I said in my post on Bob Ferrari’s blog Supply Chain Matters that I was going to resurrect my previous habit of presenting and reviewing supply chain risk blogs. A promise is a promise, so here is a high-quality blog for you, the Kinaxis Blog, or as they put it themselves: The 21st Century Supply Chain. And is it a correct tagline? Yes, I think so. But is there anything supply chain risk? Oh yes, most definitely so, very much indeed. Actually, I should have known, because no less than two days ago I was referring to an interview with Gary Lynch, when reviewing his latest book, The Single Point of Failure.
By executives, but only for executives?
The blog features Kinaxis executives and the occasional guest and provides insights on today’s supply chain trends and issues. The tagline reads Perspectives on innovative supply chain management strategies, and brilliant design aside, I can say that this is a solid piece of work, and well worth having in your bookmarks.
Supply chain risk, where art thou?
Needless to say, I wouldn’t feature a blog unless there is something supply chain risk on it, and yes, there is. Double marked as a category and tag (a redundancy and “risk mitigation” already in the blog design), a search for supply chain risk management on the Kinaxis blog reveals quite a wealth of articles with profound insights:
In Supplier rationalization: at what cost?, John Westerveld elaborates on the seeming dichotomy of supplier consolidation and the need for developing alternate sources.
Companies that truly understand supplier rationalization understand that by reducing your supply base, you have the opportunity to improve communication and partnership with the remaining suppliers. The need for a mitigation strategy depends on the risk and the impact of that risk. You need to do the risk assessment for those suppliers that will have a significant impact on your business.
In Newest supply chain risk: Zombies????, John Westerveld (again) looks at “supply chain zombies”, i.e. a supplier that has been significantly impacted by the current economic downturn, and who significantly undercapitalized and are just limping along, and who, as soon as demand starts to increase, will fold because they can’t get the funding to retool and restock to meet the demand.
For those suppliers at risk, you need to make a decision. Do you help that supplier ramp up? Or do you abandon them and find another supplier? That decision is really based on the history you’ve had with that supplier. Great suppliers are hard to come by and it could very well be worth your while to help the great suppliers survive.
In Volatility is here to stay, Trevor Miles reflects on the notion that all too often volatility is treated as an exception rather than the norm. However, mass customization and global outsourcing are here to stay, and both of these introduce tremendous volatility into the supply chain.
Much of the risk management literature is focussed on risk identification and mitigation. Many very good ideas have come out from the risk management guru’s, but most of the analysis and approach is focussed on removing volatility. Almost no attention is paid to how companies should prepare themselves to be “change ready” or “risk robust”.
In Do’s and Dont’s in supply chain risk management, John Westerveld (who seems to appear most frequently under the supply chain risk heading) makes a case for what to do and what not to do.
Do: Improve your ability to respond
Do: Prioritize your risk management strategy
Don’t: Forget the suppliers of your suppliers
These are just some of the excellent blog posts found on the Kinaxis blog.
The verdict
If you haven’t bookmarked it yet, now’s the time to do so. So far, I’ve considered The Kinaxis Blog slightly out of my league, but as my understanding of supply chain risk management grows, so does my hunger for good food for thought. There’s plenty of that on the Kinaxis Blog, and it was well worth spending a few hours there in research for this blog post.
Link
- blog.kinaxis.com: The 21st Century Supply Chain
Would you like a review?
This blog has gained a considerable readership, and many people have asked to be added to my blogroll in return for them adding me to their blogroll. Unfortunately, this blog does not maintain a blogroll, but from time to time I review other blogs/sites or posts on other blogs/sites. I consider that a lot more valuable than just a simple link. If you would like a review, please contact me.
Related
- husdal.com: Supply Chain (Risk) blogs of note
(If you would like to have your blog/website reviewed, please contact me)
