Bent but not broken

I am thrilled and honored to be serving as CSCMP Board Chair in 2022 and to have the opportunity each quarter to share a few of my thoughts with you. Serving the organization as a board officer is a rewarding experience in “normal” times, but it is with special pride that I have been able to serve through the past three years. 

Regardless of your role in supply chain, the past two years have been unprecedented to say the least. The COVID-era supply chain experiences we have lived through and the stories we can tell could fill a book (perhaps that’s an idea worth pursuing ... but another time). 

A common theme across all our stories would be this: Our supply chains were bent (in some cases severely) but they didn’t break. In fact, they rose to meet the challenges posed by COVID and perhaps provided one of the greatest moments in supply chain history with rapid global distribution of vaccines. (If you missed Jim Cafone’s keynote presentation on this topic at EDGE last year, you can find a Q&A with him here.) 

“Supply chain” finally became everyday terminology, but unfortunately it happened through continuous media focus on the challenges rather than the triumphs. The challenges have been painful for sure, but the story unfolding without much fanfare—the one that excites me about the future—is the story of resilience, innovation, and rapid transformation across the entire supply chain space. 

At no time in our history has there been a greater rate of change across every aspect of supply chains. A flood of exciting technologies and concepts that once seemed out of reach are now being applied every day, transforming how goods are sourced, manufactured, and delivered and how customers are served. 

Quite frankly, the sheer breadth and pace of it all can be a little overwhelming. But that’s where CSCMP comes in. Our organization is at the center of it all and, more than ever, is an invaluable (and necessary) resource for our members and the industry at large. CSCMP helps you stay ahead of the changes and chart your path forward. Our mission of connecting, educating, and developing supply chain professionals has never been more relevant. 

As we transform our supply chains and adapt to our “new normal,” I encourage each of you to recalibrate how you can best utilize the benefits of CSCMP membership to help you along the journey. It may be by connecting with other supply chain professionals through local roundtable events, or attending a webinar to learn about emerging trends or technologies, or accessing research reports like the annual “State of Logistics Report” and “State of Supply Chain Sustainability.” Other opportunities include attending CSCMP EDGE in Nashville in September and pursuing SC Pro certification to advance your supply chain acumen and differentiate your professional credentials. 

Through it all, CSCMP is the partner that we all need to help us successfully navigate the future and thrive. Let’s face it…we don’t know what lies around the next curve. But the last two years have conditioned us to be ready for anything and be surprised by nothing!