A Winning Supply Chain: A New Model for a New Wholesale Reality

We’re living in an era of uncertainties, with power shifts around the world and the erection of new trade barriers. The global economy is increasingly volatile and unpredictable. Meanwhile, society expects today’s companies to be about more than just making money; in addition to the P for profit, there is a growing focus on the P for people and the P for planet.

More and more links in the value chain – especially retailers and wholesalers – are being forced to reposition themselves under pressure from both new and existing competitors with innovative, disruptive business models. B2B supply chain approaches now play an important role in future success.

The B2B world, and hence the world of technical wholesale, has become too fast and too complex for the human brain to handle alone. Fulfilling an order in line with the expectations of modern-day customers calls for forward-thinking, but today’s wholesalers no longer have time to stop and think when an order is placed. Besides that, the complexity of the supply chain makes it impossible to identify the optimal solution on the spot.

In this whitepaper, we zoom in on the industrial/technical wholesale sector to illustrate the developments in this industry as a whole. Which evolution - or should we say revolution - is underway? And how can wholesalers safeguard their future? We start by examining the changing customer, followed by the modern-day supply chain. We then dive deeper into the operation. What happens when a customer places an order? How can flawless fulfilment be achieved? How is the progress of the order monitored? And how can you keep the warehouse operation running smoothly and efficiently?

You will need to do the forward-thinking in advance, by considering all possible scenarios that could occur. What kind of orders can be expected? What options do you have for fulfilling those orders? And what is the best way at a particular point in time? Next, you will need to use your software systems to determine the most suitable approach for every order, and then the execution should be initiated automatically. Only then you will be successful in winning the customer’s favour.

This applies not just to technical wholesalers but to any wholesale company. Whether you are a wholesaler for foodservice products, pharmaceuticals, building materials or fashion, we are happy to help you think about how to futureproof your supply chain.