Companies are currently confronted with a multitude of risk events that directly or indirectly impact procurement, production and supply security. Most of these incidents are beyond direct control – yet there are ways to identify risks, adjust processes and optimize systems. The basis for this is supply chain analytics – the targeted evaluation of the data stream that accompanies goods along the supply chain. Our new blog post explains the basics of supply chain analytics.

Conscious consumers and legal requirements such as ESG reporting are increasingly calling on companies to decarbonize the entire value chain. However, many businesses have so far only monitored their SCOPE-1 and SCOPE-2 emissions: direct CO2 emissions within their own company and indirect emissions from energy suppliers. Meanwhile, the SCOPE-3 emissions of the supply chain are still insufficiently recorded. We present a number of examples to show where companies can start and what measures they can take.

Whether supply chain legislation, climate goals or bottlenecks in supply: When it comes to their supply chain management (SCM), companies increasingly require control, transparency and agility. Without a digital infrastructure, however, the complex processes involving a large number of stakeholders cannot be adequately monitored. Unfortunately, small and medium-sized companies in particular often lack the internal structures and sufficient capacities to achieve just that. We explain how cloud computing makes the supply chain more resilient and future-ready.

Efficient freight management is crucial for seamless logistics processing within the supply chain. It can be supported by a web-based and individually configurable supply chain management platform. So how can companies manage their transports in a targeted manner and thus take advantage of the benefits of such a digital system to optimize their supply chain? Christian Krogmann, International Manager at Hermes International, a division of Hermes Germany, discusses these and related questions.

In the event of a disruption, an overdependence on individual suppliers or geographical regions can lead to serious bottlenecks in procurement and production. Increased diversification is one way to cushion supply chain disruptions and improve security. We explain strategies that companies can use in order to unleash the full potential of a well-diversified supplier portfolio.