Future-Proof Your Logistics Operations to Build a Resilient Business

Supply and demand in recent years have been consistently unpredictable and show no signs of returning to pre-pandemic norms. In response to these fluctuations, many businesses have started implementing new strategies to promote resiliency in their logistics operations, allowing them to grow revenue, increase margins and implement more sustainable practices, all despite a chaotic global economy.

More than two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain experts continue to speculate on what businesses can do both now and onward, to future-proof their operations.

But what exactly does true resilience look like, asks Adrian Gonzalez, founder and president of Adelante SCM, a peer-to-peer networking community for supply chain and logistics executives and young professionals. He cites Steven Melnyk and other colleagues from Michigan State University in an article they wrote as far back as 2015, where they defined resilience as “the ability of a supply chain to both resist disruption and recover operational capability after disruptions occur.”

The key to addressing this disruption may lie with technology. Many companies are already investing in more automation and better technology to improve visibility not just within their businesses but across the supply chain. These solutions help companies build resiliency as they prepare for and respond to crises, as well as solve one other major problem plaguing businesses today, the labor shortage.

The last two and a half years have highlighted for companies and consumers around the world the reality of our lives moving forward. Disruption will continue to be a constant, and businesses across the board will need to get comfortable not just adapting to change but expecting it. Importantly, sustainability needs to be central in these conversations, as we learn from past mistakes and develop new and better practices for the future.