Supply chain risk management (SCRM) is becoming a top priority in procurement, as organizations lose millions because of cost volatility, supply disruption, non-compliance fines and incidents that cause damage to the organizational brand and reputation.
Bribes to shady government officials, salmonella in the spinach and forced labor in the supply chain can all result in brand-damaging headlines that can cost an organization tens of millions in sales and hundred of millions in brand damage. And while reputation may only be important for name brands, cost volatility and supply disruption affect all manufacturers.In fact, in the latest 2015 study by the Business Continuity Institute, supply chain disruption doubled in priority relative to other enterprise disruptions (48% of firms are concerned or extremely concerned). Roughly three-quarters of respondents said they had at least one disruption, and the same amount lack full visibility of their supply chains.
In the same study, 14% had losses from supply chain disruptions (e.g., natural hazards, labor strikes, fires, etc.) that cost over €1 million, and these disruptions can easily go up to nine figures. For example, Toyota estimates the costs for the recent Kumamoto earthquakes to be nearly $300 million. Imagine being out of stock on a product line that does $12 million in annual sales for two months. That’s $2 million in immediate lost sales and longer-term brand damage.
Risk management, and what is necessary for ongoing risk management, never gets operationalized, and as new suppliers get added, supply shifts and supply chains change, new risk enters the picture — risks that go undetected unless risk management is embedded in all key procurement activities, including sourcing. It is important to remember that:
1. When You are Sourcing, You are Really Changing Your Supply Chain Network
2. Supplier Risk is Only One Aspect of Supply Chain Risk
3. Your Sourcing Criteria Must Be ‘Protected’ and Risk Must Be Factored In
4. You Need to Cost the Risk” and Also Get It in the Contract
5. You Must Design a Monitoring System That is Part of Onboarding
Read more at 5 Critical Supply Risk Mitigation Principles for Your Sourcing Process
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