Small Steps, Stronger Supply Chain, part 2 of 8
It is an uncomfortable question, which is exactly why it is worth asking on a calm day. You can start answering it with half an hour and three headings: day one, week one and month one.
A scenario
A packaging converter with 60 staff buys its printed film from one supplier. The production manager sets a timer for 30 minutes and writes down what would happen if that supplier’s deliveries stopped: on day one, in the first week, and after a month.
Day one is fine, because the line runs from stock. By the end of week one, the production manager is revising the schedule to make the remaining film last. During the second week, the two best-selling products came off the schedule. By the end of the month, two customers have moved part of their orders elsewhere.
The business holds about nine working days of film, while approving a replacement supplier and receiving a first delivery would take around six weeks. That gap is the exposure, and it is something the business can start reducing this month.
This is an illustrative example, not a real business.
1 Pick one supplier and set a timer
Choose the supplier that worries you most, or the one you depend on most heavily. Give yourself 30 minutes. If you completed the supplier map in Blog 1, use it to choose where to start.
2 Write what stops and when
Use three headings: day one, week one, month one. Under each, note what happens to production, to customers, to cash and to your people. Keep each line short and specific.
3 Compare your stock with your time to replace
You need two numbers. How long does your stock last? And how long would it take to find, approve and receive a first delivery from an alternative? If the second number is bigger than the first, you have a gap. Its size helps you decide how urgently you need to act.
4 Look for single points of failure beyond suppliers
A single point of failure is anything that, if it went missing, would stop the business. It might be one site, one transport route, one system or one person who holds the knowledge. Run the same test on each: if it disappeared tomorrow, who would know what to do?
5 Choose one action to reduce the gap
Choose one action you can start this week. Begin qualifying a second source for one item, review stock cover for a part with a long lead time, agree a named backup contact at the supplier and inside your own business, or write a one-page “if this happens” note so the first hour does not depend on memory. Give the action an owner and a date to review progress.
How SupplyChain+ helps
SupplyChain+ offers tailored mentoring and workshops to help businesses strengthen supply chain operations, build resilience and become supplier ready. Identifying a gap between stock cover and replacement time gives you a practical issue to bring into those discussions and a starting point for deciding what to improve.
Take the next step
Want to understand where your business could strengthen its supply chain? Find out more about InterTradeIreland’s SupplyChain+ programme and check eligibility, or email Aidan Farnan at [email protected] to discuss how the programme could support your business.
Next in the series: Which suppliers deserve your time?