SUPPLIER OF CHOICE AND THE ‘NEW NORMAL’

I am still trying to understand the significance of the new normal in terms of where it takes us and what we should take from it and how this particular narrative is likely to develop. However, I understand it will be the theme of the forthcoming Business Excellence Seminar and I look forward to getting some real insight into what it represents both to the DTC and by extension to DTC sightholders and brokers.

This particular sight has given out somewhat mixed messages as it is recognised to be one of the year’s most important sights from a manufacturing perspective but there have been ITO delivery shortfalls across a wide range of goods as well as the fact that there has been no explan.

The business continuity programme was promoted by the DTC as an important add-on to the ITO process to address distribution issues which had been brought very much to the fore following the industry’s near-death experience in late 2008 though 2009.

Now things seem very much back to the old normal, I am wondering really what the new normal represents in distribution terms.

The contract period being extended was possibly made more palatable to those who were looking forward to the opportunity of correcting some of their supply issues by the hope that in the interim the business continuity programme would fill some of the gaps in their supply relationship with the DTC.

As we approach the new contract period it is so important to all of us that we get a system that we can live with and support and derive strength from for the future, whatever it may hold.

Last week’s Sunday paper contained an interesting assessment of the difference between the new British coalition government and the previous Labour administration. It made the point that the previous administration became so obsessed with process and how it was playing out that they lost sight of their own convictions and that is something that we simply can’t afford to do. Most businesses are greater than the sum of their parts and that applies to Sightholders as well as big corporations. We have to look at the holistic qualities a business represents and relationships have to be leveraged on that basis rather than simply reducing a business relationship to competitively vying for placement in individual bands and hoping that it all adds up to a viable business. We have all the skills required to make sure that the system is rather more than merely a computer generated result which cannot be reprogrammed or reassessed when required and when necessary in a rational and relationship-friendly way.

The challenge for us all is to fix the problems and not just move the parameters. Much has been achieved but we have to now acknowledge we can’t afford to be having a discussion around the same issues in the new contract period. If that is what’s meant by the ‘new normal’ then I’m all for it.