Andrew Breckenridge, executive vice president of Fortna, tells how supply chain executives can engage in long-term planning to mitigate future risk, even as they’re battling the crisis of the moment.

Many supply chains still rely on linear strategies to manage their supply chains, resulting in poor planning, excess inventory, a lack of transparency into order status, and, ultimately, reduced sales and margins.

COVID-19, along with its direct impacts (lockdowns, border closures, etc.), has sent a domino effect of related disruption, including supply shortages and financial distress – but these aren’t the only threats in town.

This holiday season is shaping up to be a perfect storm of supply chain vulnerability.

The COVID-19 pandemic compressed a decade of healthcare transformation into mere months.

Transportation teams have a mandate to keep costs low without sacrificing performance. This isn’t an easy job, and the work is never over. Lowering transportation costs is no longer as simple as selecting the cheapest provider on a cost per mile basis.

Given the global nature of today’s supply networks, multi-tier visibility, planning and execution has become very complex. To manage today’s complexities, current systems are forcing functional groups to resolve problems with outdated processes and approaches.