Is it possible for a manufacturer to find secure footing in a world that seems to be shifting daily?
It’s a struggle, and there’s no certainty about the outcome. But advanced conceptual and technical tools are becoming available to help industry succeed in a footloose and fast-changing environment.
Since the start of 2020 and global outbreak of COVID-19, supply chains, delivery systems, production lines and retail outlets have all undergone tremendous disruption. Consumer needs, tastes and buying habits have also experienced rapid shifts. Climate change, extreme weather events, cyberattacks, ballooning debt, sociopolitical polarization and the realignment of alliances, as well as sanctions and financial freezes resulting from Russia’s attack on Ukraine, are all contributing to a volatile world characterized by massive uncertainty. And, at least to most analysts, that isn’t going to change anytime soon.
