COVID-19 and Shattered Supply Chains + Action Guide

Reimagining Your Supply Chain

Traditionally, global companies have based their supply chain design on the assumption that materials flow freely globally, enabling them to source, produce, and distribute products at the lowest-cost locations around the world.

However, as the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated, unforeseen events can trigger major disruption to entire supply chain networks.

Greater agility and the ability to rapidly recalculate strategy can help dampen the impacts of unanticipated events - from disease and foodborne illness to severe weather, geopolitical transformation, and international trade-policy changes.

Transforming supply chain processes into intelligent workflows enables an enterprise to reach new levels of responsiveness.

Intelligent workflows challenge siloed processes and ways of working, uncovering efficiencies across a network of processes and partners.

Augmented by AI and related technologies, new supply chain intelligent workflows - underpinned by business platforms - can deliver exceptional outcomes at scale.

Opportunities for transformation exist across the value chain, from demand planning and manufacturing execution to order orchestration and fulfillment.

Intelligent workflows reimagine the intersection of people, processes, and technology which, in turn, helps supply chain professionals execute and deliver more effectively and efficiently, even as strategies and environments continually change.

COVID-19 Action Guide - How to manage amid chaos, ambiguity, and fear

Created based on IBM’s own experience and business continuity readiness, this COVID-19 Action Guide - to action and reaction - hopes to serve several purposes.

First, we want to reassure those leaders and businesses that have taken appropriate measures that they are on a reasonable course.

Second, we want to spur those who may be behind to speed up their activities.

Third, we want to identify areas where we all might make improvements, in the near-to-mid term.

And finally, we want to reinforce a heads-up vision toward the future. To emerge stronger after this crisis, we need to be mindful of the steps we take, their implications, and their larger purposes.