COVID 19 has come and forced everyone into a new world. Not only has this killer virus altered many lives and taken some, but we are still dealing with the repercussions of its presence. All groups of the supply chain including distributors, manufacturers, and consumers, have seen a slight setback. Let’s take a further look into the causes, the effects, and the solutions that have been set in place to keep the global economy going.
COVID 19
As many countries scrambled to mandate lockdowns, operations and supply chains became disrupted. Due to the deadly virus, countries around the world had to shut down their borders, and even mandated lockdowns regionally. Not only did the virus put a big halt on supply chains, but many businesses faded out, closed, or went part-time. Now in 2021, with the lockdowns having been lifted, the new dilemma is meeting consumer demand.
Manufacturers and Distributors
Port delays across the US have doubled for major retailers to meet Holiday demands, but some companies have prepared for the worst by acquiring logistic companies for expansion and opening more distribution centers. Also, with the lack of drivers, Freight and Shipping have taken a hit as well.
Crowding and obstacles in the manufacturing system make a chain reaction amongst all supply chains and various products ranging from services, food and goods, household products, electronics to even the automotive industry.
Consumers
As the holidays roll around, your favorite items may take longer to get from the factory to your doorstep. Now that we are in a post-pandemic time, consumers are making bigger buys from saved money during the pandemic. After almost two years of delayed shipping, we can see a rise in the businesses but consumers are still facing long delivery times.
Outlook
Businesses now have a chance to use this difficult time to uncover the necessary assets and develop their supply chain functionalities until the market bounces back.
Three different ways that supply chains can plan and concentrate on are: advancing digitally to reveal information and data, re-inventing the current operational models, and constructing an asset-light system. Other actions that are needed to address effects on logistics are to improve visibility, increase flexibility, talk effectively, support the workforce, and be an accountable steward of supply chains.