Flow
How the Best Supply Chains Thrive
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To control costs in the 1990s, manufacturers set up supply networks in remote nations offering inexpensive labor. However, such facilities proved vulnerable to disruptions such as the pandemic, which created havoc leading to delays and broken supply chains. Today’s “post-globalization era” demands new supply chains that embrace data and AI. Rob Handfield and Tom Linton advise manufacturers and shippers to create supply chains that “flow” — like the flow or self-regulating motion of migrating bird flocks. Future supply chains will rely on digital monitoring and AI, which can enable them to detect and respond to snags nearly autonomously before glitches become crises.
Take-Aways
About the Authors
Rob Handfield, executive director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative, is the Bank of America Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management at North Carolina State University. Tom Linton is a senior advisor at McKinsey and Company.
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