As lorry driver shortages add to UK supply chain disruption, McDonald’s runs out of milkshakes and bottled drinks across the UK. Jennifer Bisceglie, CEO & founder of Interos, comments below on how AI-powered technologies can help alleviate supply chain strain.

“The fact that prominent brands across the UK are reeling from product and labour shortages underscores the personal impact of supply chain shocks. COVID-19 and Brexit created a perfect storm of disruption. This is hampering food procurement and creating severe staffing shortages, especially of lorry drivers, who are vital to trade. Given the increased volatility and complexity of global supply networks, both physical and digital, this is no longer an issue that organisations can ignore if empty shelves and shuttered restaurants are not to become a reality of British life.

“Given the multiple stressors acting upon the UK, and global supply chains everywhere, organisations must leverage real-time data and analytics to get ahead of crisis. AI-powered technologies help organisations build true operational resilience. For example, with the right signals and data sources, organisations can anticipate labour shortage trends and pre-emptively evaluate the benefits of increasing inventory where needed. Furthermore, AI can help enable more seamless inventory management. For example, a manufacturer with geographically diverse suppliers, who monitors and identifies growing case counts in one region, could shift order commitments to a less impacted region while building safety stock. With the right data, mapping and monitoring, the supply chain team can evaluate conditions faster and move more quickly to lessen costly impacts. The disrupters to the UK’s supply chain are complex, but this complexity can be managed for organisations with smart operational resilience solutions.”