Page 48 - Packaging News magazine July-August 2022

48 SMART FACTORY | www.packagingnews.com.au | July – August 2022
Supply chains need to smarten up
Global threats from Covid and trade tensions have exposed companies to costly disruptions and major supply shortages for consumers, causing leaders to start thinking about supply chain resilience and regionalisation.
APKN spoke to Paul Soong from e2Open ANZ about the way forward.
2020 Organisation for Economic locally, the market is ready to invest Cooperation and Development locally as well. We’re ready to embrace (OECD) report ranked Australia the change to be able to make sure that as last in manufacturing self-suf- we develop a self-reliant supply chain ficiency among the world’s largest that goes beyond ensuring continuity developed economies, and 15th in of supply.”
the world for innovation inputs, Soong believes AI and automation but only 33rd for innovation outputs. can advance the manufacturing sec-
Without support to advance this sector, Australia will remain in this vicious cycle of high vulnerability in times of crisis and over dependency on external goods.
According to Paul Soong, regional director of e2Open ANZ, Covid and other global trade tensions have brought home the importance of a constant and well invested domes- tic manufacturing capacity in times of crisis.
He is heartened by the Albanese Government’s plans for advancing the supply chain industry, develop- ing a local spending and procurement program worth $15 billion under its ‘Made in Australia’ Policy.
“The positives are that the govern- ment recognises that we have to invest
tor and develop more resilient supply chains.
“As the economy reopens in APAC post-pandemic, it’s vital that busi- nesses are prepared for pent-up consumer demand from the limited economic activity of the lockdown years,” Soong says. “The question to ask is – are the supply chains ready for the anticipated rush?”
Beyond focusing on stock levels and making sure there’s enough of what customers want on the shelves, supply chains need to provide a more person- alised and seamless experience across multiple channels and meet evolving customer expectations.
“Businesses should also re-exam- ine their processes and systems, and analyse data across the entire supply
ABOVE: Automation can advance the manufacturing sector and develop more resilient supply chains.
chain to achieve better visibility and transparency within the system,” Soong says.
He believes big data should be seen as a control tool, that analytics, data and machine learning should be inte- grated, and complement each other.
“The use of big data is a pillar of logistics 4.0, and this fusion should enable forecasts to be made about cus- tomer needs, and preferences, as well as market trends,” he says.
He cites blockchain as an example, noting it is increasingly being used for both full visibility and accountability for ethical and sustainable sourcing.
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