The pandemic has significantly affected the continuity of supply chains for Polish enterprises. Moreover, as many as 47 percent of logistics managers note that the situation related to global transport has impacted their existing customer relationships, according to a survey conducted by the SUUS Advisory supply chain consulting team among logistics managers of large and medium-sized enterprises.
Disrupted supply chains have been one of the biggest challenges facing the logistics industry for months. Disruptions in the flow of goods are an indirect result of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions. While restrictions in the vast majority of countries are currently much looser than they were even last year, the delays that have accumulated over many months are still being felt. Europe will not be able to function independently of Asian manufacturers and suppliers for a long time to come, so disruptions in that part of the world or on routes leading from Asia affect the condition of the global market. The situation is also exacerbated by European challenges related to shortages of drivers or warehouse workers.
The scale of the problem, which is delivery delays, is illustrated by the results of a survey conducted among logistics managers of large and medium-sized enterprises by SUUS Advisory, the supply chain consulting division of Rohlig Suus Logistics. As many as 67 percent of respondents indicated that the pandemic had an adverse effect on their supply chains, and 60 percent of them still see threats from the pandemic to their operations. Interestingly, 47 percent of those surveyed admitted that supply disruptions had worsened their relationships with customers, while at the same time as many as 64 percent of respondents noted that customers are not willing to lower their requirements for their suppliers and continue to expect service at the highest level – even though downtime at ports, a lack of drivers and means of transport, as well as a general increase in costs worldwide, are circumstances beyond the suppliers’ control.
However, this difficult situation for the entire industry also has another side – it has significantly increased entrepreneurs’ awareness of the importance of properly functioning supply chains in company development. Overnight, they realized that uninterrupted supply chains are a key issue for the proper functioning of enterprises, and efficient logistics can provide a significant competitive advantage. Currently, entrepreneurs place great importance on managing their supply chains and are more willing to use the support of experienced logistics operators.