A Critical Investigation of the Relationship between Real-Time Supply Chains and Balanced Ecosystems: Perspective from Scotland

Authors

  • Arthur MacMillan Vass University of Strathclyde, Glasgow

Abstract

Customers now do their research and buy products across multiple channels and increasingly demand product personalization. They expect not only transparency around order status and delivery, but near instant order fulfilment. And they’re increasingly concerned about product origin and quality, as well as product and supply chain sustainability. In most cases, these heightened expectations apply to customers in consumer-facing industries and B2B customers. Supply chains are also increasingly facing major disruptions such as changing and extreme weather conditions, global health crises and supply shortages. For example, many supply chains are being affected by the 2019–20 COVID-19 (coronavirus) outbreak either through unexpected increases or drop-offs in demand as well as supply shortages. Without high levels of visibility into suppliers and sub-suppliers, companies increase their exposure to supply chain risks and become less resilient. And while more than three-quarters of respondents recognize the importance of visibility into the sustainability practices of their organization and suppliers, few have full visibility into either. A new Bloomberg Business Week Research Services survey and report makes it clear that innovative supply chain tools are widely acknowledged to be crucial to meeting corporate goals now and in the future as supply chains grow more complex, customers become more demanding and globalization accelerates. Where there is a risk of disruption to supply chains, public bodies may wish to consider whether to require multiple sources for the same ‘at risk’ product and/or components involved in the supply of that product as a security-of-supply measure. This would then be reflected in the tender evaluation stage of the procurement where the body can award marks based on how bidders respond to this element of the requirement. The public body may want to reassure itself that the bidder will be able to ensure continuity of supply at all times during the contract even if scenarios such as those experienced in the early days of Covid-19 were to apply. The public sector in Scotland is well resourced with access to huge amounts of spend and contract data at a local, sectoral and national level. As well as forming the basis for decisions on how to optimize opportunities for collaboration by putting in place local, sector or national contracts and frameworks, this data can be used to identify opportunities for market development and to gain a sense of the influence the Scottish public sector has on the market. The national sustainable procurement tools provide a starting point for assessing supply chain vulnerabilities. Investing in real-time supply chain analytics can help businesses gain key inventory and forecasting metrics to combat the volatility of markets.

Keywords: Real, Time, Supply, Chain, Ecosystem, Balanced, Scotland

 

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Published

2021-07-26

How to Cite

Vass, A. M. (2021). A Critical Investigation of the Relationship between Real-Time Supply Chains and Balanced Ecosystems: Perspective from Scotland. Journal of Procurement & Supply Chain, 5(1), 76–88. Retrieved from https://stratfordjournals.org/journals/index.php/journal-of-procurement-supply/article/view/838

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