What is a resilient supply chain?

Supply chain resiliency is the ability to respond quickly to operational disruptions through flexible
contingency planning and forecasting – from material sourcing to logistics and the final delivery of
products and services.
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Supply chain resiliency in detail

A resilient supply chain is defined by its capacity for resistance and recovery. That means having the
capability to mitigate most supply chain disruptions and greatly limit the impact of those that occur.
Operational risk and interruption can threaten multiple areas of the supply chain, and ultimately
business resiliency. Worldwide disasters, as we’ve seen with COVID-19, can have a far-reaching, global
impact upon supply chain logistics, suppliers, and workforces. Other supply chain disruptions can come
in the form of unexpected competition, sudden market trends, or even rapid changes in customer
shopping behaviors.

The most resilient and agile supply chains are designed to do more than simply resist and recover. They
are built using processes and modern supply chain technologies that allow them to forecast,
anticipate, and respond quickly to whatever risks or opportunities the future brings.
Learn how a digitally connected supply chain network can help you achieve resilience and agility in an
increasingly competitive marketplace.

An agile supply chain in a changing world

As long as there have been supply chains, risk management has been a challenge. Due to the
interdependency of all its links, even a small problem in one isolated region has the capacity to
compromise an entire global supply chain. So, when major worldwide trends and events take place, the
potential for widespread supply chain disruption is enormous. The pandemic illustrated this fact in an
unprecedented fashion with the knock-on effects of labor shortages and inventory depletion predicted
to carry on well into the foreseeable future. 

Other recent factors that are having extremely disruptive effects on traditional supply chain

practices include the rapid rate of change in consumer behaviors – and a highly unpredictable trade and
political climate. In the past 10 years, e-commerce spending has tripled, and in the first seven months
of 2020, there was a 149% rise in online shopping from the previous year. With the growth of e-
commerce, there has also been a rise in consumer demand for delivery speed and personalized
shopping experiences. The Amazon Effect refers to the increasing expectation for next-day delivery and
how that has impacted businesses and logistics networks. In order to be resilient enough to adapt to
these growing demands, supply chain managers have had to make rapid and significant changes to their
logistics and warehousing networks and find ways to work with increasing numbers of third-party
fulfilment partners.

Even before the repercussions of COVID-19, U.S. businesses were striving to reduce their dependency

upon overseas manufacturers and suppliers. By 2019, foreign tariffs and overseas trade policies
had become increasingly unpredictable and businesses were looking for technological solutions to make
their supply chains more self-reliant and resilient. Integrating digital transformation and Industry
4.0 technologies into supply chain operations is becoming a growing priority for global business
leaders.  
Inflation and supply chain resilience
In a recent survey of more than 100 freight, supply chain, and logistics businesses, 92% of respondents
said that the inflation problem was a major concern and was having an effect on their businesses. Many
of the global issues that led to supply chain disruptions – including labor shortages, inventory scarcity,
and political uncertainty – are some the very same forces that are driving inflation. Unsurprisingly, the
best businesses are finding that continuous and integrated supply chain planning is their best defense
against uncertainty. With technologies that combat inflation, companies can see around corners, adjust
their plans in real time, and build the resilience they need to adapt to rising prices and constantly
changing consumer demands.

How does supply chain resilience work?

Good supply chain management means being able to respond quickly to operational disruptions and
having a flexible contingency plan in place. But to be truly resilient, a supply chain must be able to
forecast and anticipate disruptions, and, in many cases, avoid them altogether. In 2019,
PWC commented on the importance of supply chain resilience, saying, “It’s not just about playing
defense – it’s also about playing offense – finding competitive advantage by shaping a supply chain
resilience strategy focused on disruption avoidance.” 

 Resilient supply chains work by optimizing production with supply chain planning. Strategic
supply chain planning is an essential step in achieving resiliency, as it synchronizes all
components of the supply chain and drives greater visibility and agility. Through supply chain
planning, supply and demand requirements are better understood, and production is
harmonized. This connected, forward-looking approach helps businesses better anticipate
issues, limit the impact of supply chain disruptions, and improve overall operations. 
 Resilient supply chains work by understanding and leveraging data. When a business has the
digital systems in place to analyze and make sense of Big Data, it leads to significant
improvements in supply chain resiliency. Systems empowered with artificial intelligence can
curate disparate data sets from across the business and around the world. News, competitor
activity, sales reports, and even customer feedback can all be analyzed together to spot trends
and opportunities. Connected devices within the system are continually being listened to,
leading to real-time insights as to where and how workflows can be automated and optimized.
Digital supply chain technologies, like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, and modern
databases, not only procure and manage Big Data – they analyze and learn from it in an almost
infinite combination of ways. This powers intelligent automation across the network and gives
supply chain managers the real-time insights they need to respond quickly to disruption and
unexpected events.  
 Resilient supply chains work by diversifying suppliers and manufacturing
partners. Traditionally, supply chain managers looked to minimize the number of partners and
suppliers in their network to reduce operational and logistical complexity. This strategy relies
upon social, environmental, and political stability. Unexpected disruptions in one region can
impede or even halt operations across the entire network. In assessing strategies for supply
chain resilience in June 2020, Gartner points out that “Disruptions to supply chain operations
have intensified in the past few years. This means that the cost of retaining multiple supply
locations must be seen more as a cost of doing business, rather than an inefficiency.” Resilient
supply chain technologies, such as blockchain, sensors, and advanced analytics, allow supply
chain managers to oversee complex partnerships and supplier contracts, even in the most
distant regions of their network.
 Resilient supply chains work by implementing capacity and inventory buffers. Supply chain
profitability has long depended upon minimizing surplus and keeping inventories as lean as
possible. Capacity and inventory buffers cost money, and supply chain managers have often
 gambled against disruptions in order to keep costs low. When the pandemic hit, many
companies learned the true cost of that gamble. A recent Financial Times article addresses this
trend, explaining that companies should move from “‘just in time’ to ‘just in case’” when it
comes to restructuring their supply chains and manufacturing operations – and shift their
investment priorities toward resilience-building solutions. Using digital supply chain
technologies, supply chain operations can include on-demand manufacturing, virtual
inventories, and predictive demand forecasting to remain resilient, even in times of unexpected
disruption.

Planning for a resilient supply chain

See how supply chain planning helps avoid disruptions without limiting growth. 

Learn more

Top three benefits of a resilient supply chain

In an increasingly competitive market, finding a profitable balance between supply and demand is a
major challenge for every supply chain manager. Many companies that cut corners on
diversification, supply chain technologies, and other resilience measures have recently been finding out
the true cost of those decisions. But when companies invest in diversification, supply chain technologies,
and other resilience measures, there are many potential business benefits, including:  

1. More efficient operations: Greater resilience often leads to minimized risk and greater ability
to invest in innovation and growth. In a 2020 global business analysis, Bain and
Company reported that companies that had prioritized investment in supply chain resilience
had up to 60% shorter product development cycles and were able to expand their output
capacity by up to 25%.
2. Improved productivity: Resilient supply chain technologies contribute to an overall rise in
productivity across the system. In a 2020 survey by McKinsey, supply chain leaders from around
the world report improved productivity as a result of resilient supply chain systems, and 93% of
those surveyed plan to make resilient supply chain strategies a top priority for investment in
the coming year.
3. Risk reduction: Supply chain operations often represent the greatest area for risk and loss in
many companies. By their natures, supply chains are globally dispersed and complex in their
functionality. This makes them especially vulnerable to risk. Resilient supply chain technologies
reduce risk by allowing visibility into all operations across the network – and empowering
businesses to optimize and adapt their processes and logistics in real time.

Supply chain 4.0 technologies

Digital transformation and modern supply chain technologies give businesses the resilience and
competitive edge they need to respond quickly – to both disruptions and opportunities.

 Artificial intelligence (AI): By sourcing and analyzing data from many disparate sources, AI-
powered supply chain solutions can provide deep procedural and operational insights.
Predictive analytics and Big Data analysis can help forecast risk and demand, and recommend
actions and responses across the business. 
 Machine learning: As an application of AI, machine learning makes it possible to discover
patterns in supply chain data and to identify these influential factors – while constantly learning
in the process. This allows supply chain managers to respond quickly with the best possible
workflows and operational strategies.
 Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT): An IIoT network in a supply chain is comprised of connected
devices and objects that are fitted with sensors and unique identifiers, giving them the ability to
send and receive digital data. They collect data and communicate with the central system. AI
can analyze and interpret this data to inform quick decisions and intelligent automation of
workflows and processes across the supply chain. 
 Additive (3D) printing: Smart factories can rapidly reprogram 3D printers to temporarily
produce certain products on demand, without long-term disruption to normal business
processes. The accessibility of potential, virtual inventories allows supply chains to protect
against disruption. 
 Robots and autonomous things: Intelligently automated for speed, efficiency, and accuracy,
robots and drones can adapt their processes on demand to meet rapidly changing needs. They
also reduce the risk of injury by relieving human workers of overly repetitive or dangerous
tasks. 
 Modern databases: The most resilient supply chain solutions rely on Big Data, advanced
analytics, and real-time insights. Equipped with a modern ERP system and an in-memory
database, supply chain technologies can be optimized to run at their fastest and most resilient.