Logistics Of Essential Goods: How To Be Agile?
Basic goods must be the subject of special logistical treatment, given their strategic importance for their recipients. How to organize your supply chain accordingly? Here is everything you need to know!
The periods of crisis are often the most conducive to highlight the failures of logistics plans in force. The Covid-19 crisis is another example, particularly concerning basic necessities Supplies of medical equipment, drugs, masks, tests, and food products have been strained, sometimes revealing shortages Faced with the risk of a possible second wave for which the country is preparing, it is essential to concretely adapt your logistics to limit new potential negative externalities.
How to concretely secure the logistics chain of essential products?
The supply chain of essential products must be perfectly secure and resilient in the face of all potential external shocks. It should be based on close collaboration with all companies included in the value chain, to reduce downtime between deliveries. For this, there is Supply Chain Management software specifically dedicated to securing flows for strategic goods.
To facilitate the sorting, distribution, and tracking of pallets, RFID labeling technologies make it possible to no longer depend on any form of human intervention.
- The resilience of your supply chain depends more broadly on several levers of action, including:
- The last kilometer Management “Last mile” delivery requests have exploded for all local traders
- The independent human intervention technologies (artificial intelligence, robots, big data, etc.) have appeared more important than ever to take over humans automatically and without delay
The training needs were felt, to teach each company to adapt its logistics
Focus
The airline was often asked to respond to the imperative to quickly deliver to different countries. It replaced maritime transport, through which more than 80% of the world’s goods usually transit. It created an imbalance notable between sea and air transport routes. The ports are now under-capacity, and cannot fully play their roles. At the same time, all the brands selling products deemed “non-essential” have closed their doors. This shock generated a sharp increase in home deliveries while respecting the health precautions imposed by the authorities. Overcapacity, on the one hand, shortage on the other: how to balance and optimize the flow of goods?
Many companies have chosen to intervene in the repositioning of their workforce, their vehicles, and the adjustment of orders with suppliers when the latter can adapt. These upheavals raise the major question of the relocation of strategic activities on the national territory, in particular in the pharmaceutical industry, the production of medical equipment, and national defense. This is a privileged way to ensure stable supplies throughout the US.
The logistics have demonstrated once again it is vital for the entire industry, as well as its weaknesses at all levels and, in the forefront, internationally. Throughout the Covid-19 crisis, logisticians have shown great solidarity, and remarkable efforts to face these many unprecedented challenges!
Sooner Logistics is a top company in California that offers logistics warehouses and reliable and top-notch logistics and storage services all around the US.