Disruptions
Technology is the answer . It allows our members to have greater visibility of the supply chains they operate in , which in turn facilitates locating where the pinch points are
Easing congestion
“ Technology is the answer . It allows our members to have greater visibility of the supply chains they operate in , which in turn facilitates locating where the pinch points are . Another key tactic to avoiding such difficulties , is diversification . As an example , one of our members was heavily focused on the food service sector when the pandemic hit , which crumbled due to nobody eating out in restaurants anymore . At this point , they had to pivot and adjust the sectors that they were serving by shifting their mix , which enabled them to succeed despite the disruptions that they faced .”
In March 2022 , the Biden Administration announced the Freight Logistics Optimization Works ( FLOW ) initiative . This called upon a variety of different organizations to volunteer data in a bid to develop a proof-of-concept information exchange to help stakeholders ease supply chain congestion , speed up the movement of goods and , ultimately , cut costs for American consumers .
“ They ’ re still trying to fully figure out this digitization of the supply chain ,” Anne concludes . “ They ’ re using a secure platform to measure volume , delay and destination data to determine which regions are suffering from issues ostensibly . I spoke with someone from the Department of Transportation recently , and it ’ s only been online a short time , so we don ’ t know if it ’ s going to be successful yet . But to me , this is the right kind of step forward that we need to be taking . Data is going to be the coin of the realm , we ’ re all just going to have to figure out how we can make it actionable .” ■