Pain and gain in the supply chain

Today’s supply chain is complex but it can be a way of gaining new customers, said freight forwarder Geodis’ 2017 Supply Chain Worldwide survey.
The findings, revealed at the Transport Logistic trade fair in Munich, showed that 70% of the survey’s respondents – 623 professionals in 17 countries – described their supply chain is either ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ complex but they also emphasised the strategic position it has reached in their overall organization. Supply chain has become more customer-focused and is now seen as a lever to win competitive advantage. The survey also confirmed extended supply chain visibility as one of the industry’s major objectives.
The survey also assessed the solutions identified to tackle future challenges, such as organizational best practices, technology trends, KPI monitoring and outsourcing behaviors. It noted, too, that companies with the highest earnings had made supply chain management a board level post.
Geodis added that the survey “offers clear testimony that companies know where the pain points are and the objectives they wish to attain but the pathways to success are still many and long.”