When things are running smoothly, all eyes are generally on eking additional efficiency, throughput and profitability out of those operations. For example, not long ago many retailers were focused on optimizing their supply chains, squeezing more out of interconnected networks and using leaner inventory management strategies.
Then along came a pandemic that changed everything. Now, Sudhir Balebail, program director at IBM, says the conversation has shifted from optimizing supply chains to making them more resilient and adaptable. “Everyone has come to embrace the fact that change is inevitable,” says Balebail. “It’s no longer about getting the supply chain ‘right’; it’s about getting supply chains to react in a manner that can make things right.”
