The survival and growth of a company, tied to the development of its Supply Chain

There is no longer any doubt that the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the supply chain, or supply chain functionality within an organization or system, is crucial not only for keeping the global economy and countries running, but also for maintaining the livelihoods of millions of small and medium-sized companies that had to reconvert overnight and begin thinking in logistical terms about how to maintain or grow their businesses. Governments have understood this, forcing them to delve into strategic issues such as obtaining vaccines, supplies, and infrastructure. Even though the crisis has not yet passed, as 2022 has already begun and the third wave of infections is in full swing, the logistics function, its capabilities and supply skills that a company or country has, constitute intangible assets and competitive advantages in the context of this situation (at the beginning of 2021, achieving faster supplies of vaccines, critical inputs, oxygen, etc.), but innovation, learning and experiences during this time generate a "muscle" or a lever for the future that will allow for generating greater volume and meeting demand, diversifying portfolios, and achieving more efficient operations.

The explosion of e-commerce and the new levels of satisfaction that were established ("Arrives on the same day," or seeing "the order arrive via an app") became popular, and everyone now understands what it means to provide service that is timely, in quantity, and in quality, according to requirements. We can even rate it on the spot.

This fusion of traditional logistics operations and new technologies continues to grow exponentially. New trends, such as the "uberization" of freight transportation, which began with last-mile e-commerce, are already beginning to provide solutions for long-distance transportation, consolidating cargo from different providers for a single destination and leveraging warehouse space on the return journey, increasing the profitability of each transaction.

The consequences of this synergy generated new professionals, initially from the software world, but with new skills focused on logistics operations, focused on designing supply chain solutions for both logistics operators and e-commerce chains. This resulted in the emergence of profiles with a deeper understanding of the industry's needs and a clear sense of innovation in operations. The supply chain areas of many companies entered an upward spiral of innovation and continuous improvement, where the incorporation of new technologies and solutions is vital to business survival and growth.

E-commerce companies have become experts in logistics operations (warehousing, distribution, fulfillment, packaging, etc., in the cases of Amazon, Alibaba, and MercadoLibre), understanding the supply chain as a substantial part of their business model. Technology companies have globally redesigned their supply chains to achieve greater flexibility in meeting their needs (Apple).

This Blog, SC Tank, or Think Tank, as the reader wants to call it, was born at this moment that we consider a turning point in what the Supply Chain represents within the global industry, and aspires to keep pace with new trends and innovations, but it will also focus on the professional training necessary for the challenges that the evolution of the sector presents, because although technology is increasingly leveraging the capacity of operations, it needs to be accompanied by professional human resources, who optimize their training time and detect the needs of future activities.

Lucas R. García (Editor SC Tank Blog)