From massive supply chain disruptions due to war along with continued COVID shutdowns in China, 2022 is shaping up to be an enormously challenging time. And we thought it couldn’t possibly get more challenging after 2020 and 2021.
Onshoring Supply Chain Solutions
It’s a fact that the greater the length of the supply chain, the higher the risk of supply chain disruption. With that in mind, top manufacturers are spearheading the movement to onshoring or bringing manufacturing operations back to the US.
As just two examples, General Motors announced in December 2021 that it was considering investing $4 billion to expand electric vehicle and battery production in Michigan. Similarly, Toyota announced a $1.3 billion battery plant in North Carolina that would employ nearly two thousand people.
In their February 2022 report on the critical supply chain issues facing the US information and communications technology industry, the Department of Commerce and the Department of Homeland Security made several recommendations to strengthen supply chain resiliency. Among their recommendations, one that stood out was “revitalize the US manufacturing base.” We couldn’t agree more.
Supply Chain Issues 2022 Edition
KPMG, in a recent article, identified the Six Key Trends Impacting Global Supply Chains in 2022. There were no big surprises on that list: logistics, production delays, over-reliance on a limited number of third parties, commodity pricing, and workforce/labor challenges. The one that caught our eye was “doubling down on technology investment.”
They noted that technology investment focuses on automating critical areas within the supply chain. It includes retail stores, warehouses, manufacturing, and even office buildings. This investment focuses on improving visibility through all processes so that organizations can quickly respond to any disruptions within the entire length of their supply chain.
Overcoming Supply Chain Challenges
That all sounds on the mark. But it also points out the ever-growing need for cabling within that technology investment. So, what is Cables Unlimited doing to respond to this unprecedented demand not only for standard cabling but also for custom fiber optic and *copper cabling?
We touched on these issues in our recent article Supply Chain Obstacles: How Cables Unlimited Overcomes Them. The key aspects we identified were:
- Pre-Buy Critical Materials and Parts. Building inventory now for expected future demands.
- Buy Local. Buy American. Buying US parts and locating our manufacturing facilities in the US.
- Supplier Relationships. Building strong relationships with our suppliers financially and logistically.
- Increased Visibility. Applying state-of-the-art data systems to keep on top of every aspect of our supply chain.
- Open Communication. Driving honest and timely communication with suppliers and customers.
These critical elements all focus on how the organization deals with suppliers and customers to solve problems before and as they arise. We further feel internal processes and an overall organizational culture can do much to meet any challenge.
Read more in our blog: Copper Wires and Cables: History of Costs and the Coming Explosion of Demand
Agile Processes
We’ve worked hard to become a Corning Gold House Partner and a supplier of Mil-Spec cables. That expertise and experience start with adopting and maintaining rigorous manufacturing processing and quality assurance procedures. When dealing with supply chain disruptions, the Corning relationship assures us of a readily available supply of fiber optic cabling.
Both those areas also build our process management strengths. Not only that, but those strong process management skills allow us to modify existing processes to adapt to changing availability of materials and parts. That’s called agile processes, responding in real-time to necessary changes to meet client needs promptly.
Strong Culture That Values Our Employees
Of course, that couldn’t happen without a strong culture of problem-solving. That starts with solid teamwork, decision-making at the lowest level possible, and building a collaborative culture.
We find that this type of culture drives everything in our organization. By valuing and empowering employees, we not only keep them on the payroll, but we attract others.
Plan Globally, Source Locally
All this comes together to build resilience and develop the flexibility that allows lightning-quick responses to change in the supply chain landscape.
As you can see, supply chain issues aren’t going away anytime soon. We’ve taken steps to ensure we can provide the cables you need on time.
We Can Help
We produce enterprise cabling for all your applications. That includes custom fiber optic cables, hybrid cables merging fiber optics with copper, and networking cables.
If your requirements are already specified and ready for a quote, we are prepared to meet your deadlines and pricing targets. Our extensive in-house services and advanced manufacturing capabilities are in place to meet your requirements.
But Cables Unlimited offers much more than state-of-the-art manufacturing – our dedicated team is also known for going to great lengths to meet the needs of our customers, including working round-the-clock to meet tight turnaround time requirements.
Our sales representatives are standing by to assist you with product questions and quotes Monday – Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern. You can also send us an email or complete our contact form, and we’ll get right back to you.
