Business continuity and supply chain management: How to manage logistical operations in the event of an interruption or emergency

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to help the manufacturer or retailer to fully understand the parties involved within the supply chain, the risks to which the supply chain can be subjected, and the disruption these risks can cause. The ideas suggested for business continuity planning are based upon knowledge of the risks through communication and audit, management of accumulations and the ability to reroute goods using existing relationships with forwarders and carriers. The ideas discussed are based upon work with a number of different clients. The advantage of planning for this type of risk is that by its nature the supply chain is flexible and can be viewed as a number of floating warehouses which can be diverted to supply markets on demand.