Supply Chain Resilience For The Future

By: Doug Baker, Vice President, Industry Relations, FMI

There’s never been a greater focus on product availability and the logistics that keep the supply chain moving. It is not just the transportation and logistics teams paying attention.

On February 24, President Biden signed an Executive Order aimed at encouraging Supply Chain Resilience. There are two parts, first, a 100-day Supply Chain Review focused on semiconductors; batteries; rare earths; active pharmaceutical ingredients, and closely related flows. Then, second, a set of six Sectoral Supply Chain Assessments: defense industrial base; public health and biological preparedness; information and communications technology; energy; transportation; and agriculture/food. These six assessments are to be completed by next February.

FMI members across the spectrum – upstream suppliers through the wholesaling and distribution and transportation networks to the retail community – need to come together with some shared principles of supply chain resilience. It is more complicated than just buying and holding more inventory. We are in a global network of supply and each handoff – from ingredients onward – requires the exchange of accurate and complete data as well as safe handling and transport to the next link in the chain.

Please join us at next month’s FMI Supply Chain Forum April 6-7, where I will moderate the closing Executive Leadership Panel: Supply Chain Resilience for the Future to bring together the critical and timely topics highlighted during the event. I’ll be joined by Phil Palin, former CEO, academic president, crisis and supply chain resilience author and industry consultant to the public and private sectors. Among the roles listed above, Phil who is also the son of a grocer, has helped us think through critical moments during natural disasters and COVID-19 response. We will also dive deep into the topics of agility and resilience and what the Executive Order may bring to bear over the next two to 12 months.

Sessions at the Supply Chain Forum will be brief and practical, with valuable takeaways and plenty of time to connect directly with peers. We are packing a great lineup into two afternoons and hope you will send your teams. Special $100 off registration rates will automatically run for the next week only to encourage your teams to join.

Register for Supply Chain Forum