Examining Supply Chain Issues

In many places, businesses have been operating in a manner that is closer to “business as usual” than “pandemic-altered”. This doesn’t mean the pandemic is over, but a lot of businesses are now able to make decisions like they were before the pandemic. This is a good thing, but there is one part of business that doesn’t seem to be normalizing: the supply chain. Listed below is a look at why supply chain issues continue and what you can do about them.

What is Your Supply Chain?

The supply chain is the network of vendors a business has that permits them to create a product or service for resale. All of the different vendors your business uses make up your business’ supply chain. It isn’t just goods, it consists of activities, people, information, and resources that allow you to provide your products or services to the marketplace.

A business’ supply chain is essential to its operational functionality. For instance, if your business makes shoes, your supply chain includes all the resources required to create the shoes such as leather, rubber, and any other materials; the computers your businesses use to manage your business, and several other products that make your business possible. If you have shortages in one part of the supply chain, it affects your business’ capability to operate, or at the very least changes the timelines, which can obviously affect your relationship with the companies or customers you sell your product to. 

Why is the Supply Chain Having Issues?

There is no single reason why your business’ supply chain is disrupted; there are many. First, the COVID-19 pandemic altered the way most businesses operated. Not only were they forced to move essential talent offsite, they couldn’t always source the materials they needed efficiently because there were pandemic-related impediments to production. The main reason that there are such supply chain issues at the present time is because the demand for goods and services didn’t wane, it accelerated. That’s why certain components are in short supply and prices are inflating rapidly. 

Additionally, there are shortages of imperative workers that usually drive supply chain forces. Millions of people have quit their jobs over the past fiscal year and some of them are leaving the workforce—warehouse workers, truck drivers, etc.—and are creating massive bottlenecks in the supply chain. Basically, less people are being asked to do more and logistically, they just can’t. The longer this goes on, the further problems we will see with the supply chain. 

What You Can Do?

There are a few things you can do to mitigate the negative impact supply shortages have on your business. They include:

Inventory Control

This is a two-issue problem. First, in order to reduce your company’s exposure to supply chain disruptions, you will want to keep comprehensive inventory. You need to know what you have and when you need a certain number of products/components. If you don’t keep up on it you could find yourself falling behind rapidly. Secondly, you will want to eschew risk and add to your inventory when you can. Generally, this isn’t great business, but with the supply chain issues expected to outlast the pandemic, you need to alter your thinking on this issue. 

Be Flexible

Traditionally, if you source certain components or products from a manufacturer, if they have some supply chain hiccups, they will do their best to make it right by you. Alas, a lot of times they simply cannot fill the order. You need to shop around for vendors that will make it possible to get your products and services out on the market. It’s nice to have working relationships, but if they aren’t working, you need to look for alternatives in this market. 

Use Technology

These days there are plenty of technologies that can help take some pressure off your supply chain issues. Not only is there software that can automate a lot of your inventory process, there are Internet of Things technologies that can ensure that you know where every part of your business is so that you can plan accordingly. 

At Macro Systems, we’re not immune to the supply chain issues. We are finding it more difficult than ever to procure technology and other computing and networking systems because of an industry-wide microchip shortage. We suggest that if your business is looking to upgrade their computing to contact us early as our turnaround time has been affected by these supply chain issues. Give us a call today at 703-359-9211 to learn more.