Among the many strategies that Accenture, the consultancy, encourages clients to take up in order to improve the security of their supply chains, one of the more simple involves keeping an eye on the weather forecast. This practice, says Al Delattre, a partner in Accenture’s supply chain management practice, is all part of gaining competitive advantage by being prepared for the worst.
The logic is that if a company knows in advance that its goods may be delayed by bad weather - or any number of other natural or man-made disasters - it can respond and take steps to minimise the damage to its supply of goods and, ultimately, its position in the market place.
