“Have there been shortages? Absolutely. Do we expect to see hungry masses and rotting food? I don’t think so. We are better than that.”

– Fred Tolbert, Principal at Southeast Demand Solutions

As we wrap up 2020 and look towards the new year, many supply chain professionals have finally gotten enough distance from the peak pandemic impact in the spring and summer to examine what worked and what didn’t. From empty paper aisle shelves in supermarkets to the worry about retail shipping capacity going into the holiday season, we’ve uncovered some key weaknesses in the supply chain.

The next big question is whether those weaknesses will be handled as a crisis or an opportunity. Fred Tolbert, Principal at Southeast Demand Solutions in Marietta Georgia, joined the Supply Chain Now team for a recent livestream to discuss the pandemic, the latest supply chain industry news, and what new developments we can expect to see going forward.

In this conversation, Fred discussed the following with Co-hosts Greg White and Scott Luton:

· The need to re-examine how companies respond to demand signals to make the appropriate adjustments to safety stock

· The skill profiles that will be most valuable to supply chain leaders going forward

· What we can expect to see in the next 5 years as companies figure out how to apply and embed emerging technologies such as machine learning and artificial intelligence