YOUR PURPOSE IS YOUR BIGGEST ASSET

The spat with the US is rapidly escalating into a trade war, now spilling over into services such as Wechat and Tiktok. Meanwhile, Beijing is also registering growing tensions with other significant regions including Australia, Canada, and Sub-saharan Africa. Right across its south-western border, India is stirring up an effort to boycott Chinese imports while voices for ‘supply autonomy’ are becoming louder among EU states.

Efficient supply chains developed over decades risk being broken with the emergence of a different business environment and isolationist tendencies. But these changing conditions themselves will generate new opportunities for value creation and innovation; smarter supply chains will pave the way for a new equilibrium and trust in international trade.

The restroom crisis earlier this year is the nudge we needed to radically rethink tomorrow’s supply network. If companies fail to raise questions about their supply chain now, all the energy, creativity, and investment channelled to cope with the pandemic will be resources flushed down the drain.