For most logistics and supply chain professionals, you’re used to having to make adjustments. You know how to exercise your problem solving capabilities when “stuff happens.”
Well, in the past two weeks some of the “stuff” you’ve had to adjust to included the threat of the UPS Freight strike (which thankfully was settled) and the impact of the horrific wild fires in California. There have always been, and there will always be, supply chain disruptions—but somehow many of these disruptions catch people by surprise!
Over the past couple of months I have spoken at several industry conferences, and highlighted some disruptions that helped create the Transportation Perfect Storm in 2018. And that is why it is surprising to see that even after the higher rates we've experienced this year, very few companies have contingency plans for their supply chains. They simply aren't ready for the disruptions that are sure to come. And that brings me to one of those axiomatic statements that we’ve heard repeatedly over the years: “If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!”
With that thought in mind, I have a very direct question for you: What are your plans for 2019 when it comes to managing your freight costs? In our Perfect Storm webinar on Thursday, December 5th at 11am CST, we’ve got some great resources that are going to help you answer that question. We'll be sure to provide you with tips for dealing with unwanted surprises in the supply chain and much more.
The webinar will have an outstanding panel, including:
- Josué Muñoz, Vice President Global Customer Service & Logistics at Colgate-Palmolive
- John Janson, Director of Global Logistics at SanMar
- Derek Leathers, President & CEO of Werner Enterprises
- Brian Gibson, Wilson Family Professor of SCM at Auburn University
I love the theme of this webinar: Your rates have gone up, but your costs don’t have to! How do we make that goal a reality? By intelligently planning for the future.
If you’re not able to attend at that time, we encourage you to still sign up, and we’ll send you the recording.
Last but not least, since this is the week of Thanksgiving, I want to share the Gratitude video with Louie Schwartzberg—it's one of my favorites. It’s about five minutes, and let me encourage you with the same advice that I received from the person who sent the video to me: “It will be the best five minutes you spend all day!” It reminds us all that we have so much to be thankful for—not just at Thanksgiving but all 365 days of the year! You can watch it here.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your loved ones!
