Global Supply Chain Visibility Is Vital

Globalization adds new layers and components which significantly increase opportunities to increase risk into supply chain management for even manufacturers of the most innocuous products.  Every step along the way from raw materials to shipping tests the integrity of your supply chain.

Now more than ever, businesses are expected to uniformly uphold ethical standards across their entire global supply chain management.  They are being held accountable from day one. 

Avoid the following risks and threats of the supply chain continuum:

Raw Materials

Did you know that two-thirds of adults worldwide say corruption is widespread in business?¹

Businesses are being asked questions such as:

• Where are your factories located?
• What are the risks of the countries they are located in?
• Who was involved in the purchase or lease of the property?

Staffing

To ensure that companies are not engaging in child slavery or conducting business with vendors that use forced labor, businesses need to be able to document how they are sourcing their staff. In a benchmarking report, more than half of the companies in the apparel and agricultural industries were found not to meet expectations on preventing child labor in their supply chain.²

Suppliers

Suppliers face similar scrutiny as the businesses they are working with – and they face all the same foundational risks. Fewer than a third of supply chain executives looked to address corruption and bribery issues with their suppliers in a recent survey of corporations representing major industrial countries.³

Distribution

What may be acceptable compliance practices in one country, may not be acceptable in another. It is imperative that businesses know the differences in compliance along their distribution routes. It has been estimated that customs clearance adds about $185 for each day delayed to the cost of a consignment.  It is for this reason that many shippers prefer to bribe custom officials in order to shortcut the process.⁴

The integrity of your global supply chain management is at risk within every inflection of the product lifecycle. Supply chain issues rooted in bribery and corruption have real impacts and the responsibility to help prevent them begins with your business.

Our solutions reinforce your ongoing commitment to corporate responsibility by effectively raising supply chain risk visibility -- so you can remain focused on your core values and your core business.