Daily Archives: December 22, 2009

Are You Ready for Your Talent Shortage?

Don’t be fooled by the current economic environment, there’s still a global talent shortage and we’re headed towards an impending crunch because the talent war is going to heat up again along with the recovery. And chances are that you’re going to be on the losing end according to some recent research from TopGrading Solutions. (Tip-of-the-hat to Kevin Cornish.)

According to the research, 67% of currently employed personnel surveyed will be looking for new opportunities once the economy picks up. That’s right, if you’re an average company, when the economy recovers, you can expect that two thirds of your workforce will be looking for work. If you thought you had turnover problems before, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Why? Well, if you’re an average company, you cut your staff by 10% to 20% and pushed those that remained to their limits with pay cuts and unpaid overtime. That’s why over 78% of employees do not feel that they were treated well (enough to stay in their current position).

All I can say is that you better get started on your succession plan. Given that there’s a 4 in 5 chance that you’re going to be hit by an internal talent shortage real soon, I don’t think you can afford to turn a blind eye to the issue any longer. Good luck!

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Opportunities for Transportation and Logistics Operators Part I

In addition to the presentation of 18 theses around the continued scarcity of energy resources, Volume 1 of the Transportation & Logistics 2030 report on “how supply chains will evolve in an energy-constrained, low-carbon world” by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and the Supply Chain Management Institute also identified some (emerging) opportunities for transportation and logistics operations that are worth close scrutiny by any provider looking to differentiate themselves in the marketplace.

The report provided opportunities in four areas:

  • Products & Services
  • Finance & Accounting
  • Processes & Organization
  • Strategy & Policy

Today, we’re going to overview the products, services, finance, and accounting opportunities.

Products & Services

  • Virtual Delivery
    e-Document providers capable of quickly and cost effectively digitizing any type of document (received by any traditional means of communication) and reproducing an exact copy at the destination will gain a short term advantage as companies begin the slow journey to true paperless operations.
  • Eco-Consultants
    Companies who recognize the market for green logistics and SCM early and develop an expertise will have the opportunity to provide eco-consultancy services to their customers.
  • Slow Transport
    Companies that provide slower, but much more energy and cost efficient, transport options might see a booming business as the eco-conscious consumer starts to dominate the market.
  • Co-opetition (Competitive Collaboration)
    Cooperation between competing businesses as a way to cut costs and achieve competitive advantages will gain increasing acceptance. For example, logistics providers have an opportunity to collaborate on “last mile” deliveries and significantly reduce associated costs with network and route planning optimization.
  • Low Cost Logistics
    Going beyond co-opetition and allowing a customer to assemble logistics services according to their needs, which could be limited to the actual transport of goods (where the customer takes over administrative processes and work steps) could be a booming business. (Of course, these providers will need to implement a sophisticated real-time infrastructure with cost transparency to enable this service.)
  • Fabbing Supply Chain
    Fabrication of products using a computer and a 3-D printer could be common by 2030. Providers who offered this service to consumers who bought “blueprints” over the internet could see a booming business.

Finance & Accounting

  • Mobility Account
    Environmentally aware companies may start introducing mobility accounts and monitor the carbon footprint caused by their employees business trips. Providers that offer (SaaS) solutions for mobility account tracking could see a booming business.
  • CO2 Ticker
    Companies tracking carbon emissions will start reporting all carbon emissions associated with product and transport with a CO2 Ticker. Companies who can reduce this number will see a competitive advantage.
  • Green Credits
    Green Credits, a positive incentive system to act in an environmentally friendly way that grants credits to employees who engage in activities to improve environmental conditions, might catch on. Providers who offer such credits to customers who select greener alternatives might gain a competitive advantage.
  • Total Emission Monitoring
    CO2 emission tracking is just the tip of the iceberg. In the future, sulphuric dioxide, nitrogen oxides, noise, and other pollutants will also be monitored. The first to market with Total Emission Monitoring solutions will have a clear advantage.
  • Sustainability Rating Agency
    Third party sustainability ratings will be as important as third party credit ratings in the future. Logistics companies with high sustainability ratings that could improve the ratings of their customers will be looked very favourably upon in the future.

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