Every coronavirus supply chain disruption is different

A food-processing company in Iowa that makes canned black and pinto beans grapples with an unprecedented surge 的需求, 迫使其产量翻倍. But the facility still has the same number of dock doors it had before, demand for its products is normally very stable, and the dedicated carriers it uses to move its product don’t have extra capacity to spare. 让问题更加复杂的是, inventory is building up at production facilities without adequate storage, causing congestion and further inefficiencies.

与此同时, 在密歇根, a tier 2 auto parts supplier prepares to shut down for six weeks because its major customers — and the Big 3 auto assembly plants — are experiencing an unprecedented 下降 的需求. But the supplier knows that when it comes back online, it will need to force a month’s worth of parts downstream to make sure that assembly plants will be adequately supplied in time to build for the new model year. The supplier needs an enormous amount of flexible trucking capacity for a brief period of time to avoid further clogging sensitive automotive supply chains.

Those hypotheticals illustrate how two industry verticals are operating through coronavirus-related disruptions. 工作场所的病毒感染, rapidly changing consumer behavior and swift policy decisions — at both the government and corporate levels — have created a rapidly shifting landscape that affects different parts of the economy in dramatically different ways.

亚伦盖勒, 抵达物流公司的高级副总裁, explained how third-party logistics providers are consulting with customers on creative solutions to extraordinary problems. Galer said he’s helped customers with plans including 下降 shipping, and working with co-manufacturers and co-packagers to alleviate stress on their operations.

Galer previously managed supply chains at a large e-commerce retailer and a large coffee company, 除了几家中型托运人. 在到达, Galer is part of the Strategic Partners Division, w在这里 executives with shipper experience foster collaborative, high-touch partnerships with Arrive customers.

Galer discussed the examples of the food shipper and the auto parts supplier, pointing out that “coronavirus supply chain disruptions have been 100% dependent on who the customer is.”

Galer himself managed supply chain operations for a large coffee retailer while nor’easters shut down crucial production facilities and blocked roads; he also spoke about trying to service the Southeast region after Hurricane Katrina, when shippers had to compete with FEMA loads for trucking capacity. 在贝博app体育西班牙的谈话, Galer said his experiences have allowed him to relate to the issues that customers are facing now, and while his previous career didn’t make him an expert on every customer’s operations, he has been able to help a range of customers develop contingency plans.

“Our Strategic Partners program is about being empathetic with the shipper and knowing beforehand what their challenges are,”盖勒说. He said he helps shippers think about upstream issues that their co-manufacturers or co-packagers might be having, and how to lean on a network of suppliers to make their operations more resilient.

One example of the high-touch relationships that Galer cultivates with Arrive’s customers is the collaborative development of a business continuity plan, the “break glass in case of emergency” plan that companies rely on to transform their operations in a crisis.

Large companies typically have extensive and well-defined continuity plans that they consult regularly, at least in part for the kinds of disruptions like severe weather or labor issues that corporations sometimes encounter. But medium-size and smaller businesses often don’t have these plans, and Arrive can help them.

To hear more from 亚伦盖勒 and other members of the Strategic Partners Division, 加入到达物流和货运浪潮 4月30日下午2点，一个小时的网络研讨会.m. 东部时间. The webinar offers insights from these seasoned logistics leaders on today’s supply chain trends and challenges. 如需注册，请按 在这里.

Photo credit: Jim Allen/FreightWaves, original article posted 在这里: http://www.freightwaves.com/news/every-coronavirus-supply-chain-disruption-is-different