The question of supply chain transformation and the use of technology to optimize operations is paramount. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become essential for fashion brands to work more quickly with suppliers worldwide to respond rapidly to consumer demand. Linear operating methods are obsolete, and brands must learn to work differently, as teams. Suppliers must be placed at the heart of the relationship and are now considered true partners rather than simply participants in a transaction.
Faced with these challenges, action is needed, particularly through two actions. Firstly, the goal is to secure the supply chain, and secondly, to make it more agile in order to improve service levels.
Managing your supply chain while limiting risks and malfunctions has become complex . A mistake at a single stage can impact the rest of the chain, like a domino effect .
Therefore, to secure this supply chain, it is important to:
○ Diversify sourcing areas . This diversification ensures monitoring and security at the supplier level. This first point is essential for 84% of French companies that want to evolve their purchasing strategy in terms of risk analysis and supplier portfolio (according to JLL, in its article “Supply Chain Transformation: 3 major challenges in 2023!”) .
○ Produce precisely and on time. Faced with an abundance of products, this idea not only addresses environmental concerns but also secures the supply chain. Without excess products, errors or the risk of errors in the production process are reduced.
○ Meeting quality and compliance requirements. By structuring production and meeting quality and compliance requirements, production and all stages of the supply chain will be optimized, always with the aim of limiting risks.
○ Optimizing logistics and transport times is an objective not to be missed.
Increasing visibility throughout the chain, monitoring real-time data, making the right decisions at the right time, and fostering exchanges with stakeholders are key to making your supply chain more agile and improving your service level.
Our e-SCM solution is a collaborative that allows the various stakeholders in a process to centralize information , thus avoiding the need to search through endless and time-consuming email threads. This tool will therefore improve supply chain performance .
Indeed, the current context of the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of resilience in businesses. To adapt to change, it is essential to consider the digital transformation of the supply chain. This will enable the collection of data wherever it is located, the acquisition of this information in real time, the automation of processes to increase visibility , and the provision of greater adaptability to the entire ecosystem in the event of unforeseen circumstances.
Today, customers and end consumers are often unaware that products pass through the hands of more than fifty companies that are partners and subcontractors of the brand. Collaborative platforms like e-SCM production , compliance , and logistics information and have a single point of contact for exchanging data. This will save them time reconstructing data and allow them to focus on analysis to make better decisions and deliver goods on time.
In summary, the digitalization of the supply chain is a major challenge for companies seeking to be more agile and resilient in the face of unforeseen events.
To learn more about our e-SCM solution and how it addresses current challenges, you can watch the replay of our webinar.
