Supply Chain Movement 40 | Resilience & Talent

The main theme of the Q1, 2021 issue of quarterly Supply Chain Movement is Resilience & Talent. This issue will appear digitally on March 4 and will be received in hard-copy on March 5.

10 | SCM Consulting Subway Map Europe

Almost half of the supply chain consulting firms in Europe saw their business grow last year. Meanwhile, profitability declined for 28% and it remained the same for an equal percentage. Most of the consulting projects carried out in Europe involved supply chain network design and sales & operations planning (S&OP). These are the key findings from research by Supply Chain Movement as the basis for the SCM Consulting Subway Map of Europe 2021.

12 | Profile Christoph Häusler, Reckitt Benckiser

In 2017 Christoph Häusler had the opportunity to design an integrated end-to-end supply chain from scratch. He had a clear mission: Support and enable a fast-moving, home hygiene business and rejuvenate profitable growth. As executive vice president for Reckitt Benckiser’s home hygiene division he has led the transformation of the supply chain which has put power back into the markets and allowed profit to be pumped into innovation.

20 | Management: Supply chain talent

Different times call for different competencies. More and more companies are adapting their talent development programmes; the focus is shifting from functional skills to competencies such as learning to collaborate, learning to innovate and learning to change. This is necessary, because research shows that the generation gap in the supply chain is widening rather than narrowing.

30 | Maturity matrix European supply chain start-ups

Supply chain start-ups in Europe experienced a very challenging year in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic crisis. Unlike more established companies, start-ups were not always able to rely on a financial safety net provided by their government. Consequently, a few of them did not survive the storm and have vanished from this year’s Maturity Matrix of European supply chain start-ups. Several newcomers have emerged to take their place, especially in the areas of supplier management, sustainability and blockchain.

36 | Management: Risk management

Although virologists have long warned about viruses, the COVID-19 outbreak still came as a complete surprise to the vast majority of companies. To them, it was the ‘black swan’ event that had only existed in theory in most supply chains. Now, a year later, it appears that this black swan has smoothed the way for new tech companies with innovative solutions in the areas of supply chain visibility and risk management. The need for such solutions is no longer in doubt.

55 | Expert views on trends: Chainalytics

An optimal supply chain requires a continuous focus on various areas: From network design to demand planning and transport optimization. Many companies lack – or struggle to retain – the necessary in-house expertise. Especially in view of the ever-faster pace of change nowadays, external consultants provide effective access to the relevant expertise supported by the right technology.

Further more in this issue:

• Checklist real-time transport visibility
• Roadmap continuous learning in supply chain
• supply chain risks, the game
• Involvation’s wheel of five
• Roadmap inventory optimization

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