In the first part of this two-part series about Supply Chains in 2019, we looked at the political landscape shaping our supply chain world, the uncertainty we are yet to escape and the nature of labour shortages in the industry. This second part in our series looks at the trends we can expect to see continue and emerge, with a particular focus on technology, automation and robotics. Read more
As we begin to gain momentum in to 2019, we’re seeing an emergence of new trends and a continuation of those already underway. There’s no doubting that the word ‘uncertainty’ is hanging over us from 2018, and has no chance of abating just yet. Supply chains are used to flexing and bending like a young sapling. However, this climate of uncertainty is at the more extreme end of our experience. Read more
Sustainability is the supply chain trend that’s here to stay. Supply chains are chasing sustainability, in industry, farming, and manufacturing. The onus is on both consumers and producers. It’s also on everyone in the supply chain in between. In this article, we look at the case for zero waste supply chains. Read more
No business is escaping the tentacles of technology. The supply chain industry is skilled at adapting its labour force to the pounding pace of change that technology brings, perhaps on a greater scale than any other business niche. However, artificial intelligence (AI) is a completely different ballgame. Read more
The supply chain is no stranger to change. In fact, we are so used to being chameleons, adapting to the latest innovation or problem, that it is very much part of what we do. Businesses, which stand the test of time, do so precisely because of their skill at adapting to face the latest challenges, and indeed thrive from them. Read more
A question that has been skirting around the industry over recent years is: ‘are supply chain professionals really safe from automation?’ Is the constant flow of news that supply chain jobs are safe from robots really true, or is it an echo chamber of what we want to believe? Has anyone been strong enough to really look into this, without an agenda of fear? Read more