Right now there are supply chain delays and shortages in all kinds of unforeseen areas, from cat food and pet vaccines to disposable cups. Of course, such widespread shortages are likely to have an impact on your business. After all, if you can get the supplies you need to make your products or provide your service, your bottom line will suffer. The good news is there are some tactics that can help you avoid post-pandemic supply chain issues. Read on to find out what they are.
Choose proactive providers
One of the best things you can do is to choose the right provider. That is, one that acknowledges the supply chain demand issue and is working on ways of reducing its impact on your business.
Indeed, by partnering with a provider like this Push switch manufacturer that is considering the impact of delays on their customers, and is proactively staying in communication to manage them you can reduce a great deal of the impact that shortages can have.
Don’t source all your eggs from one basket
Next, if you are looking to minimize the impact of supply shortages, sourcing your resources from more than one provider is a good way to go. Yes, it does mean that you will need to order and communicate with multiple suppliers. However, it also means your chances of accessing the supplies you need are much larger.
Focus on stock management
Another smart way to minimize the issue of supply chain delays is to get your stock management system down to a fine art. Then you will always know when you are running low on a certain item and will be able to order more before you run out, shortening the wait times for your customers.
You may even wish to switch over to an automated stock management system. This is one where you set the limits and parameters and then the system monitors itself, sending automated notifications to reorder stock as the need arises.
Enough capital will keep you flexible
Making sure you have access to enough capital to keep your business flexible during a supply chain crisis is also very useful. Indeed, this capital will allow you to source supplies elsewhere, or pay for priority shipping to get them to you faster.
You may even wish to use this capital to buy some items in bulk and then supply these to others in your industry, at a profit.
Improve your shipment tracking
Finally, to avoid the issues that supply chain demands can cause in your business, you may find improved shipment tracking helpful. After all, if you know precisely where any item is in the shipment chain, you can make much better decisions on what actions to prioritize next.
Of course, having a live shipment tracking system can be expensive, that is why many companies choose to outsource this function to freight forwarder specialists. Indeed, because of their sole focus on shipping, such providers can offer not only better tracking but better timings and prices as well, even in these post-pandemic times.