Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
Supply chain snarls are probably here to stay. That’s not to say that today’s specific challenges won’t abate at some point. But there will be new ones — different from our current variety of chip shortages and a dearth of truck drivers.
Why it matters: Pandemic-driven turmoil may have put supply chains on the public’s radar, but major disruptions were picking up even before COVID — think trade wars, Brexit, and an increasing number of extreme weather events.
- Meanwhile, some of the most disruptive events of the COVID era were not COVID-related: the Texas freeze, Hurricane Ida, cargo ships stuck in canals.
What they’re saying: “Supply chain disruptions will continue to happen both more frequently, and with potentially larger magnitude,” Dan Swan, co-lead of McKinsey's operations practice, tells Axios.
- For companies, these issues have grown from being a responsibility handled by operations teams, into a CEO-level priority — and that’s likely to continue, he says.
State of play: In McKinsey's latest survey of global supply chain leaders, released today, 92% of respondents said they had changed their supply chain footprints in the last year to boost resilience.
- That compares to the less than three-quarters who thought they'd do so, as of the same survey last year.
What’s next: Almost 90% of survey respondents expect to pursue some sort of regionalization — moving certain operations, like factories, closer to customers — during the next three years (Ford and GM, for example, are both forging deals with chipmakers to produce domestically).
- And it'll be more common for companies to ask for information about their suppliers' suppliers — because breakdowns there can ripple through the chain, Swan says.
- We're not there yet: Less than half of the company leaders in McKinsey's survey said they understand the risks their key suppliers face.
The bottom line: As a supply chain professional, Swan jokes that he has “never been more popular” than he is right now.
Supply chain woes aren't going anywhere — and job postings on Indeed.com for logistics specialists and coordinators are up 37% since April.
The big picture: Digitization has accelerated a skills gap. Jobs in demand-planning have transformed into roles that require data scientists, McKinsey's Swan says.
- Only 1% of respondents to McKinsey's survey of global supply chain leaders said they have sufficient in-house digital talent.
- And 55% of survey respondents said they are investing in re-skilling their existing employees to address the shortfall.