By Dr Frances Wright, Institute of Logistics and Supply Chain Management

Globalisation, effected through high speed technological advancement, has put paid to “business as usual”.

In most industries these changes have been so dramatic that business models have virtually been made redundant. Changing market forces and consumer demands have seen organisations look to new models that both exploit the efficiencies offered by technology and leverage their direct and marginal competitors in ‘cooperative competition’ or co-opetition.

Given that today’s consumer is not only cost conscious, but also well-informed and demanding of customisation and high-speed delivery, it is becoming clear that the traditional point-to-point supply chain model is no longer adequate for meeting consumer needs.

Jaco Barnard, Head of Retail at Wipro Ltd, suggests that in order to extract the maximum value from operational environments, organisations need to move towards a collaborative supply chain model that tightly integrates suppliers, assemblers, partners, distributors and end-customers, using technological innovation.

To enhance the efficiency of such collaborative supply chain models, there should also be meaningful partnerships made between the industry and the institutions that provide the skills and training for the industry. Such partnerships would ensure that training and skills development are both closely suited to match the industry’s needs, and also flexible enough to change as the industry requires. Partnerships like these endorse the training providers’ programmes and have the potential to create efficiencies that will be felt at an operational, strategic and tactical level.

The long-term aim of such partnerships is to create a supportive, responsive environment that will ensure that both the training provider and the organisations it partners with remain at the forefront of change – poised to be a part of it, rather than adapting to it.

Being in touch with large organisations and professional bodies within the industry will ensure that the courses provided are tailored to the industry’s needs and that the managers completing the courses graduate with relevant knowledge.

Professionalisation of the logistics and supply chain management field is slow, but as it gains momentum, so too will the importance of collaborative learning institutions increase.