ProMatDX Keynote: Building supply chain resilience and preparing for future disruption

Yesterday’s ProMatDX keynote featured an American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) panel on supply chain resiliency and lessons learned from the pandemic. ALAN’s executive director Kathy Fulton and a panel of supply chain and disaster response thought leaders explored lessons learned from the pandemic.

The group also discussed the importance of building long-term resiliency into supply chain and logistics operations as the key to adapting and recovering when future disruption or disaster strikes. Joining Fulton were Rick McDonald, senior VP and chief product supply officer at Clorox; Carmela Hinderaker, senior director of business continuity and customer support at C&S Wholesale Grocers; and David Lusk, director of FedEx’s Global Security Operations Center.

Fulton opened the session by discussing the definition of resilience and talking to the panel about the value of being prepared for the unexpected, being able to respond, keeping operations moving and overcoming obstacles.

“We spent a good chunk of time talking about what happened ‘when the world changed,’” Fulton said, “including discussion about the panic buying and how that affected the panelists’ operations (for example, McDonald discussed how a ‘huge amount’ of inventory was consumed within a two-week span).”

Fulton wrapped up the keynote by asking panelists “what surprised you?” during the pandemic disruption, with everyone agreeing that it was the recognition from the general public on the importance of supply chains.

“Supply chain resilience is having a moment—similar to what happened after the Tohoku earthquake which caused the triple disaster in Japan 10 years ago,” said Fulton. “How we keep that momentum going—continuing to build resilience—will determine how well we survive the next big disruption.”