Preventive Measures Help Strengthen Supply Chain

Q: What opportunities have you detected in Mexico to help you offer better supply-chain analysis and design operations?

A: As a country, we still need to give logistics and supplychain operations the importance they should have in a company’s development strategy and to understand how these elements can establish a competitive advantage. DHL Supply Chain works to improve its clients’ operations by delivering the highest quality standards and by adding value in terms of design and logistics engineering to provide solutions according to the demands of each customer.

Logistics is a relatively new area in most universities and although in Mexico most logistics professionals come from a different background, we expect that the new generation of professionals will begin making operational and commercial decisions based on strong academic credentials in logistics.

Q: What are your growth projections for 2017, specifically in the automotive industry?

A: DHL Supply Chain is the leading logistics provider in the global and the Mexican markets. We have over 20 years of local experience in the automotive and auto parts sectors and we have seen continuous growth over the years. Our objective is to grow at least at the same rate as the light vehicle industry in Mexico and our early results in 2017 show we are on the right track to meet that goal.

The company’s strategy to optimize services and ensure just-in-time operations includes the implementation of technological and IT solutions. The company is also working on its physical equipment by installing high-performance lithium-ion batteries in lift trucks, as well as the use of augmented reality and other solutions that can prevent alterations in the execution of common activities in our clients’ supply chain.

Q: What are your expectations regarding the Resilience360 cloud-based risk-management solution?

A: DHL Supply Chain has been an important player in the development of the Resilience360 concept and is a leader in its implementation at a worldwide level. As inventories become leaner and supply chains become narrower, there is a greater risk that a larger financial impact could disrupt a client’s operation. This is true for all industries, not just automotive, and the costs can be extremely elevated.

Resilience360 allows DHL Supply Chain and its clients to visualize their supply chain interactively on a world map from end to end, understanding how shipments are moving and how long it will take for them to reach their destination. This helps companies take preventive measures in the event of an imminent natural phenomenon, an unexpected social disruption or an infrastructural problem. Clients can even counter negative and sudden factors that can affect their influx of resources or services at any given time.

Q: Once Resilience360 detects a possible disruption, how can DHL help its clients find a solution to guarantee timely deliveries?

A: At DHL Supply Chain, we think that ideal solutions should have equal components of planning and prevention. That way, we can design and implement the most effective supply-chain solution together with our clients in the most effective and flexible way, ensuring enough visibility to manage all shipments under any circumstances.

Q: What added value do you expect from Supply Watch, considering the relevance of social media in the corporate world?

A: Supply Watch allows us to receive an early warning regarding any situation that could impact our clients and their providers. The platform is based on language processing and machine-learning solutions, applied to public data that is constantly monitored in social media. With this technology, DHL is one step ahead in giving clients the opportunity to react quickly against any event or phenomenon, adding another layer to the traditional situational risk analysis by analyzing information practically in real time.