The Truth About Supply Chain Stressors

Businesses start because someone has found a niche or an area of opportunity that they believe they can cover with a materialized idea in a product or a service. However, in the development process, focusing one hundred percent on product development causes professionals to lose sight of things that are just as important. One of them is the supply chain.

Product knowledge is so centralized and focused on operation, quality, and productivity that we forget external aspects we cannot and do not want to deal with in the same way or with the same passion: materials logistics, delivery times, distribution, packaging, warehousing, etc.

Don’t get me wrong, when dealt with; supply chain operations can easily consume our time and focus from what should be a priority for us as a creator of products and services: how to produce more with less resources, how to get defect-free quality, how to improve a product, being innovative, etc.

So, what’s the balance?

Supply chain is complex and imperfect, but there are some need-to-know truths to understand about challenges that stress the supply chain:

1. We are often blind to the visibility and control of the supply chain.
2. Existing external factors can prevent correct forecasts.
3. There is a widespread, progress-halting fear of implementing technology.
4. Many supply chain variables are not considered and left out.
5. We are controllers. We do not want to accept help from those who are experts in what we are not. We want to become the “jack of all trades” and end up being inexperienced in everything, losing touch of the vital focus: production.
6. The supply chain cycle is not completely closed, leaving aspects of it unchecked. We consider these aspects “not important” and leave them aside. As a result, we lose out on visibility that could impact production and customer retention.

Time and time again, we have idealized the supply chain when, in reality, it’s naturally imperfect on its own.

We can get a fresh start by reconciling with the following points:

1. Let’s recognize our vulnerability and inexperience. We don’t need to be perfect at everything.
2. Let’s raise our hands, ask for help.
3. Let’s invest in making our supply chain effective and efficient. Allocate an exclusive budget for it.
4. Let’s make new friends and build alliances with experts.
5. Let’s use, generate, and live technology.

I assure you that accepting these ideologies will positively affect your company by generating greater profits or reducing unnecessary costs. A successful investment always brings tangible, high-impact benefits. Remember, we are still dependent on an imperfect supply chain, but it is in our hands to shield the most important aspects of it.

Want to learn more about these positive ideologies? Let’s chat!