Factors in post-COVID-19 global supply chain management
Abstract
Most companies by and large have tuned their supply chains to either focus on achieving the lowest total cost or providing most flexibility in responding to customer demands. Regardless of the company’s supply chain strategy design, leading companies continue to invest in their people, business process and digital technology to extend their competitive advantage in the marketplace. Leading companies want to be able to predict supply chain performance and achieve above-market returns when supply matches demand. When the global pandemic COVID-19 hit the world, however, most companies’ supply chain systems were thrown into disarray, and companies could not respond predictably. The current supply chain system was no longer operating in a stable environment when both the demand and the supply sides of the equation were simultaneously affected. As pharmaceutical and bio firms raced to develop vaccines to protect citizens, the hope is that the vaccines will be here shortly and the world will be able to return to normal. It is during this period of uncertainty that supply chain management and professionals should consider questions such as what the post-COVID-19 global supply chain management framework should look like and what are the factors that should be considered going forward from a supply chain management practitioner’s perspective. This paper attempts to answer these questions based on interviews from a few selected companies and supply chain literature research and business articles review.
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Author's Biography
Daniel Wong is academic programme director, Graduate Global Supply Chain Management programmes at Portland State University. Daniel has over 20 years’ progressive leadership expertise in logistics, supply chain management, business system and strategy consulting, most recently with Vestas where he was the global category, sourcing manager. Prior to that, Daniel was the vice president of logistics and supply chain management at North Pacific, a Portland-based wholesale distributor of building materials, industrial wood products and other speciality products with sales over US$1.2bn annually. Daniel served as the director of supply chain process improvement at Longview Fibre Company in Longview, Washington. At Sapient, he led its Asian expansions and launched Sapient’s consulting subsidiary in Tokyo, Japan. Daniel’s background also includes studying the impacts of globalisation, information technology development and business management framework. He received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University and a Master’s degree in the management of science and technology from the School of OGI/Oregon Health and Science University. He is a past president and past board member for the Pacific Northwest Association of Rail Shippers. He currently serves as a board member for a 150-year-old private company, Oregon Transfer, a logistics and distribution services company located in Portland, Oregon. He is also a board member of Portland Chapter, Council of Supply Chain Management Professional Organization. In addition, he serves as an executive supply chain management coach and trainer for corporations such as Blount and SUEZ Company. He also speaks frequently on supply chain management topics with various industry professional groups such as North American Wholesale Lumber Associated since 2008 and recently was the keynote speaker for APICs Portland Chapter during January 2019.
Haneen Abu-Khater is a global supply chain management graduate student at Portland State University. She has a background in quality software engineering with a Bachelor’s degree majoring in computer science. Currently, she works for a West Coast software company as a software quality engineer. Her goal is to bridge the gap between engineering and supply chain in her future career path.
Evan S. Woschnik currently works for Boeing Space and Launch, where he is a procurement agent dealing with major suppliers and high-value contracting. Originally from New York, Evan moved to the West Coast over 14 years ago. He obtained his undergraduate degree in supply and logistics from Portland State University, where he is currently attending for his Master’s in global supply chain management. He has over ten years of supply chain experience.
Choul Huda is a professional set decorator based in Portland, Oregon focused on advertising and TV commercials. As head of the Set Dec department she works as the project manager, crew leader and creative to deliver sets that deepen the brand and product story. She has worked on national and international campaigns for brands such as Microsoft, Intel, Adidas, Nike and Humana. She is broadening her business and project management knowledge by earning her Master’s degree in global supply chain management from Portland State University, graduating in December 2020.
Bradley Mora currently works for Ruda-Cardinal, Inc., as a purchasing agent. He finished his eight-year military career as an operations manager for a battalion-level unit while stationed in Vicenza, Italy. He is currently finishing his Master’s degree in global supply chain management at Portland State University.
Citation
Wong, Daniel, Abu-Khater, Haneen, Woschnik, Evan S., Huda, Choul and Mora, Bradley (2021, March 1). Factors in post-COVID-19 global supply chain management. In the Journal of Supply Chain Management, Logistics and Procurement, Volume 3, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/ZQSN7474.
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