These Supply Chain Blind Spots Could Soon Get You In Trouble

Supply chains have become the bread and butter of successful business in recent years, and are especially crucial to modern global operations. Without requiring dedicated on-the-ground teams in every location, a carefully managed supply chain is key to scalability while still streamlining business operations. 

Unfortunately, the further a supply chain spreads, the more risk there is of so-called supply chain ‘blind spots’. Like driving blind in the dark, these problem areas can quickly lead to fatalities if you aren’t careful, and the impact on your business could be catastrophic. 

From missed deliveries to supply-and-demand failures, the reputational and literal cost of ongoing supply chain problems certainly won’t go unnoticed. But, how can you improve your supply chain eyesight, and where should you focus your efforts to achieve that goal?

We answer those questions and more in this article, where we’ll consider the most fatal supply chain blind spots in your business right now, and potential solutions to consider. 

# 1 – Supply Partners as Strangers

Outsourcing is inevitable across your supply chain. This is true even for big businesses, but is especially the case for smaller companies who rely on supply chain partners for even small-scale processes. 

There’s nothing wrong with this, but keeping supply partners too distanced from your internal processes is perhaps the primary reason for supply chain blind spots. 

Failing to understand how partners across your supply chain operate or communicate can prove especially problematic, leading to siloed, and often silent processes that you have no control over. Equally, as consumer consciousness around issues like sustainability grows, failing to understand the ethics of your suppliers could also lead to reputational setbacks. 

Perhaps the best thing to do here is to simply make sure that, as well as understanding supplier processes, you’re able to consolidate communications via things like the shared use of a singular supply chain software. Where this isn’t possible, suppliers who are willing to communicate transparently via your chosen platform are key. As for reputation, thoroughly vetting suppliers before proceeding as partners is all it takes to open your eyes and avoid murky blind spots. 

# 2 – Missing Deliveries

You put a lot of trust in your suppliers, especially when you hand over large deliveries and simply believe that they’ll deliver those products as promised. Unfortunately, delivery blind spots are surprisingly common and could see you either failing to understand when your products will arrive, or even where they are during certain parts of the journey. As well as holding back in-house processes, this blind area will prevent you from properly updating your customers, and that’s never good for business. 

The main way around this issue is simply to work with a company like Axle Logistics, who offer advanced logistics services, including real-time delivery updates for everything from truckloads to port services across their trusted carriers. This will lead to unrivalled supply chain transparency, without your in-house team needing to chase those orders. 

Equally, setting up strategic supply chain teams for specific product lines will ensure that you’re always on the pulse with things like unexpected transportation setbacks or delays. As well as ensuring in-the-moment updates for waiting customers, these individuals will be in place to activate agile processes to overcome problems as soon as they arise. 

# 3 – A Lack of Warehouse Knowledge

Whether you handle warehousing in-house or outsource this service, it’s easy to see this part of the process as a separate entity. Unfortunately, this attitude can lead to notable blind spots that prevent you from knowing how much stock you have, and also whether new stock is arriving when it should. Missing orders and notable delays will surely follow, unless you take action to open your eyes with warehouse knowledge. 

This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to don a hard hat and head down to the warehouse every day, but it does mean you need to keep information flowing between your office and warehouse space. When working with an outsourced warehousing solution, choosing services with guaranteed real-time updates is particularly important. 

If warehousing is happening in-house, the right technology is key to guaranteed warehouse awareness and could include drones that can help with inventory management, or general warehouse management systems that ensure visibility across everything from your inventory to order processing and resource allocations. 

Conclusion

Supply chain blindspots can feel somewhat inevitable, but they needn’t be. Understanding and addressing each of these problems can help you to ensure complete supply visibility, no matter how many partners or processes you have to consider.