Why SIOP Integration Matters

Long gone are the days when purchasing was a silo to themselves. It’s time to view Supply chain, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) as an integrated whole, where sales, marketing, operations, procurement, production, inventory, and finance all provide meaningful updates to the whole team - which improves planning, thus reducing variability and last-minute crises. After the Panama Canal disaster, and current electronics backlogs (which are now affecting a slew of other industries), reports predict that supply challenges will extend into 2022 and beyond. So what should we be doing?

• Learn and share your team’s data needs – so others can understand pipelines, deadlines, delays, production options, costing strategies; and respond quickly to customer needs.

• Find sourcing alternatives – verify that your suppliers have backup sources, find & test alternate suppliers before a crisis happens, so you can adjust as needed.

• Adopt technology to build connectivity – What can you automate or bring in house to reduce shipping delays? Do you have multi-tier visibility on supply chain options?

• Above all else, communicate in all directions – so the team functions and can pivot as whole.