Radwell International’s Blog

Exploring the Last Three Years of Supply Chain Progress and Challenges

As we reflect on the tumultuous past three years, it's impossible not to wonder if any progress has been made with regards to the disruptions that were induced by the pandemic.

Supply chain companies were severely impacted by lockdown measures and reduced shipping capacity, resulting in a challenging environment for manufacturers to adapt to the “new normal”. Consequently, we witnessed empty shelves and panicked consumers struggling with short supply, including a shortage of toilet paper during the pandemic's peak.

In this article, we will delve into the topic of whether any significant improvements have been made since the pandemic began. It's important to note that our focus will be solely on this subject, and we won't touch upon discussions surrounding inflationary pressure and its potential impact on supply chains.

To say the world is experiencing supply chain challenges is a vast understatement. From shortages to delays, the world is struggling on all sides of the supply chain. Is there any way to create a positive impact? According to Sarah Scudder from Source Day in Texas, creating efficiencies at the start of the supply chain can help with problems that can occur at the end of it for manufacturers. She was the host of a recent chat for USA Manufacturing Hour on Twitter and shared some insights with participants.

A supply chain is a series of links between companies and suppliers for the purpose of producing and distributing a product to a final buyer. This network of links includes various entities such as manufacturers, producers, warehouses, logistics services, distribution centers and retailers. When it comes to supply chain management, a healthy supply chain helps get a product successfully and profitably from the planning phases to the end user in a reasonable amount of time. Healthy supply chains help reduce costs for companies as well as help them stay competitive in the marketplace.

These five stages of a supply chain outline the basics of what it takes to transform raw materials into finished products successfully and profitably.