LM Viewpoint 2017: Prepare to be quick and nimble

And considering that this year’s presidential election result finds logistics managers scratching their heads in terms of how our global and cross-border trade operations may be altered, this is the ideal time to digest as much fact-based, appropriately-sourced, reasonable insight as you can get your hands on.

I would suggest you start by reading this month’s columns by group news editor Jeff Berman and executive editor Patrick Burnson. In fact, Berman says that some of the early Trump rhetoric suggests there’s a chance that the new administration just might make some much-needed headway in infrastructure investment.

“It sounded like a renewed commitment to rebuilding our nation’s infrastructure on the campaign trail,” says Berman. “But we’ll need to stay tuned for what comes next.”

Burnson’s column quickly reaffirms that the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will most likely not move forward with U.S. participation. “Several prominent U.S. trade experts were quick to condemn the lost opportunity and issued some fairly dire forecasts in late November,” says Burnson. “They tell us that goods could be stranded, and we could see further protectionism on the rise due to our lack of participation.”

However, as reasonable professionals, we can’t let this current cloud of uncertainty block our vision for a more dynamic, digital logistics and supply chain management future—one that’s actually unfolding in front of us.

So, I’m going to strongly suggest that, after reading those columns, you jump over to your laptop or tablet and attend our 2016 Virtual Conference titled “Digital Evolution: Streamlining Logistics and Supply Chain Operations.”

Regardless of who’s sitting in the White House, Logistics Management readers now need to be moving at the speed of sound. Yet, we’re facing an ever-shifting landscape of complex customer fulfillment requirements coupled with mounting motor carrier regulations, convoluted Customs requirements that could become even more puzzling, along with increasing global risk—a complicated stew.

This year, the editorial teams of Logistics Management and Supply Chain Management Review have neatly defined the challenges facing operations and offer solutions designed to create dynamic, automated networks that offer seamless communication, improved collaborative third-party relationships, and the ability to respond to changes at a moment’s notice.

In fact, this year’s keynote, delivered by Tata Consultancy Services’ senior fellow Rich Sherman, perfectly defines the path that today’s logistics and supply chain managers need to follow—one that prepares your operation to be quick and nimble.

“For retailers, e-tailers, distributors and manufacturers, competition can come from anyone, anywhere and anytime,” says Sherman in his address. “So, rather than re-engineer today’s insufficient supply designs, it’s time to re-imagine the digital supply chain as a customer-centric supply network, enabled by real-time visibility, end-to-end data and advanced analytics.”

Sherman walks us through practical examples of how this new vision of the digital supply network currently functions, and then leaves us with steps to help our organizations take this non-linear approach.

“Traditional supply chain structures, strategies, design, processes and execution can no longer meet the requirements of digital markets,” Sherman adds. “The non-linear network will help your organization be flexible no matter what challenge is put in your way.”