Pre-pandemic, poor forecasting was often tied to regional differences or shifting consumer preferences, and was often pinpointed as the cause of grocery’s high level of stockouts. Today, there are a whole slew of contributing factors.
At the supply chain level, David Wendland, VP of strategic relations at Hamacher Resource Group, says the pandemic not only revealed an over-reliance on off-shore production and current distribution networks, but shortages of raw materials, packaging materials and available labor.