SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT
1 Lost customer
Same situation Ø Massive sea delay Ø Poor vsibility
1 Happy customer
Figure 2 - The importance of communication
processes , inside and outside your organisation . Your team needs to share the same view ; they are the ones on the front line . They need to know what to do , what to ask and what to say .
Your suppliers have their own way of doing business . Sometimes it matches perfectly with yours , sometimes it requires adjustments and sometimes it is better to acknowledge that we are not fit to work together . Once everything is clear , then repeat regularly .
I remember a conference where the speaker explained it takes seven times for new information to be fully understood and acknowledged . A lot of repetition and meetings are therefore required until the perfect match can happen . I have three rules that I tend to repeat a lot to everyone : 1 . Bad news doesn ’ t wait . It will hurt anyway , get it out 2 . Don ’ t play hero . Don ’ t try to solve everything alone , we need to play as a team . Each party will have a piece of the solution , the customer , the supplier and the LSP 3 . If there is no solution , there is no problem . It has to be proven that no solutions exists ; once done , this is a new reality to adjust to
However , anyone needs to understand why they are suffering , why
they need to adjust and what this new reality is . With these three rules , you will reduce the frustration , improve the speed to resolve problems and sleep better at night . You are not alone .
Writing this article reminded me how much advance planning is key . I was expecting to write it in two hours quick and easy , then I was trying to find the time , pushing those two hours to a later date , better time . Because this was all new and I was struggling with several projects at the same time . Finally , I realised that I would not be able to do it in one burst . I had to start , make a first step and learn how to go through it . It taught me a lesson .
Every new topic needs time to digest and work on . The most difficult thing is to acknowledge the situation . Once that is done , then you can plan . I was postponing because I was scared and unprepared . Once I realised that , I could focus on working on this article and provides you perspective on what I believe is the most important thing in supply chain and most likely in a lot of other fields : communication .
My personal targets are all linked to communication : ensure information is shared but also understood at every needed level ; identify risks and opportunities and manage them with the team ; and finally , allow fast and adjusted decision-making . ●
Julie Duval
EUROPEAN TRANSPORT MANAGER
STEPAN k + 33 4 76 50 51 53 J julie . duval @ stepan . com j www . stepan . com
52 SPECIALITY CHEMICALS MAGAZINE ESTABLISHED 1981