Business View Magazine Apr-2023

13 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 10, ISSUE 4 THREE STRATEGIES TO SECURING RESILIENT SUPPLY CHAIN Source-Supplychainquartly.com, Brandon Luna, First Published February 16, 2023 The disruptions of the last two years have forced companies to take a fresh look at their supply chain strategies. Here’s how one chemical distributor used this tumultuous time as an opportunity to redefine its supply chain, adopting new technologies and best practices. he past 24-plus months have been challenging across almost every industry and especially hard on supply chains. From the COVID-19 pandemic to raw material shortages, from port backups and rail disruptions to extreme weather and geopolitical events, from factory shutdowns to labor shortages—we have not seen a confluence of disruptive forces like this in over a quarter- century. The challenges posed in recent years have served as a litmus test for modern supply chains. They have also required supply chain professionals to be immensely adaptable and resilient. It forced our company, Univar Solutions, to take a new look at our supply chain strategies and address vulnerabilities in our highly complex supply networks. Univar Solutions provides an essential link in the chemical and food ingredient supply chains. As the third-largest chemical and ingredients distributor in the world, supply chain operations are the core of what we do. Univar has about 600 distribution facilities across the world and a private fleet of more than 3,700 tractors, trailers, and tankers as well as 2,500 rail cars and 90 million gallons of bulk storage capacity. Univar Solutions works with over 1,300 supply partners to connect with customers in several industrial and consumer end markets, including coating and adhesives, cleaning, chemical manufacturing, beauty and personal care, and food ingredients. Our customers rely on us to help keep communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe. We strive to do what it takes in the moment to satisfy customers. Despite the size and scale of our operations, the turbulence of the past two years has been a true test of our organization’s purpose. It forced us to take a new look at our supply chain OPENING L INES During the pandemic, for example, normal sources of supply disappeared, and our customers had to get creative. Some of our largest U.S. customers began to source products from India for the first time.