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Hello Supply Chain Professionals

October is the month for scary movies, haunted houses, and things that go bump in the night. But in supply chain, some of our scariest moments look a little different...

A critical shipment does not arrive. Inventory is not where the system says it is. Demand changes unexpectedly. A supplier cannot deliver. A production line is waiting on one critical component. A forecast misses the mark.

Those situations can certainly feel like supply chain nightmares.

There is another phrase that may be even scarier:

“We’ve always done it this way.”

Supply chain has never been a profession that can stand still. Technology continues to change how we forecast, plan, source, move products, manage inventory, and make decisions. Artificial intelligence and automation are changing how quickly we can analyze information. Global events continue to reshape sourcing and logistics networks. Customers expect more visibility, speed, and flexibility than ever before.

The processes that worked five or ten years ago may not be the processes that prepare us for what comes next.

That does not mean every new idea or technology is automatically better.

It does mean we should continue asking questions. Is there a better way? What have we learned? What has changed? What skills will we need next?

I also believe strongly in the value of long term strategic partnerships, across departments, with suppliers, and with customers. Those relationships are invaluable. But a long term partnership does not mean we have to keep using the same strategy forever.

Even when something is working well, there is still room to improve. New ideas, new tools, and new attitudes can strengthen and renew the partnerships we have already built. Sometimes improvement is not about replacing a relationship or process, it is about finding a better way to work together.

For supply chain professionals, continuous improvement applies to more than processes. It applies to us as well.

That is one of the reasons I value the opportunities we create through ASCM Houston. Our professional development meetings, certification programs, networking opportunities, and WISC Supply Chain Stories give us different ways to learn from one another and challenge the way we think.

Sometimes the best way to avoid the next supply chain nightmare is not having all the answers. It is being willing to learn, adapt, and look at a familiar problem differently.

So this October, enjoy the ghosts, goblins, and scary movies.

And when someone says, “We’ve always done it this way,” perhaps that is the moment to start asking a few more questions.

Happy October from ASCM Houston,

Tammy Giesler-Hagans
President, ASCM Houston Chapter