Supply chains – the tech and people who keep them running

As the Coronavirus pandemic has spread across the world, and more people have become concerned about the amount of food and everyday essentials available, panic buying has taken place. Not only is this unnecessary, but it creates a more challenging situation for supermarkets and places greater pressure on their supply chains to keep the shelves stocked. 

Governments across Europe have urged people not to buy more than they need, with the UK’s Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs George Eustice saying people should “be responsible when you shop and think of others.”

“Buying more than you need means that others may be left without, and it is making life more difficult for those front-line workers such as our doctors and nurses and NHS (National Health Service) support staff.” Mr Eustice also said the UK’s food supply chains were “able to expand production to cope with increased demand.”

While these words are reassuring, they can be hard to comprehend as many of us do not understand how supply chains work and how they can cope with these increased demands. This is because the part of the supply chain that almost all of us see is the final stage, food and other essential products being put on the shelves for us to buy. However, behind the scenes, there is a hugely complex and intricate operation which has been refined over decades to ensure our shops have enough for us all to buy what we need. 

The first thing to understand about supply chains is that depending on the industry they serve, how they operate will be slightly different. The food industry, for example, requires temperature-controlled lorries to transport food between locations so that it can arrive as fresh as possible to supermarkets. Other industries don’t require such measures. There are, however, two key elements which all supply chains have in common, people and technology. 

Technology plays a vital role in modern supply chains. Not only are there systems such as RFID tags and QR codes to help keep track of specific items being transported between locations, but vehicles are also tracked. There are several key benefits to tracking supply chain vehicles. The most obvious is that at any moment, a fleet manager can see the exact location of any vehicle within a fleet making up a supply chain. 

Not only is this important to keep track of items, but in an emergency, vehicles can be reassigned to a different destination to ensure items arrive where they’re most needed. Also, because the exact location of the broken-down lorry is known, mechanics or a recovery vehicle can be sent to the scene quickly. Being able to act quickly can help supply chains continue to function and meet the demand placed on them. 

Another key aspect of supply chain technology is being able to monitor a vehicle’s health. If a food lorry were to break down, not only could it cause significant disruption to people’s lives as shelves could be left empty, but it could cost supermarkets money. Depending on the nature of the breakdown, if the cold storage capability of a lorry is lost, the food being transported may not be suitable to sell. This represents a loss for the supermarket and consumers. 

Using technology to monitor the health of a vehicle continually is vital. When a fleet manager can schedule their vehicles in for maintenance, plans can be put in place to use other vehicles to cover the work, and the supply chain can continue to function at its best. When having to reassign vehicles at the last minute, while it is better than nothing and will reduce disruption, it is not as effective as pre-planning for the vehicle shortage. 

People are the other key factor in a well-functioning supply chain. As technology has become more integrated into our daily lives, regardless of the industry you work in, it has become harder to do your job without it. Supply chains are no different. However, while technology is important, we are not yet at the stage where people can be removed from a supply chain altogether. 

There are a wide range of jobs associated with any supply chain. We have already referenced a fleet manager, who’s responsible for making sure the vehicles which comprise the commercial fleet of a supply chain are functioning as efficiently as possible. There are also people responsible for organising logistics, along with others who load items into and out of lorries. Perhaps most importantly of all are the drivers, who spend hours behind the wheel delivering the goods to their destination. 

While there has been experimentation and the talk of developing autonomous delivery trucks and lorries, dedicated people remain the best option. However, commercial drivers have been helped in recent years by technology which has improved several areas of their job, along with improving a supply chain’s efficiency and productivity. 

Drivers have benefited from in-cab coaching systems which provide instant feedback based on specific driving actions. They are alerted to harsh acceleration, braking and cornering along with speeding. Research has shown that by alerting drivers to these actions, they can reduce them and therefore improve not only their safety but that of all other road users. 

Furthermore, when vehicle tracking technology is fitted, and fleet managers can see their journey data, it makes designing the most efficient delivery routes much easier. By analysing this data, it allows fleet managers to identify problem areas, and therefore design routes around them. This means deliveries can happen faster and in some cases, more frequently throughout the day. 

Overall, the combination of highly trained and skilled workers with continually developing technology, allow supply chains to operate even during times of high demand like we are all experiencing now. Supply chains are built to withstand changes in demand and the people running them are utilising all the technology available to ensure shelves at essential shops like supermarkets remain stocked. 

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