The supply chain and the management thereof have been significantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, which has taught the industry some tough leadership lessons. But it has also hammered home lessons about how to prepare for unexpected disasters, how to deal with the financial impact, and how technology is critical to changing the way we do things.
Emergent technologies – from the Internet of Things and edge computing to artificial intelligence, data analytics and blockchain – hold enormous promise when it comes to more efficient and cost-effective supply chain management.
The massive surge in e-commerce in 2020 also created a dichotomy for organisations now operating both online and bricks-and-mortar operations. These businesses face numerous challenges, given the requirements that an omnichannel approach places on their supply chains, notably in terms of speed, complexity and efficiency.
Effective logistics is one way to solve this dilemma, and it is something that also goes hand in hand with fleet management. Technology is playing an increasing role here as well, so in this issue we also look into the impact of the technological revolution on fleet management, which encompasses everything from live fleet monitoring to automation.
And what about waste? Any supply chain will generate various forms of waste, creating a new set of challenges. Physical waste is expensive to deal with, while non-physical waste, such as inventory mismanagement, long lead times and transport and routing issues, affects not only costs but also your reputation and the customer experience.
Rodney Weidemann
Editor
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