In our view, network design and resilience are increasingly converging. We believe that the traditional network design approach - typically conducted as a project once every five years - needs to evolve into a continuous process. Involvation will present this vision and approach at the first European Supply Chain Summit organized by Optilogic in Amsterdam on March 12.
Involvation has a clear vision on resilience, and for many years we have been helping companies translate this abstract concept into practical actions.
The starting point is often our model with five Resilience Capabilities, which we developed together with universities. Since last year, knowledge on this topic has become more widely accessible through our collaboration with evofenedex and our Master Class “Resilience in the Supply Chain.”
The next step is to use technology, software tools, and AI to support faster and better decision-making related to resilience.
In our consulting projects in the field of Supply Chain Network Design, we use various software tools. Here as well, we see that developments are moving very quickly and that far more is now possible than in the past.
In our view, network design and resilience are increasingly merging. Two crucial resilience capabilities are visibility and flexibility. A well-developed model of the supply chain—such as one created through a network design study—provides exactly this. By further analyzing such a model, companies can clearly identify strengths and weaknesses in their supply chain. This provides an excellent starting point for developing scenarios to mitigate weaknesses or further leverage strengths.
Network design (and the use of a digital twin) then enables organizations to continuously work on scenarios and to define responses to potential disruptions—or to be prepared for them in advance.
We strongly believe that the traditional network design approach—typically conducted as a “once every five years” project—must evolve into a continuous process. This should not only focus on optimizing the service versus cost/working capital trade-off, but also incorporate other critical elements.
These include disruptions from a resilience perspective, such as tariffs, wars, geopolitical risks, raw material availability, energy scarcity, CO₂ emissions and regulations, and more.
Resilience means being prepared and knowing what to do in the face of any possible disruption—the so-called “black swans.” While it is impossible to predict exactly what will happen, ensuring that you have visibility and flexibility options (scenarios) allows organizations to act agilely when disruptions occur.
One of the most innovative and leading software providers in the field of network design is Optilogic. Founded by supply chain visionary Don Hicks (previously founder and CEO of LLamasoft), Optilogic is rapidly gaining momentum in the market.
We are very pleased that Involvation, as one of the three preferred partners, will be part of the first European Supply Chain Summit in Amsterdam on March 12. In addition to presentations by the partners and Optilogic itself, customer cases from IKEA and H&M will also be presented.
At Involvation, we will focus on how advanced supply chain network design tools enable continuous scenario planning. We offer a solution to implement, guide, and continuously support this process. This creates a “scenario mindset” and increases the speed and quality of decision-making, ultimately resulting in more resilient supply chains.
Due to the strong interest in the summit (which is already fully booked), we will soon organize a webinar on the same topic.
Would you like to learn more about Resilience and/or Network Design? Feel free to contact us.