As 2022 draws to a close it is interesting to reflect on the fact that while many of the restrictions put in place during the pandemic are no longer in place, the Supply Chain disruptions caused by the pandemic continue to persist.
These continued disruptions reinforce our belief that Supply Chains continue to be structurally weak. They fall far from the ideal of having much more robust and resilient Supply Chains.
On that note it is important to take the time to reflect on our top 10 articles for the second half of 2022.
10. Celebrating the 40th Anniversary of Supply Chain Management! (Or is that 4000 years?)
In 1982 the term “Supply Chain Management” was first created. Coincidentally that was the year I began my career.
Over the past 40 years the profession has experienced a wide range of change and growing understanding and acceptance. Most specifically the pandemic brought Supply Chain to the forefront of everyone’s minds.
In this article we take the time to step back and reflect on the last 40 years and ponder what the future may hold for this exciting field.
9. The Digital Supply Chain Journey: Step 2 – Digital Transformation Leadership
The future is a Digital future. And powering that future will be the Digital Supply Chain. So many of the technologies that exist will enable that future vision. But it will only become a reality through leadership.
And this kind of transition does not materialize under any kind of leadership. We specifically need Digital Transformation Leadership. And we need to develop the skills and experience in our talent base to grow this leadership to ensure our future.
8. Cold and Flu Medication Shortages! What’s Going On?
The fallout from the global Coronavirus pandemic lingers on. Now when you go to store shelves to look for pain relievers or cold and flu medication you are likely to see empty shelves.
This commodity is just the latest in a litany of commodities that have been in short supply, either for a short or long time, as a result of the pandemic. But unfortunately this medication is essential for our health and well-being.
In this article we explore why this situation exists.
7. The Digital Supply Chain Journey: Step 1 – The Vision!
The Digital Supply Chain is the future. And for those who do not yet realize it we truly have entered a period of Supply Chain Renaissance which will see the deployment of Digital Supply Chains everywhere, for decades to come.
Given the importance of this strategic direction, in this series we wanted to outline the steps required to make this reality. And none of this can start without going through Step 1 – The Vision!
6. The Single Point of Failure in Supply Chain – Semiconductor Fabrication!
We started our “Single Point of Failure in Supply Chain” series with the Suez Canal crisis of 2021. It crystallized for us that there were numerous highly visible Supply Chain disruptions, such as with Baby Formula, which had as their cause a single point of failure.
In our latest article in this series we discuss Semiconductor Fabrication. The world’s overwhelming reliance on a single country for most of its computer chips seems highly vulnerable given the effects of the pandemic and the political forces which may be at work to disrupt the stability that we all thought was there.
5. How Smart CEOs Leverage Supply Chain!
If CEOs didn’t know how important Supply Chain was then certainly the experiences in and the fallout from the pandemic should have made those CEOs aware.
Still we are concerned that many CEOs will forget what they’ve just gone through and treat Supply Chain without the respect it deserves. On the other hand smart CEOs will embrace Supply Chain and work to leverage it to create better results and to their great advantage.
4. The Supply Chain Detective™ – Our First 10 Cases!
Much of the work done in Supply Chain is not just performing straight forward tactical tasks. There is a lot of problem solving, metrics optimization and process improvement required.
In this vein we created The Supply Chain Detective™. There is a lot of investigation, analysis, and solution generation required to accomplish things. Here we outline the first 10 cases for The Supply Chain Detective™, each case of which is based on real world experience.
3. The Toxic Workplace Response! Fight or Flight?
Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter and his approach to the company has resulted in approximately 75% of the workforce leaving, some of it involuntary and some of it voluntary. For those who are left at the company it is clearly a toxic work environment.
And who wants to work somewhere toxic? In this article we discuss a number of real life experiences in a toxic workplace. Not all workplaces start that way, or end that way, but while they are toxic there is a real decision to be made as to whether you should leave the company or stick it out.
2. The Preeminent Role of Supply Chain in Cash Cycle Management!
Cash is king! Without cash a company dies. With cash a company can fund its operations and investments and hopefully not just survive but grow.
Contrary to other opinions Supply Chain, not just Finance, plays the preeminent role in Cash Flow, or Cash Cycle Management. From order management to inventory management to accounts payable, and everything in between the effectiveness of the cash to cash cycle relies on Supply Chain leadership.
1. 10 Lessons from Good Bosses!
Over the course of my career I have had many bosses. It seemed natural to sort them between the good ones and the bad ones, and to think about the characteristics that made them good and/or bad.
I previously wrote an article on Lessons from Bad Bosses, which was really intended to discuss the behaviours to avoid. But this companion piece about Good Bosses turned out to be one of our most popular articles. I like to think that people are looking for inspiration from those who are good people and good at what they do.
Conclusion
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