Supply chain management can be a challenge at best and a nightmare at worst. Managing products from raw materials to the final item ready for sale can be like solving a very complicated puzzle with moving pieces. Think of the dorm room stairs in the Harry Potter movies. Just when the characters got comfortable with the path to their room, the stairs would rearrange creating different pathways. A supply chain manager might feel the same. After months working with vendors and mapping the path from one country to next for production, things finally seem to be moving along smoothly. Then PRESTO the world changes and you’re back at square one! With supply chain security compromised, a manager may have trouble rearranging the pieces of the puzzle and fix the problem asap.
Before the supply chain goes through an interruption, it’s better to contact our expert IMG supply chain security team for a consult on your supply chain security vulnerabilities. Formally, we call this a “supply chain security audit,” which is a top-to-bottom assessment on what’s vulnerable (and what’s not) in your supply chain. This can include all types of threats to your supply chain – whether political such as a disruption to the political stability of your host country, economic such as an economic depression, or natural such as a hurricane or tsunami. Even terrorist threats to your supply chain are included. Not only do we get the hard work it takes to keep products moving smoothly through production, we monitor what could stop it in its tracks. It’s our job to look at worldwide issues that can affect a company’s supply chain. These interruptions can be political, criminal, cyber, economic or weather-related. Whatever category your supply chain security threat falls into, we have the answers.
IMG Solves the Puzzle to Supply Chain Security Issues
Organized crime is a common danger to overseas manufacturing. The pilfering of supply chain materials including textiles, machinery or technology can happen anywhere along the process. For instance, a corporate manufacturing warehouse in Argentina may have been producing the right number of sneakers, but for some reason the pallets arriving at America’s border are much less than expected. Shipping routes could have been compromised due to the emergence of a criminal network in the area. IMG’s supply chain security team have tools to track criminal threats and help create a new logistics plan before thieves can affect a bottom line.
Sometimes a supply chain interruption can happen due to natural causes too. With the threat of global warming, storms and natural disasters can occur in new parts of the world. In 2015 South India’s largest industrial center, Chennai, experienced catastrophic floods which stopped operations, ruined inventory and depleted resources. Companies suffered devastating losses due to the flooding. IMG’s supply chain security team audits global weather patterns and evaluates risks long before a storm can arrive.
Recent political issues about trade between China and America could affect the supply chain security of several businesses. This is a current concern for supply chain managers around the world. To get ahead of the curve, contact us. IMG’s international supply chain experts can evaluate current threats and possible threats for any worldwide business. If you are looking for a supply chain security consultant, reach out to us, today, for a consultation. Like all security issues, planning is key because as they say, “Knowledge is power.”
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