Charles Crossland, UK Managing Director at global industrial property specialist, Goodman, discusses its latest report exploring the role of supply chains as global disruptions and geopolitical issues highlight the need for greater flexibility.
What we do
At Goodman, we own, develop and manage modern, high-quality industrial and logistics space and are a global provider of essential infrastructure for the digital economy.
We understand having sustainable warehouses located close to consumers is key to optimising supply chain efficiency and being able to deliver goods to consumers when and where they want them. That’s why we aim to give our customers the space they need to succeed by providing sustainable solutions in strategic locations.
The importance of supply chains
Supply chains play an essential role in getting the goods we need when we need them.
As we navigate a more complex global environment, and one with continuing uncertainty, we’ve consolidated some of the best independent research and supply chain insight to see how businesses are responding to these challenges.
From a focus on longer-term strategies and adopting new technology to the impact of e-commerce and increasing consumer expectations, there are opportunities for businesses that want to drive efficiency, increase agility and maintain a competitive edge.
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Building resilience
With cost-of-living pressures and labour shortages continuing to affect sourcing, production, procurement and logistics, supply chains are facing more challenges than ever before. Our report explores just some of the strategies businesses are using to manage risk and plan for a more resilient future.
From diversifying supply chains to guarantee minimum levels of supply and improve reliability, to a growing demand for strategically located logistics networks that can support the efficient delivery of goods – businesses that are willing to reconsider their long-term strategies and invest in the right places, can achieve greater speed to market and ultimately improve consumer satisfaction.
Our customers are looking at how they can maximise productivity and efficiency, while continuing to meet rising delivery and service expectations. We’re seeing them focus on sustainable properties that are close to consumers and optimised for their investments in automation and technology.
What’s next?
The ‘Building Supply Chain Resilience’ report highlights how the supply chain must be open to new ways of working so that operations can be better prepared and ready to react to unforeseen events, as well as adapt to changing consumer trends.
The report also explores how the impact of digitisation, automation and artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to take operations to the next level, and why “the manual supply chain of yesterday can no longer serve the customer of today on its own.”
Both inside the warehouse and via delivery, automation and the emergence of AI is helping retailers reduce manual labour and increase speed. Technology allows greater accuracy and consistency, leading to improved quality control and reduced errors and waste. Boosting operational efficiency by implementing more digital processes is significantly reducing the time it takes to make strategic decisions and is enabling retailers to increase sales.
To read the full supply chain resilience report, please click here, or to find out more about Goodman, please visit https://uk.goodman.com/
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