The latest hot topic within the supply chain lexicon is Control Towers. The name itself evokes images of air traffic controllers keeping a sharp eye over air traffic, and indeed the concept is very similar. Croydon Airport was the first to introduce an Air Traffic Control Tower in the 1920’s so that it had a literal birds-eye view of flights so that the airport could better support pilots and ground crew and mitigate the risk of accidents. The concept quickly caught on and evolved to the highly technical discipline we know today.

Traditional pharmaceuticals are changing – the generics market continues to gain market share and advances in nanotechnology, stem cell research and other medical technologies are beginning to impact the production of mainstream medication. Consumer demand trends, changing legislation and geographic dispersion of patients are all changing the face of the industry, and indeed demanding the supply chain evolve with, if not ahead of,  such market demands.

“Supply risk is defined as the probability of an incident associated with inbound supply from individual supplier failures or the supply market occurring, in which its outcomes result in the inability of the purchasing firm to meet customer demand or cause threats to customer life and safety”.

Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) is a term that has moved out of the realms of procurement and has taken its place firmly within the supply chain lexicon. The concept of SRM evolved in the eighties as a term referring to a more proactive relationship between organisational buyers and suppliers where buyers understand and document the risks and impact of each supplier in terms of profit and business continuity.

Despite recent improvements, the sluggish South African economy continues to concern local organisations. Added to this a plethora of disruptive inventions and organisations are challenging nearly every industry’s traditional business models. Companies are constantly looking over their shoulders for the next Tesla, Uber, Netflix, Google, or Airbnb  - living in fear of becoming the next case study about a long forgotten business that neglected the digital transformation imperative.