The year 2020 was indeed a nightmare for supply chain managers. With the COVID-19 pandemic on sight, global logistics chains and networks were disrupted at an unprecedented scale. The same was the case in 2021. While things had improved a little, supply chain companies and providers still faced countless challenges. Despite the challenges witnessed, businesses went through a steep learning curve, which highlighted the importance of optimizing operations that rely on vendors or risk further uncertainty and disruptions. While production relies heavily on a steady supply of supplies, a supply chain is also critical for maintenance, which needs a regular supply of spare parts. Lack of an optimal maintenance strategy leads to holdups and delays in production, which will have costly effects on an organization's supply chain. Therefore, the lack of a maintenance strategy will significantly impact your supply chain and logistics.

The disruptions in global supply chains in the past three years were unprecedented. It led to soaring inflation across many parts of the world. This has forced central banks to change their policy stance, raising interest and borrowing costs. Amid the pandemic, rising tensions in different areas in the world have worsened the situation. Furthermore, there have been a switch in demand for services and manufactured goods in the US and lockdowns that have reduced the manufacturing abilities in leading manufacturing hubs such as China. These two factors have occasioned supply chain disruptions never witnessed before. However, the good thing is that things are showing signs of easing. Here are some examples of changes being experienced that show that the supply chain may be opening up at last. 

A supply chain control tower is often a confusing term to many in the market. It confuses with regard to what it actually means and its value to supply chain organizations. A supply chain control tower is a cloud platform focusing on providing end-to-end supply chain visibility and control. It integrates and extends existing ERPs, WMS and TMS systems with 3PLs, suppliers and manufacturers, and other partners. This integration provides visibility, actionable insights and operational control across the supply chain. Furthermore, it reduces lead times and inventory costs and helps mitigate exceptions while increasing the percentage of orders delivered on time and in full.  

Supply chains determine the failure or success of businesses. Similarly, a good supply chain strategy with a well-thought-out marketing plan and an efficient inventory management strategy must be in place if a supply chain has to work properly. The success of a business is also determined by supply chain management, which is all about ensuring reliability and redundancy in the procurement process. From the COVID-19 pandemic, we drew many lessons regarding the vulnerabilities in the current supply chains. These lessons show supply chain strategies to end the year that will help you overcome vulnerabilities caused by demand surges, shipping challenges and other potential external factors.