When questioned at G20 about the future of international trade, part of David Cameron’s response was:

“Britain is a trading nation, it’s how we made our way in the past and it’s how we’ll make our way in the future”.

That said, we must really think about our own businesses and how that fits into a trading nation. We need only sit in departures at Heathrow Terminal 5 to see successful business managers departing to meet far away customers and wonder what business opportunities may be there for our own companies. To be successful we must proactively challenge supply chain risks and not simply raise our drawbridge. Britain cannot survive by just looking inward.

Many of my clients have businesses centred in Thames valley, London and the South-East. They also have international operations hubs, with suppliers and customers spanning the globe. It’s not hard to recognise that any product or service you buy has dependencies upon other countries and an extensive supply chain. What if your raw materials supply route was disrupted or conversely, your customer was unable to receive your products and services?

We face fighting in Ukraine and North Africa, political unrest in Europe and pandemic health threats from West Africa and the Far-East, along with global financial crises looming. The threat to a multi-national supply chain has seldom been greater.

It’s time to look at our own resilience in the face of international risks, make a plan to face those demons and be in control of our supply chain.

With kind regards – Gareth

Gareth Crompton, MBCI
Abide Consulting Limited
PPPIG: PEOPLE, PROCESS, PREMISES, INFORMATION, GOVERNANCE
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