Immediate Retailer Actions to Overcome Logistics Delays!

Subscribe Here!


We are fast approaching the Holiday season. Retailers would normally already have their goods on hand in Distribution Centres, Stores, and any other channels they may use.

But this year is different. The fallout from the global pandemic persists and shipping delays are rampant. Retailers should have had their goods by now yet for some their inventory hasn’t even left the country of manufacture. Even Christmas trees will be in short supply.

Panic should be setting in now if it hasn’t already. What are the options for Retailers to circumvent these logistics delays and get their inventory on hand in time for Holiday sales?

The State of Things

As reported by CNN on October 19, 2021, there are over 200,000 shipping containers waiting off the coast of Los Angeles, representing a backlog of over 2 weeks worth of work. That is notwithstanding the trail of additional ships and containers that are still on their way to Los Angeles.

Extending work hours at the port to a 24 hour schedule is alleviating some of the backlog but increased demand for products means that port workload will be heavy for some time to come. These backlogs and delays are not unique to Los Angeles as other ports in the US, Europe and Asia are experience similar problems.

The Financial Times states that as of October 15, 2021 there are 584 container ships stuck outside ports worldwide, double that of the same time last year.

These delays invariably lead to dramatic increases in shipping costs, which inevitably are going to work their way through to price increases for end consumers.

Even when those containers are unloaded another problem awaits. Getting enough trucks, and truck drivers, delays the pick up of these goods for delivery to parts unknown. The American Trucking Association has stated that there is a shortage of 80,000 truck drivers. The Coronavirus has dramatically worsened what was already a bad situation in terms of the shortage of drivers.

Any way you look at it Retailers are going to have a hard time getting all of the inventory they need to satisfy the surging demand, which will only be compounded when considering even greater demand driven by the Holiday season.

And in many respects this demand is perishable. Consumers will either go to other retailers who do have the inventory, or they won’t buy at all.

What are the drastic steps that Retailers can take NOW, to get as much inventory as possible into their channels?

Act Like It’s An Emergency, Because It Is!

In Retail the enormous wave of activity hits Supply Chain well before the Holiday season, as the massive influx of inventory hits the logistics channels and distribution centres. Normally by late October all of these goods would be on hand, in inventory, and positioned for the pending sales season.

Because so many Retailers are still waiting for goods that are stuck either on the ocean, in ports, or on the road, they must take DRASTIC steps now in order to mitigate any delays.

Here are our recommendations on steps that must be taken right now:

1. Put Your Team on High Alert

Create a SWAT team and a war room, with daily, if not hourly, governance and oversight. This is not a drill. Hire in extra outside consultants or resources as needed. There are lot of professional organizations offering Supply Chain as a Service (SCaaS). You need people working on this stuff 24 hours a day for the foreseeable future. If you don’t add extra resources now you will regret it later.

2. Spend MORE on Logistics

Plan to spend a lot more money on logistics, at least in the short term. Shipping costs are going up. PERIOD. Beyond that you should prepare your organization to spend even more. Remember, if you can’t get the goods into your customers hands, that demand is likely perishable. So you must spend more to get those goods into position so that you can fulfill as much of that demand as possible.

3. Proactively Manage Everything, Buy Whatever You Can, and Take Control

Proactively manage all aspects of your logistics network. Do not just leave this up to your carriers. These carriers are serving a lot of different customers, all of whom are also commanding attention and demanding expediting, and you are just one. You must make the decisions.

Buy any and all available inventory at your local Distributors and Wholesalers. Even if this means you need to take last minute actions to update your merchandising plan and online promotions, having any inventory is much better than having no inventory at all.

4. Implement All Alternatives for Moving and Storing Your Goods

Consider all alternatives for moving your goods:

  • Route the ships with your goods to less congested ports. Ensure these ports are working 24-7.
  • Hire truck drivers, and trucks, on contract to pick up and transport your goods. Consider paying for team drivers so that your trucks never stop running.
  • Charter airplanes and air freight your goods to their destinations.
  • Hire extra carriers and rent (or buy) containers wherever possible.
  • Establish local, mini “Pop-Up” distribution centres and storage facilities close to either the ports or your points of highest customer demand, to minimize the movement of goods. This should be done irrespective of where your current facilities are.
  • Implement drop shipping and avoid sending your goods to centralized distribution centres. Drop ship your goods directly to stores, consumers and other distribution points and avoid excessive handling. Even if this means stores will have crowded backrooms, or trucks in their parking lot, that is a lot better than having inventory stuck in a distribution centre, at a port or on the road.
  • Embrace a Touchless, or “Don’t Touch” paradigm in materials handling and storage. Forget your current processes and procedures. Moving materials multiple times and moving those goods on and off storage shelves is wasted activity. Especially when you are pressed for time you should eliminate all unnecessary handling and storage activities. The drop shipping model is an example of this new paradigm.
  • Buy as much inventory as you can now, far in advance of demand, and beyond normal order and delivery lead times. While this may be too late for this coming Holiday season, strong demand will continue for the foreseeable future. At a minimum buy the strategic elements of your inventory now.
  • Extend your delivery lead time parameters, as well as your order lead time parameters. Leave these exaggerated times in place until we are well past the point at which logistics delays are problematic.

Logistics Delays in Conclusion

Don’t just sit back and wait for your goods to arrive. This is not the time to be passive, complacent and indifferent.

Everyone is scrambling to get their goods all at the same time. That means that common resources (eg. ships, ports, trucks, truck drivers, distribution centres) are bottlenecks. Demand for these resources is far greater than the available capacity hence these logistics delays.

The result is that the people who are more aggressive, more creative and innovative, more determined, more organized, and yes more willing to spend money, will be more likely to get their goods earlier than you and everyone else.

Retailers are staring at the stroke of midnight with respect to getting their goods in place on time for the Holiday season. Take all measures, no matter how extraordinary, to bypass these logistics delays and get your inventory in your channels. Your share of your customer’s wallets, and your business survival, depend on it.

Logistics delays article originally published on October 26, 2021.

The Digital Supply Chain Journey: Step 4 – Supplier Onboarding!

Subscribe Here!


The foundations of any Digital Supply Chain is the real time, end-to-end electronic connectivity of every node and aspect of your Supply Chain. Unless your company is entirely self-sufficient this connectivity requires extensive and exhaustive Supplier Onboarding.

And this onboarding is not restricted to the first tier suppliers with whom you have direct contact. You must connect with second, third, and fourth tier suppliers, many of which you will often never have even heard of before.

And that is an enormous challenge, to say the very least.

Continue reading “The Digital Supply Chain Journey: Step 4 – Supplier Onboarding!”

Seasoned Leadership in Action™ – Our 2020 All Stars!

Subscribe Here!


This is our third year of publishing interviews with great leaders. Our 2020 All Stars are leaders that have been exceptional this year, as they and people from all walks of life have been impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic.

The interviews are generally amongst our highest viewed articles. This further underscores the fundamental objective of Supply Chain Game Changer which is to share experiences and expertise from professionals around the world.

People want to hear from others and learn the lessons they can share. They want to hear about experiences and get advice and guidance.

We are honoured to present, in order of publication, our compilation of Seasoned Leadership In Action™ interviews from 2020!

Please take the time to view them all. There is value to be learned from every single one of these exceptional leaders! Here are our 2020 All Stars!

Continue reading “Seasoned Leadership in Action™ – Our 2020 All Stars!”

Gartner Top 25 Supply Chain List! Is it Relevant?

Subscribe Here!


Gartner recently announced their Top 25 Supply Chains List.  I always find it interesting to see the list, to see who came out on top, and to hear what their views are on prevailing trends.

But as I review the list, compare it to prior years, and consider the scoring methodology I do wonder whether the list in its current form continues to be relevant for identifying the best of the Supply Chain.

Continue reading “Gartner Top 25 Supply Chain List! Is it Relevant?”

Post Pandemic Stress Disorder in Supply Chain!

Subscribe Here!


SC Viral The Pandemic Diaries

A year of dealing with the disruptions caused by the Coronavirus, combined with another tough year ahead, has created an environment of Pandemic fatigue of the highest order.

Children have had to stay at home instead of going to school. Adults have had to work from home, or worse yet, are at home because they either lost their jobs or had their work hours cut. Going to the store to get the basics has meant seeing empty shelves, long line ups, curb side pick up, mask mandates, and social distancing reminders everywhere.

Businesses have been closed, forced to reinvent their ways of going to market, and restructured just to cling on and hope for survival.

And even with the approval of vaccines the poor initial rollout suggests that it is going to be a long time yet before we can go back to some state of normal.

How many people have Post Pandemic Stress Disorder?

Continue reading “Post Pandemic Stress Disorder in Supply Chain!”

Design in Quality First!

Subscribe Here!


The Division I had just joined was enjoying great success in Sales and Development.  They had created a modular building block design for their products.  Simply there were over two dozen different building block designs which could be configured in innumerable combinations to create the end product.

Each building block was designed to be a low-cost item.  Based on the customer requirements and specifications the building blocks could be combined in varying quantities.  Then a custom outer case, with the appropriate inputs and outputs, would be created to house all of the building blocks, interconnected on a master mother board.

It sounded great on paper and on Powerpoint slides.  But what came next was an absolute nightmare.

Continue reading “Design in Quality First!”

How Machine Translation Can Improve Localized Supply Chain Efficiency

Subscribe Here!


The World Economic Forum (WEF) reported that even before the Ukraine-Russian war, the disruptions led to major economies losing  112.75 billion Euros in GDP in 2021 and caused inflation to skyrocket. The challenges brought by disruptions of the international supply chain due to uncontrollable circumstances showed how fragile current supply chain systems were. 

WEF addressed the need to reinvent supply chains that will make them “more resilient and agile to respond to increasing supply uncertainties, while also becoming  a key competitive advantage to enable growth.” 

Continue reading “How Machine Translation Can Improve Localized Supply Chain Efficiency”

3 Common Distribution Challenges and Solutions!

Subscribe Here!


A company’s distribution and warehousing operations consist of multiple functions and distribution challenges. It is not just about having workers picking items off shelves, packaging the products, and placing them on delivery trucks.

It also involves tracking shipments before they reach the warehouse or distribution center, handling customers, placing inventory in the right locations, managing inventory levels, forecasting customer demand, accepting returns, and more.

Trying to manage all of these processes daily creates a range of obstacles that could delay or disrupt the supply chain.

Here are common supply chain challenges and the modern technology that can offer cost-effective solutions.

Continue reading “3 Common Distribution Challenges and Solutions!”

Is Single Sourcing, or Sole Sourcing, Dead?

Subscribe Here!


The Coronavirus Pandemic has quickly and severely disrupted Supply Chains of every kind around the world. Lockdowns have resulted in the temporary closure of Manufacturing and Distribution facilities and discontinuation of Logistics and transportation modes.

Additionally dramatically higher demand for household supplies (eg. toilet paper) and medical personal protective equipment have resulted in stockouts and shortages.

In many cases the use of single sourcing, or sole sourcing, Procurement strategies has limited the ability for Supply Chains to access alternate sources of supply and more rapidly support higher than normal demand levels.

As we progress through and past the pandemic, is it time for Procurement to adopt parallel Supply Chain strategies, such as dual sourcing, and limit or abandon single sourcing and sole sourcing?

Continue reading “Is Single Sourcing, or Sole Sourcing, Dead?”

3D Printing is Changing Global Supply Chains!

Subscribe Here!


In the past people could be forgiven for thinking 3D printing was ‘for the future’. The pandemic changed all that dramatically.  3D printing is changing global Supply Chains.

The desperate dash to produce a vaccine quickly and cost effectively, and in sufficient quantities to a global population became mission critical.

Producing PPE equipment, such as face masks and spare parts for ventilators, all needed to be done speedily, efficiently, and with worldwide collaboration. Local production was also a factor.

Traditional manufacturing and the global supply chain were suboptimal in solving such a crisis. Traditional (subtractive) manufacturing processes were the antithesis of what was required – efficacy, efficiency, and local production with design flexibility embedded.

This was the seminal moment when additive manufacturing (3D printing) changed global supply chains forever.

Continue reading “3D Printing is Changing Global Supply Chains!”

Procurement Don’t go to the Dark Side!

Subscribe Here!


Early in my career I worked in a department that was responsible for the design,testing, sourcing and procurement of packaging materials.  It was a great experience and introduction to so many aspects of the Supply Chain.

But one day one of my peers was fired.  He was responsible for negotiating with the packaging suppliers.  As it turns out he was taking kickbacks.  When that was discovered and verified he was summarily dismissed.  He went over to the dark side.

I never got the precise details but I don’t believe he could have got more than a few thousand dollars for his illicit efforts.  More importantly he got a black mark on his resume, and in his life, that he could never erase.

That was my first lesson on the do’s and don’t of Supplier Relationships.

Continue reading “Procurement Don’t go to the Dark Side!”

7 Ways to Create a Great Customer Experience!

Subscribe Here!


Unchaining Change Leadership

Are you looking to get ahead in the game? Having a great customer experience strategy is the way to go. A well-executed strategy will give you positive results, maximize consumer lifetime value, increase your revenue and boost customer satisfaction.

Every stage of a customer’s interaction with your brand can make or break their trust and loyalty in you. How customers are handled determines how they will view your brand.

Creating a great customer experience (CX) has the potential to bring your brand a lot of value. Unfortunately, most companies don’t know how to do this. Thus, it offers you a competitive advantage.

Below are seven ways you can create a great customer experiencechf strategy for positive results:

Continue reading “7 Ways to Create a Great Customer Experience!”

Efficient Warehouse and Vehicle Fleet Management for Businesses!

Subscribe Here!


For businesses with inventory to oversee, efficient warehouse and vehicle fleet management is crucial. By streamlining operations and implementing best practices, businesses can save time and money while ensuring that their products are properly taken care of. 

Continue reading “Efficient Warehouse and Vehicle Fleet Management for Businesses!”

Freight Industry Insights – FreightPOP Interviews Mike Mortson

Subscribe Here!


We recently interviewed Mike Mortson, founder of Supply Chain Game Changer, about the trends he sees in shipping and the freight industry. He says digitizing supply chains is a significant trend.

Mike is an industrial engineer with an extensive background in all facets of leadership, from supply chain management, procurement, manufacturing, ops, and I.T., to global operations, distribution, logistics, reverse logistics, and commodity management. 

Mike has helped several companies evaluate and overall their supply chains. His experiences led him to begin Supply Chain Game Changer, a website and blog aimed at sharing  experiences and expertise and curating content and resources to help everyone from industry experts to supply chain professionals globally.  

Continue reading “Freight Industry Insights – FreightPOP Interviews Mike Mortson”

Fake News or Supply Chain Fallacies?

Subscribe Here!


Lots of things are happening in Supply Chain Management! Is Supply Chain immune from fake news?

The field is becoming more digital, with end-to-end planning and blockchain technologies transforming the way products are coming to market. It’s becoming more strategic, as companies integrate their Supply Chains and use them as a source of competitive advantage – instead of just a back-office function.

Larger societal changes are affecting the way companies are planning their Supply Chains of the future – everything from the looming arrival of driverless cars, to consumers’ demands that companies be more socially responsible.  And the prevailing use of the term “Fake News“.

Continue reading “Fake News or Supply Chain Fallacies?”