LONDON, U.K., September 27, 2022
We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, taking place in London this week. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of the conference.
On Day 1 from the conference, we are highlighting the Opening Keynote on supply chain’s offset strategy, as well as sessions on navigating global disruption, survey insights on CEO concerns, priorities and objectives, as well as strategies for forging a path to a circular economy. Be sure to check this page throughout the week for updates.
Key Announcements
Opening Keynote: Supply Chain’s Offset Strategy: Recalibrating Our Approach To The Great Acceleration
Presented by Tom Enright, VP Analyst, Gartner
Supply chains continue to operate in an environment where changes in markets, risk, social norms, technology, and climate are accelerating exponentially. In his opening keynote, Tom Enright, VP Analyst at Gartner, explored how supply chain leaders can sense, shift and steer their strategies to get ahead of accelerating changes and disruptions.
Key Takeaways
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By applying offset strategies – changing competitive positioning by applying unconventional or untried approaches to leverage your strengths – supply chain leaders can accelerate successes that deliver a competitive advantage.
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There are five challenges that require strategies to offset accelerating change and avoid future disruptions:
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“A successful customer offset strategy will create opportunities to develop different sourcing priorities and policies, building new relationships and networks to deliver value.”
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“The biggest challenges facing supply chain leaders in the technology space is not necessarily the technology. It is embracing and adapting to the new technology and envisioning new ways of doing business.”
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“Supply chain leaders cannot control if theyget hit by a cyber-attack. But they can control the business decisions that dictate investments resulting in protection against cyberattacks if they see the attack coming, or know how long they are down after an attack.”
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The CSCO Playbook for Navigating Global Disruption
Presented by Chris Poole, Practice VP, Gartner
Supply chains leverage a playbook designed for isolated, temporary constraints when supply continuity issues arise unexpectedly. However, the current global gridlock challenging supply chains today is neither isolated nor temporary. Chris Poole, Practice VP at Gartner, discussed the issues supply chain leaders should address now to reduce the constraints limiting their growth later.
Key Takeaways
- “The frequency and magnitude of disruption is increasing; global disruptions include geopolitical conflict, energy shortages and inflation. CSCOs also must account for internal disruption, including talent shortages and ongoing digital transformation.”
- “68% of supply chain leaders reported they have not been prepared to respond to the constant high risk events they have endured, meaning they are in a constant state of reactivity.”
- “Boards of directors are intentionally increasing their risk appetite during disruptive periods. From Gartner’s 2022 View From the Board of Directors Survey, 57% of all respondents reported they are increasing their risk appetite.”
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To effectively navigate disruption, supply chains must be ahead of it. To do so, they must:
Watch this space for more updates throughout the day.
