FIRESIDE CHAT TOPIC: The ways SMBs are building a resilient supply chain
DETAILS: A discussion on the ways shippers are planning for the future of maritime logistics.
INTERVIEWER AND SPEAKER: Anthony Smith, lead economist at FreightWaves, and Nate Shutes, VP of global fulfillment and logistics at Blu Dot, a furniture designer and retailer.
BIO: Shutes has nearly 20 years of experience in the supply chain, having worked with leading brands and service providers both public and private. His current focus areas are customer experience, operations and technology.
KEY QUOTES FROM SHUTES:
On managing the supply chain through the pandemic: “Every new day right now seems to be another ripple that, or another black swan that, you have to adapt to over and over. So it’s not that there’s just one part of it that is disrupted, it is literally every single step in the process.”
On sourcing commodities: “For our manufacturing partners or suppliers, a lot of that comes down to understanding where they are at and how can we support them. If they have labor shortages, how can we try to give them as much advance notice as possible on what our purchasing plans are.”
On how retailers will think about inventory going forward: “I think this permanently changes things. I don’t see us going, or anybody going, back to the way things were. The move in some ways, away from lean and more towards having a good stock position, even in plentiful times, that used to be a heresy, you would never want to go that direction. But those who have inventory are winning.”
