Kris Can Dalen, supply chain expert and vice president of Onsite Solutions, discusses the ways to use supply chain diversity to overcome business challenges.
Kris Can Dalen
Supply Chain Expert and Vice President, Onsite Solutions
What is supply chain diversity and how does it benefit manufacturers?
Supply chain diversity is the strategy of connecting with a supply base that brings a broad range of capabilities and expertise. Manufacturers with diversity within their supply chain gain access to a multiplicity of ideas, which fuels innovation. It can be a powerful way to add balance, resiliency, and creativity to the business.
How does building an integrated supply chain help manufacturers improve their safety and productivity?
Supply chain integration places a laser focus on organizational core competencies and continuous improvement. In manufacturing, a supplier-managed safety program can drive worker compliance, and compliance drives worker safety.
What are the most important things for manufacturers to consider when building out their supply chain?
Never lose sight of the ultimate goals of your organization. The suppliers you choose, the products they supply, the method of how those items are delivered and consumed, even finance and accounting practices – everything should contribute to that journey. The key is aligning the metrics for measuring supply chain performance with those major organizational goals. When manufacturers achieve that alignment, they get an amazing level of commitment from their suppliers.
Where do you see the future of supply chain heading?Prices, labor, transportation capacity, working capital, tariffs – these issues are challenging every single organization out there today. Success won’t come through adversarial negotiations, but rather through supply chain collaboration. The long-term benefit is a more sustainable supply chain with the agility to navigate the next wave of business challenges.