As vaccine rollout begins to catch momentum and countries show signs of putting coronavirus under control, attention is now being turned to the recovery of the economy and the sectors that have been severely affected. One of these areas is the supply chain, which forms an integral part of everyday life. The supply chain management will emerge differently from the pandemic, with transformation expected in transportation, logistics, and warehousing. Here are some most significant trends that you should expect in 2021 going forward that will influence companies and their strategic plans.

Simply put, a supply chain is made up of the activities or processes needed by an organization to deliver goods or services to a consumer. For any business that manufactures or deals with a product or a service, a supply chain of a given size is needed to avail them to the consumer. It begins with sourcing raw materials, manufacturing, and finally delivering the finished product to the customer. Supply chain management (SCM) entails overseeing and regulating the supply chain and ensuring that every aspect works as required. 

Putting an effective shipping strategy in place is one of the leading steps you can take to grow your business. In an era where many companies have invested in e-commerce channels, supply chain management and operations will be impacted largely by its online presence. Although there are many things that you must consider at different times of the year, the biggest ones are timely shipping and order fulfillment. In the future, retailers will need to have a robust merchandise shipping method to impress their customers or return if products fail to work as expected.

Supply chains are volatile, with the potential to test the strength of any leadership to a great extent. In recent years, American leadership has struggled with ensuring the availability of essential products such as medicine, food, and computer chips. Last year, the coronavirus pandemic made things worse. It furthered the scarcity of items, most of which were needed during the pandemic, such as the personal protective equipment (PPEs) required by the frontline health workers.  For this reason, the White House has prioritized the creation of a more resilient supply chain that is secure and has the potential to deliver critical and essential goods.