Rebooting Supply Chains: Shorter, Smarter and More Sustainable ?
Rebooting Supply Chains: Shorter, Smarter and More Sustainable ?
Rebooting Supply Chains: Shorter, Smarter and More Sustainable ?
Commissioned by
Rebooting supply chains
Shorter, smarter and more sustainable?
CONTENTS
1. Executive summary 4
2. Confidence, commodities and costs 8
3. Strategic innovation and supply chains 12
4. A future with shorter supply chains 16
5. Treasury: Supply-chain leader 20
6. Conclusion 24
Appendix – Survey results 26
1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Concerns about geopolitical and economic company executives are focused on keeping
risks have grown among those who oversee down operating costs over the next year and
company supply chains. Both Brexit in increasing operational transparency through
2016 and the seeming arrival in 2017 of technological innovation. Over the next five
a new era in US trade policy under the years, companies envision bigger changes:
presidency of Donald Trump have created sourcing networks will be simpler, smarter
new uncertainties. For example, factory and ideally more sustainable.
managers in Asia, whose operations are
vital links in many companies’ global supply Key findings from the research include:
chains, may read nationalistic rhetoric from
the West and logically wonder whether some Most companies are confident about being
of their supplier relationships have become able to deal with supply-chain disruptions
politically inexpedient. Senior executives over the next year, but they are very
at multinational companies with complex sensitive about costs.
sourcing networks spanning the globe may
worry that populist pressure could force The survey found that those who are better
them to re-shore jobs or to rethink how prepared are more confident about dealing
their products are made and where they with challenges and disruptions. There was
come from. These are not necessarily substantial agreement on another point:
unfounded fears, as this Economist Intelligence lowering costs in the supply chain.
Unit (EIU) report concludes.
Innovation is seen as a crucial part of
The rules of global trade are shifting and strategic supply-chain management because
companies will need to make sure their it will help create full visibility across
supply chains have the agility and production networks and thereby support
resourcefulness to deal with potential sustainability.
challenges and disruptions that may lie
ahead. Questions remain about whether the Commitment to technological innovation is
pace of globalisation will slow considerably, extraordinarily widespread in supply chain
shift its direction or possibly reverse management. More than nine-in-ten (93%)
executives surveyed have identified it as
A survey about the future of supply chains, important. Companies that believe innovation
conducted by The EIU and commissioned is very important are also more confident they
by Standard Chartered Bank, found that can address external disruptions.
Respondents participating in The EIU survey are spread around the world in countries from
North America to Europe to Asia Pacific.
EUROPE
247
ASIA PACIFIC
NORTH AMERICA
135
140
Non-finance function
Figure 1. Bigger businesses, more confidence
% respondents who say they are “very Very confident Not confident
confident” their company can address Somewhat confident I don't know
external disruptions to supply chains
40%
30% 31%
30%
29%
28%
20% 20%
18% 18%
17%
10%
0%
Internal unit to Insurance against Hired risk Added lines
study disruptions specific events management specialists of credit
Very confident in addressing external disruptions Less confident in addressing external disruptions
were taking to reduce fallout from supply-chain (28%) respondents say their companies have
disruptions. A third of those surveyed report also engaged in scenario planning.
their companies have then taken the next logical
step and developed plans to mitigate the fallout Scenario planning is particularly handy during
from disruptions. Being prepared to mitigate or a time of geopolitical uncertainty, and should
hedge potential disruptions allows companies also include disruptions in trade policy, such as
to be more flexible with their responses, says fallout from Brexit, says Deborah Elms, executive
Roy Williams, managing director at Vendigital, director of the Asian Trade Centre in Singapore.
a consultancy focused on supply-chain “It will take a while for companies to grasp how
management. “If your supply chain is more agile, damaging this will be,” she says because clarity
you can adjust to changing trade policy and other about the new rules governing trade flows in
challenges,” he says. Europe will not be known for quite some time.
Given that the pace of new product innovation A closer look at the cohort of respondents who
can be a significant challenge to supply chains, said they were very confident about dealing
29% of respondents in the survey also report with supply-chain disruptions reveals a simple
their companies are conducting demand rule: those who are very confident are more
planning for new products to mitigate fallout likely to have taken steps to limit supply-chain
from disruptions. And nearly three-in-ten disruptions. Among the actions taken to reduce
fallout, the very-confident cohort was more likely Cutting costs is a logical reaction to higher
than the less-or-not-confident cohort to set up levels of market uncertainty, but businesses
internal units to study disruptions, buy insurance should be focused on delivering value to
against specific events, hire supply-chain customers rather than getting caught in
management specialists and secure additional relentless drives to reduce expenditure.
lines of credit.
Boosting profitability and competitive position
There is no silver bullet for supply-chain risks undoubtedly gives companies a better chance
however. A significant majority of respondents of dealing with disruptions. The survey found
take multiple actions to prepare against that difficulty controlling costs in the supply
potential disruptions. chain is the most significant challenge, a
view cited by half of respondents. However,
there is often a lack of clarity around what is
Delivering value, or slash really driving costs within an organization.
and burn? Later in the report we will explore how achieving
complete transparency in supply-chain
Supply-chain-related costs are a top concern operations isa major strategic goal.
among businesses globally, particularly as
customer expectations for product quality Vendigital’s Mr Williams adds that it is
increase. Reducing costs in the supply chain important that business leaders avoid a
over the next twelve months is the most-cited “slash and burn approach” to cutting costs.
objective, with 50% of respondents identifying Indeed, there are good costs and bad costs.
it as a focus. Respondents are also keen on Bad costs may be more associated with fixed
increasing sales (42%), improving customer legacy costs in a part of the business where
service (36%) and improving the quality of margins are eroding, and these should be the
products and services (35%). focus of cost reduction drives. “Good costs are
things that help the business grow,” he says.
Controlling costs is important because companies These are usually variable costs that, when they
have to provide a return on their investment are rising, translate into higher revenue and
earlier and earlier in product cycles, according profit growth. The next section of this report
to Corrado Snaiderbaur, supply chain manager will focus on what may be one of the most
at Chiesi Farmaceutici in Parma, Italy. Even important “good costs” when it comes to strategic
patents, which offer protection for new management of supply chains: innovation. n
pharmaceutical products, do not provide a long
term safe harbour like they used to do. “If you
are not able to earn a return on investment in the
shortest possible period, you may be exposed to
risk from competitors who may put a better drug
on the market,” he says.
Innovation, especially through the use of digital “We know how our materials move in different
technologies, will likely transform supply-chain areas of the world and how finished products
management over the next five years. This reach our customer’s door step,” says Mr Linton.
study found that business leaders are focused “In times of crisis and disasters, we can quickly
on using innovative technologies to increase react to it because the system allows us to run
efficiency and ultimately to achieve much greater ‘what-if’ scenarios and hypotheses in a very
transparency about operations. detailed manner.”
50%
43%
40% 41%
38%
34%
33%
30%
29%
20%
10%
0%
New supplier Automate monitoring Improve supplier Trace origins of Define common Add or upgrade
relationships of inventory data collection materials and goods data standards cloud-based platforms
production process or in financing that could Better visibility can help companies decide
lead to slowdowns in deliveries or disruptions. where in distribution they need to send new
By knowing where these weak points are, supply- product shipments, according to Mr Snaiderbaur,
chain leadership can take steps to mitigate or who implemented a supply -chain planning
hedge those risks. tool for group affiliates when he came to
Chiesi twelve years ago. In 2012, the company
implemented an enterprise resource planning
(ERP) platform to monitor data from affiliates.
Innovation is expected to “Having clear visibility of data across the supply
chain from the corporate position allows you
have a transformative effect to make a common decision with the affiliates
on strategic supply-chain based on data and not based on a negotiation
basis, which is always better,” says Mr
management, and most Snaiderbaur. Such decisions involve where
importantly on creating Chiesi will ship new products so that the
company can be sure they are sent to where
see-through sourcing networks. they are needed and not to where inventory
may be too high.
Companies also see a need for contingency of funds in the financial supply chain. These
plans to deal with disruptions. More than a include procure-to-pay technology, cited by
third (36%) of executives in the survey identify 27%, supply-chain finance platforms (21%)
this as an area of greatest need for innovation. and dynamic discounting (16%). n
Nearly a third (31%) of respondents identify
optimising working capital as an area of
greatest need, while 30% also named quicker
receivable collections.
Economic historians see globalisation as share of respondents (33%) still expect their
the result of two ways in which international supply chains to lengthen, while 15% expect
commerce has been unbundled. Trade allowed their supply chains to stay the same in that
production to be distanced from consumption in time period.
the first unbundling, and then production was
further broken down into tasks that were spread Company size, and therefore the resources
around the world in the second unbundling. they have, does not appear to be a large
Supply chains greatly increased in length and factor in supply-chain expectations. Among
complexity during the second unbundling. the respondents who said they expect their
supply chains to shorten, 49% came from
While it is far beyond the scope of this report companies with US$500m or less in annual
to suggest the fate of globalisation, this study revenues and 51% from companies with more
shows many business leaders expect to see fewer than US$500m in revenues. The cohort of
links in their supply chains in the next five years. respondents who said they expect their supply
chains to lengthen had a similar breakdown.
Nearly half of respondents (49%) say they expect
their supply chains to shorten and become While size doesn’t matter, location does. Nearly
simpler. A reasonably significant six-in-ten respondents in Asia Pacific (59%) say
0 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Shorten and become more simple Lengthen and become more complex Stay the same Don't know
they expect shorter supply chains versus 46% in service companies have been shortening their
Europe and 45% in North America. Businesses in supply chains in the UK but they have also been
Asia Pacific may be keen on keeping their supply adding more local ingredients into their food
chains closer to end customers in the region, supply because of a strong demand by consumers
where intraregional trade has been rising. for local content. Thus, consumer preferences
and demands can act to add complexity even
At Knorr-Bremse, a maker of braking systems when supply chains are shortening.
for trains and commercial vehicles, the
general rule is that “we always want to have
a shorter and simpler supply chain,” says
Ernest Mui, the company’s Hong Kong-based Consumer preferences for
director of treasury and tax for Asia Pacific.
The company faces a challenge in achieving innovation and products that
that desirable goal. Mr Mui is concerned that
are tailored to their needs will
in the coming year, the political environment
in some countries raises the possibility those tend to drive complexity, while
nations may not remain committed to free trade
and keeping their market open. “For the United
also making it more important
States, there is already a bit of uncertainty,” that supply chains are shorter
he says. “If some important markets become
less open, the supply chain would obviously to speed product innovations.
become longer.”
Important clues about why many respondents services to end customers. “On the supply
expect to see shorter and simpler supply chains side, getting our partners to digitise
are found in their strategic objectives over the operations so they can provide services
next five years. They suggest businesses are they offer today and not have a human
seeking greater, more centralised control over and not have a manual process to execute
their supply chains. against, will bring consistency, speed
on the transaction, and a higher level of
availability, making it possible for a machine
Digitise, digitise, digitise! to run more than one eight-hour shift,”
John Hayduk, chief operating officer at
American writer Henry David Thoreau once Tata Communications, says.
said famously: “Our life is frittered away by
detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify!” Today’s Tata Communications has taken steps to
supply-chain operator would agree but automate parts of its business it controls
would probably suggest replacing simplify internally. “Now the company is taking a
with digitise. bigger step to bring those same benefits to
the company as a whole,” according to Mr
When respondents were asked to rank the Hayduk. Achieving that goal requires creating
objectives that are likely to be the most an automated flow with its partners employing
important over the next five years, more standardised software. The company has
than half of respondents (55%) said digitising completed the model for how it will accomplish
most aspects of supply-chain management. this goal with its partners and will begin
Nearly as many (54%) cited achieving execution next year. Mr Hayduk expects that
complete transparency about where and major partners will be able to complete the
how all products are sourced. digitisation project within the next two years.
The future needs of supply-chain managers their companies have developed mitigation
will require a much more cross-functional plans to deal with disruptions. Risk management,
approach. The days of supply chains being in fact, is identified by 68% of executives in
run only by the COO’s office or by engineers the survey as an important skill for managing
and logisticians appear to be fading. Instead their supply chain over the next five years,
a highly collaborative model is emerging. more than any other factor. In addition,
63% say monitoring corporate cash flow
will be important for strategic supply-chain
management in five years.
The days of supply chains
So, business leaders are encouraging
being run only by the COO’s collaboration between operations and finance
office or by engineers and teams to reduce the impact of near-term
supply-chain disruptions, and they see strategic
logisticians appear to be fading. needs for more risk management and cash and
liquidity management skills in the future.
Instead a highly collaborative
model is emerging.
Can treasury lead the way?
However, when respondents were asked about
treasury’s role in managing supply chains more
Yet, business leaders need to enable the role strategically over the next five years, the top
of treasury when it comes to supply-chain three choices were traditional in scope: oversee
management and think beyond the traditional cost management (47%), optimise working
role that treasurers play in the organisation. capital (47%) and monitor liquidity and risk
Treasury may even need to lead some management (43%).
supply chains.
Less than a third of respondents (31%) thought
To reduce the fallout from disruptions, 42% treasury would be regularly collaborating
of respondents say that their companies have with business heads, despite the importance
increased collaboration among internal teams, of its skill sets. Also, only 28% of executives
such as finance and risk management. In thought treasury would be leading a financial
addition, one third of executives surveyed say supply chain team in the organisation and 19%
Figure 8. Treasurers seen handling cost controls, working capital in future of supply chains
% respondents, expectations for treasurer’s role in supply-chain management over next five years
Oversee cost
management
47%
19%
28%
43%
Lead a financial Monitor liquidity
supply team and risk
31%
Collaborate with
business heads
vs 24% overall), leading financial supply chain that data analytics and systems management
teams (36% vs 30% overall) and serving on an – traditionally a role of IT departments – is an
executive committee (25% vs 19% overall). important skill for strategic management of
sourcing networks.
Some businesses are ready to enable their
treasurers to take a leadership role when it Many companies have been upgrading legacy
comes to supply chains. Are treasurers ready data management systems and consolidating
for the role? platforms over the past several years. The
survey showed that over the past 2-3 years,
Sander de Vries, manager at Zanders, Treasury more than a third of businesses (37%) have
and Finance Solutions in The Netherlands, deployed data analytics platforms to manage
believes so. Treasury can play a leading role in cash flows, liquidity and payments. Given
the implementation of financial supply chain that this is a critical strategic area for
management strategies that work hand in glove supply-chain management, it is surprising
with the physical supply chain management, he that more businesses have not already
says. Treasury’s value-add would be to reduce introduced these solutions.
the overall financing cost for the supply chain,
at a time when reducing costs are paramount, Fewer respondents have deployed other
according to the survey findings. technologies, including supply chain finance
platforms (29%), cloud-based customer and
The treasury department can manage risks supplier platforms (27%), social media-based
and increase efficiencies. For example, treasury communication tools (26%), mobile payment
can streamline purchase-to-pay, as well as systems (21%) and blockchain or XML-based
order-to-cash processes. Such steps can both payment platforms (15%).
improve the functioning of the supply chain
and reduce its overall costs. “The treasury Businesses see the importance of liquidity
department has expertise and knowledge on and risk management in the future, but
the dynamics between operational risk and they have not yet deployed a solution to
financial risk. It also knows how to quantify monitor areas such as cash flows, payments
different kinds of risk and to handle those and risk exposures, and they may need to
risks,” Mr de Vries says. play catchup. n
6 CONCLUSION
Donald Rumsfeld, former US secretary of This study has argued that the future of supply
defense, in a moment of obfuscation once chains will entail shorter though not always
said to the media: “There are known knowns. simpler production links. The future will require
These are things we know that we know. There a varied collection of skills that include risk
are known unknowns. That is to say, there are management, cash and liquidity management,
things that we know we don’t know. But there data analytics and systems management among
are also unknown unknowns. There are things others. It will require transparency to meet
we don’t know we don’t know.” It’s the unknown demands of regulators and senior executives,
unknowns that have businesses encouraging and digitisation of information across the
greater internal collaboration between teams supply chain.
to reduce the risk to their supply chains.
The stakes are high. The role of treasurers
Geopolitical uncertainty and political risk and others on company financial and risk
are rising and supply chains could be in for management teams are likely to become
some shocks. However, companies have been important to the management of the supply
stepping up their ability to mitigate disruptions chain, and being able to conceive of these
and meet ever-intensifying competitive pressures roles in an innovative way will be a competitive
from consumers and customers demanding advantage. Ultimately collaboration and
greater levels of product differentiation. innovation will make supply chains efficient,
more reliable, more flexible and more durable. n
Managing a supply chain is a never-ending,
constantly changing, demanding challenge
that requires clear thinking and sharp vision.
One needs to be prepared even for the
unthinkable, at least on some level. It is a
network that, when necessary, can hum with
more activity and intensity than even the busiest
bee hives. With so many moving parts and each
so vulnerable to so many unexpected disruptions,
it is amazing supply chains work relatively well
for so many companies.
APPENDIX
A1. In what region of the world is your organisation headquartered?
Europe 247
A2. Which of the following best describes your company’s primary sector?
Energy 19%
Materials 19%
Healthcare 19%
Industrials 12%
A3. Which of the following best describes your function in your company?
Finance 28%
Procurement 24%
Manager 24%
Head of department 15%
CEO 14%
Other c-level executive 11%
Board member 10%
Head of business unit 5%
CFO 4%
COO 4%
SVP, VP, director 3%
Assistant manager 3%
CIO/Technology director 3%
CMO 2%
Treasurer/Comptroller 2%
B1. Which of the following answers best describes the main objectives that you have for your supply chain over the
next 12 months?
B2. What is/are the most significant challenges to achieving the objectives that you chose in the previous
question?
B3. Rate the following external factors according to how disruptive they could be to your supply chain over the next
12 months.
Changing trade policies among nations 16% 14% 33% 24% 14%
Increase in extreme weather events 16% 20% 32% 20% 11%
Cyber attacks 13% 19% 33% 21% 14%
Increasing worries about product safety 12% 19% 34% 26% 9%
Rise of protectionist sentiment 11% 18% 35% 25% 10%
Political instability 11% 17% 32% 29% 12%
Failure of first-tier suppliers to find reliable sub-tier suppliers 10% 19% 35% 24% 12%
Fluctuating commodity prices 8% 16% 29% 34% 13%
Technological change 8% 20% 35% 27% 10%
Competitive pressures that speed up product innovations 7% 16% 38% 29% 10%
B4. How confident are you that your company is prepared to address the external disruptions in the previous
question?
B5. Which of the following actions has your company taken to reduce fallout from supply-chain disruptions?
Increased collaboration among internal teams, e.g. finance, risk management, etc 42%
Developed mitigations plans for disruptions 33%
Conducted demand planning for new products 29%
Engaged in scenario planning 28%
Reviewed current product portfolio for resilience 28%
Invested in online analytical tools to mitigate risk 25%
Bought insurance against specific events 23%
Set up internal unit to study disruptions 22%
Hired supply-chain risk management specialists 21%
Secured additional lines of credit 21%
Other, please specify 1%
I don’t know 6%
B6. Thinking about the data your company receives from its supply chain, what steps is your company likely to take
in the next 12 months to improve data reliability?
I don’t know 7%
B7. Please indicate the degree to which you agree or disagree with the following statements.
B8. With regard to regulations and sustainability, which of the following steps has your company taken or do you
expect it to take in the next 12 months?
C1. Please describe the importance of innovation when it comes to supply-chain management in your company.
C2. Which of the following has your company deployed in the past two-to-three years as solutions to managing cash
flows, liquidity and payments and to identifying and analysing risks?
C3. Thinking of your answer(s) to the previous question, how confident are you in your company’s ability to apply
those solutions to the challenges specifically faced by supply-chain managers?
C4. In which areas do you see the greatest need for innovation when it comes to strategically managing your
company’s supply chain?
D1. Over the next five years, I expect my company’s supply chain to
D2. Looking at the next five years, rank the following objectives based on how important they will be for your company?
Improve social and cultural diversity in first-tier suppliers 4% 14% 35% 31% 16%
Holistically manage physical and financial supply chains 4% 9% 38% 33% 16%
Achieve complete transparency about where and how 3% 11% 32% 34% 20%
all products are sourced
D3. In the previous question, you answered that improving social and cultural diversity in first-tier suppliers will not be an
important objective for your company over the next five years. Choose the most relevant reasons why among the choices below.
D4. Thinking of managing both physical and financial supply chains more strategically, what roles do you anticipate
treasury will play over the next five years?
I don’t know 8%
D5. Rank the following skills by how important they will be in five years to managing your company’s supply chain
more strategically.
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