Strategies To Address Procurement Woes In a Volatile Supply Chain Market (Turning Chaos Into Control)

Strategies To Address Procurement Woes In a Volatile Supply Chain Market (Turning Chaos Into Control)

Part Two – The Solutions

As discussed earlier in part 1 of this blog, the global COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing war have forced organizations to withstand a highly volatile supply chain environment. The prevailing procurement environment is costlier due to the exponential rise in the cost of shipping and increased operational costs. In addition to these reasons, continuing exclusive use of the existing legacy technologies and switching to spot bidding for logistics by the organizations are adding burden to the businesses. As a wise option for surviving the highly volatile supply chain environment, businesses should turn their focus to digital procurement and technology.

From Chaos to a Semblance of Control

Faced with an array of challenges, including higher costs of freight, reduced revenue, extreme pressure on bottom lines, and persistence with obsolete legacy systems, businesses are increasingly turning to technology and digital procurement to ensure their supply chain and sourcing strategies can keep up with the high volatility of the market.

Here are some of the solutions businesses are adopting to attain excellence in their logistics management.

1. Evolution, Adaptation, and Responsiveness: A high degree of volatility in the supply chain and the business environment calls for a correspondingly high degree of adaptation on the part of businesses. This is why most businesses are switching to Dynamic Market Sourcing.

As opposed to Traditional Cycle Sourcing, its dynamic counterpart enables organizations to constantly assess the market, have better communication with their supply chain partners, and manage the ever-changing landscape of freight costs, and the influx of new suppliers.

2. Leveraging technology to stay ahead of the curve: In this day and age, businesses are largely driven by data. With high fluctuations on the demand and supply side alike, businesses must leverage technology and data-based insights to be as dynamic and adaptive as possible.

From better demand forecasting to an increased emphasis on automation, there are myriad ways through which the challenges of a highly volatile supply chain can be met head-on and with success.

3. Risk management: Risk is an integral facet of any business, and the higher the accuracy of risk assessment is, the higher an organization’s chances to mitigate risks in an efficient manner. One of the key strategies in managing supply chain-related risks is having multiple suppliers instead of one or two.

Another solution is to always be prepared by analyzing market trends and conducting what-if analyses. This way, your organization can be well placed to deal with a high-risk situation. Risk assessment is, in many ways, akin to an airbag in a vehicle. It protects your business from potential crashes.

The Future of Supply Chain

You can now bring digital procurement to the forefront of your business and excel in a highly volatile supply chain environment by relying on Moglix’s Integrated Procurement Solutions, Automated Workflows, and Catalog-Based Buying Solutions, amongst others, to revolutionize your business’s approach to logistics. To know more, visit our website.

Strategies To Address Procurement Woes In a Volatile Supply Chain Market (Turning Chaos Into Control)

Strategies To Address Procurement Woes In a Volatile Supply Chain Market (Turning Chaos Into Control)

Part One: The Challenges

Change is the only constant and the global COVID-19 pandemic had brought this universal truth home in an unprecedented manner. Businesses across the globe had found themselves faced with severe supply chain and sourcing challenges, leading to higher volatility and higher risk. In the face of such bottlenecks, traditional approaches to supply chain and logistics management were no longer effective or feasible.

Viability amidst volatility

It is no secret that one of the things that make businesses thrive is stability in processes. The pandemic and the ongoing war, however, disturbed the very foundations of stability and compelled organizations to withstand a highly volatile supply chain environment. Here are some of the challenges faced in the prevailing procurement environment:

1. Building capacity is now costlier: One of the main characteristics of the present sourcing market is the exponential rise in the cost of shipping. The rise in container freight and air freight has made it drastically difficult for businesses to build and sustain capacity and stability. For instance, before the pandemic struck the world, the freight for the China to USA route was around $1,500 (for a 40-foot container). This price is now anywhere between $10,000 to $15,000, making it financially nonviable.

2. Preserving the bottom line is now harder: With the rising cost of materials as well as shipping costs, organizations are increasingly grappling with higher operational costs. The problem is exacerbated by the constant decline in demand and, in turn, revenues. The combined effect is a significant drop in the bottom line of organizations.

3. Continuing with Legacy technologies: At a time when digital procurement is being looked at as a key driver to solve businesses’ supply chain woes, several organizations are still continuing with old and obsolete legacy systems. Not only are those systems time-consuming and cost-heavy, but they are also non-responsive to factors such as price compression, capacity changes, etc.

4. Switching to spot bidding for logistics: Traditionally reliant on annual freight contracts with low prices, businesses now have to manage the necessary switch to spot pricing in logistics. The restrictions in the capacity and movement of air cargo in the wake of the pandemic have brought spot price bidding to the fore, placing a higher than ever before pressure on their operational costs.

The Bottom Line

In order to survive and thrive amidst a highly volatile supply chain environment, businesses must turn to digital procurement and technology. This is where Moglix can help you transform your business through our Catalog Based Buying, Automated Workflow, Enhanced Visibility, and Integrated Procurement Solutions. Know more on our website.