The big news this week is the spread of swine flu, particularly in low-cost sourcing hotspot, Mexico. In fact, Mexico is shutting down its private industry for five days!
Yep, five days of no production, no shipping, no phone calls returned, etc. from your Mexican suppliers. And, who knows: if those five days fail to sufficiently contain the spread of swine flu, the final supply disruption could be longer.
Back in 2006, I wrote an article entitled “The Next Purchasing Crisis & Contingency Plans.” It gave several steps for how to mitigate supply chain risk in the face of the predicted spread of bird flu or similar pandemic.
Well, my friends, that time is here. The tips are still valid.
If you didn’t implement my recommendations three years ago, I strongly suggest that you do so now. Even if swine flu doesn’t materialize to be the massive pandemic some officials fear it will become, you can probably bet that there will be more pandemic scares in the future.
Don’t get caught off-guard.
Recommended Reading
- Improving Quality in the Supply Chain
- Procurement Strategy Development
- Executing a Global Sourcing Strategy
- Tactical vs. Strategic Procurement Splits
- Procurement in 2025: Five Megatrends and Their Implications
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