FUBAR – What Does That Have To Do With Me?
The recent PPE and ventilator supply and demand shocks arising from the impact of Covid-19 have starkly and dramatically shown how easily supply chains can be disrupted or fouled-up-beyond-all recognition (FUBAR). They also reveal how globalisation has become an integral part of commerce over the last few decades. As both large and small companies have moved to source labour and parts from around the world, supply chains have had to change. The resultant processes have become more complex by virtue of the applicable regulations, logistics, and all the participants that are involved in making the supply chain a success. We take for granted those products and services at the point of delivery day in and day out, and we only become consciously aware when the supply chain is disrupted for one reason or another:
- Natural disasters – Pandemics, floods, hurricanes, drought
- Geopolitical factors – Lack of international co-operation, sanctioned countries and suppliers
- Unexpected supply and demand – PPE, Ventilators, Toilet Rolls
- Logistic management failure – Lack of transportation, grounded airlines and shipping
- Change in regulations – CCPA, GDPR
- IT failures – TSB Banking failures, British Airways, HSBC
- Cyber-attacks – WannaCry, Meltdown & Spectre
If you are thinking, “Well, what’s this got to do with me?”, well, I guess, nothing, until the effects of a break in the supply chain manifest themselves, and then you want to get back to a situation-normal-after-foul-up (SNAFU) as quickly as possible. So how do we ensure we achieve supply chain excellence? How do we ensure that data is at the heart of our operations? If you want to make sure your supply chain is transparent and data is used strategically it is critical to the resilient performance of the supply chain to avoid FUBAR and achieve a SNAFU state as quickly as possible. Our upcoming webinar on the 18th June 2020 at 2pm BST will help you address this.