faced is a complex and long supply chain that raises commodity prices for buyers and depresses profit margins for farmers,” he continues. “这些高昂的商品成本是由供应链中的中间商造成的, but these can be reduced through technology.

“During the pandemic, the accelerated technology adoption has also been a catalyst and opportunity for farmers: they can get more income, 消费者可以以更实惠的价格买到产品, by leveraging technology and digital platforms.”

Viewpoints from Crowe

Mike Varney, Partner at Crowe LLP (USA)

“It is vital to have a clear risk ranking, an understanding of your critical suppliers, and enough process around those suppliers to monitor for potential disruptions and then be able to respond proactively. 我们一直在帮助客户管理他们的供应商基础. We have been asking: how much more engaged are you with your suppliers in order to understand what’s going on? The COVID-19 crisis has woken up a number of industry players and I believe we are starting to see more formalization in how they manage sourcing arrangements. 这里的另一个关键因素不仅是管理第一线安排, but also having an awareness of your suppliers’ suppliers and how that might impact the delivery of your products.”

Nigel Bostock, Chief Executive, Crowe UK

“COVID-19危机是导致一场完美风暴的最后因素. 这是在经济衰退的风险之上, Brexit, US-China trade-wars, increased regulation, tensions continuing in the Middle East, 以及“经济放缓”的迹象(以及全球贸易将如何受到当前和未来的影响). 不过，对企业来说，这些事件也有积极的一面. 全球化和经济增长将会恢复, but those who will prosper most from the supply chain revolution will do so by emerging stronger from the crisis with an adaptable and resilient mindset. 现在是做出具有持久价值的大胆决定的时候了, 这不仅是因为从COVID-19危机管理中吸取的教训, 但也有其他事件造成了这场完美风暴. Businesses that adopt a wider and more diverse supply chain will find themselves adapting more effectively to regulatory change. 他们应该更清楚地了解整个供应链，以抓住机遇, address challenges, 积极有效地管理第三方风险的各个方面. Businesses should be better equipped to act decisively and quickly to solve supply chain problems and be pioneers of technological advancement and innovative thinking in their industry. 要有一种不断改进工作实践的心态. Furthermore, I believe delivering an effective environmental, social and governance (ESG) agenda as part of the business model will be an increasingly key feature of future success.”

Less is more – reducing product variety

全球大流行还凸显了大量产品储备的不利方面. “总的来说，[在COVID-19危机期间]物流已经交付, but the availability of goods and the impact on goods and services in the extended supply chain – what comes out of factories, for example – has been much more problematic,” says Alan Braithwaite, 他是荷兰管理和技术咨询公司BearingPoint的供应链专家和高级顾问. “It’s interesting to observe that one of the responses from the manufacturers has been to reduce the variety that they offer.”

Manufacturers have adapted to shifting consumer habits and fluctuating demand by cutting their product offering. “人们可能会自然地倾向于提供更大的选择范围, 但冠状病毒大流行暴露了支撑供应链的品种成本非常高,” explains Mr Braithwaite. “我认为我们将从中吸取一些教训, and it plays perfectly into the discount-supermarket syndrome where the choice is much less and the prices are dramatically cheaper. There will be some rebasing of operations.”

现在是商业领袖改善他们的供应链的时候了, 通过使供应商多样化——并探索当地的选择——更好地培养人才, 与这些供应商建立更有意义、更透明的关系, and reducing their product range. Taking those three bold, 创新措施将确保各种规模的组织在危机来袭时做好更好的准备.

Levi’s: A Supply Chain Clean-Up

In 2018, Levi Strauss launched its Project F.L.X. (future-led execution): an operating model that automates the jeans’ finishing process to eliminate thousands of chemical formulations to just a few dozen. The organization also committed to reducing its water use in manufacturing by 50 percent in areas of high water stress by 2025.

However, following a two-year investigation by the Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) that found widespread sexual harassment and abuse at factories owned by Nien Hsing Textiles – a supplier in Lesotho, 南非——李维斯重新评估了与供应商的关系.

Alongside Nien Hsing and other clothing brands, 李维斯通过工厂工会建立了一个强大的独立体系, 哪些文件记录了虐待行为并惩罚了施暴者.
According to the WRC, it’s the first time global brands have made a contractual commitment to only doing business with a supplier if it ends sexual harassment.