SCMAP Perspective is our fortnightly column on PortCalls, tackling the latest developments in the supply chain industry, as well as updates from within SCMAP. On this column, Henrik Batallones previews the 2024 SCMAP Supply Chain Conference.
Going beyond the extra mile
The theme to this year’s SCMAP Supply Chain Conference – happening this Thursday and Friday at the EDSA Shangri-la in Mandaluyong – is “One Supply Chain Going Beyond the Extra Mile”. Because, really, in many cases we are going beyond that extra mile.
Take online shopping. Customers shop online because of the convenience, the wider range of products – and, in many cases, because it’s cheaper there than in a physical store. Customers like it cheap, and they also like to get their orders fast, and to know when it is arriving, and possibly where it is at any given point. Marketplaces and last mile providers thus have to deliver on these asks to remain competitive, while also balancing operating costs and available resources. How much can they slash off shipping costs, without sacrificing both the transport network and the product being delivered? And we know sometimes the answer here is, perhaps counterintuitively, to spend more, at least initially – investing in new technologies that increase efficiency and reduce errors.
But going beyond the extra mile goes, well, beyond that. Whenever I meet with industry stakeholders, for example, I always describe supply chain as all-encompassing. The term may be interchangeable with “logistics” these days, but of course logistics is just a subset of supply chain. That covers the entire lifespan of a product or service, from product design to procurement, from production to distribution, from marketing to customer service. It arguably even covers what happens when a product reaches the end of the cycle and is either reused, recycled, or disposed of.
That means supply chain issues have an impact that goes beyond what we perceive as supply chain issues. Take the health of Filipino children. Last week I learned that a third of them experience stunting – impaired growth due to poor nutrition. We are fifth in East Asia and the Pacific with the highest incidence of stunting among children, according to UNICEF. Obviously, this can be addressed by ensuring our children have access to proper nutrition, especially in the first 1,000 days of their lives, but also beyond that, when lifelong habits are formed.
It’s simple from a supply chain perspective. We play a key role in delivering nutritious food to families – but what’s preventing us from going all in? How can we improve our food distribution networks to ensure that more families have access to meat, fish, produce and their byproducts at a good price and in the best quality? How can we make sure they have access to nutritious food in good times and bad? Off the top of my head: better cold chains at more points in the country, better production practices that “lock in the goodness”, improved education among parents and community leaders. All this will have an impact on other things: the competitiveness of our agriculture sector, the ability of entrepreneurs to develop competitive food products, the resilience of a community when disasters strike.
For us directly in supply chain, that means the impact of what we do has much wider repercussions. Going the extra mile will reap rewards. Going beyond the extra mile, well, you can imagine the results.
That’s what we had in mind when putting together this year’s conference. It’s always a great opportunity to be able to discuss the immediate issues we face in our profession in the context of the wider challenges facing our communities and our society today. How can we navigate geopolitical and societal risks to minimize disruption to our customers? How can we embrace innovation while also making sure our employees are not left behind? How can we better take care of our environment while continuing to generate value for our customers and shareholders? How can we help the retail sector as it continues on the long path to recovery after the pandemic? And much more besides.
We have put together a top-notch roster of speakers from across industries, each providing a unique and enriching perspective, led by our keynote speakers, DTI undersecretary Mary Jean Pacheco and Unilever Philippines chair Fredy Ong. In addition, we have an exhibition showcasing top-notch supply chain solutions, and we also aim to provide inspiration to our delegates through the first ever Supply Chain Philippines Excellence Awards. See, even we ourselves have gone beyond the extra mile, or so we hope.
These are interesting times for the supply chain sector, both globally and in the Philippines. I believe more spaces to discuss our wider impact, beyond our businesses and customers, is welcome – all for the upliftment of our profession.
You can still register online, and learn more, at scmap.org/events/conference. I personally look forward to seeing you this Thursday… although I’ll be at the tech booth, so maybe not so much.