New Year – Not-So-New Supply Chain Challenges

We made it!

“It” sounded way more exciting as everyone counted down the days until 2020 was clearly in the rearview mirror – that somehow we could turn the page on the year, open up a new book that would be absent (or less intense) from the challenges in every direction that surrounded us all throughout the historic and somewhat hellish year of 2020. 

The supply chain challenges that were widely discussed on the news and throughout the world were hot topics in 2020 as teams struggled to find the needed personal protective equipment that suddenly became a hot commodity with limited supplies. Companies worked hard to implement diversified strategies and intense sourcing efforts to meet the needs of their businesses and keep their employees protected. Logistics providers in every mode worked to adjust as quickly as possible to shifting supply chains - truck drivers were applauded, ocean providers attempted to address massive shifts in volume & geography requirements, and supply chain and sourcing teams throughout the world were required to pivot.

And we are still here - doing all the things to keep the world's supply chain afloat. We are still battling more supply chain challenges than most people likely realize. Only 22 days into the new year, and the challenges of 2020 didn’t just go away (insert sad face here). The intensity of ocean freight capacity challenges, railroad dysfunction, trucking issues, port compression, labor impacts from COVID, shifting supply chains, lean inventories in every direction, and a strained workforce is still very, very real. 

Supply chain leadership in any capacity through a pandemic is not something any of us anticipated doing, and we were thrown into that storm on short notice (game time got real!). As the intensity increased and the challenges began to stack up, one specific focus for me throughout last year was making sure my team felt supported and that they were okay. Being in the middle of the storm sort of feels like you’re about to capsize every minute and keeping the boat steady became a critical focus for me.

There is simply no way a company can get through a storm without a solid team in the boat, and I must say I have one of the best teams! In one of the most intense years of my career, I watched my team grow professionally, manage through more obstacles and challenges than I can even count, implement new projects and solutions in a remote-work environment, show up to work every single day, and drive significant value in so many ways. Being challenged to solve problems every day (and often on an hourly basis) will bring a team together in an amazing way when the focus is aligned and the communication is clear, and mine stepped up to every challenge thrown our way last year.  

We all have major supply chain headwinds to manage through in 2021, and part of the magic to successfully maneuvering through the storm should be focused on your teams. The fatigue, personal balance, concerns, and all the 2020 challenges have rolled along into January and will continue to be a challenge throughout the year. 

Let’s take care of our teams as we continue to keep our supply chains moving. The challenges are significant, and the 2021 headwinds are strong, but behind every good supply chain is an amazing group of people trying to keep the boat from flipping over. 

Applauding every person on the world’s supply chain team. We got this! (We are tired, but we got it!)