{"id":7196,"date":"2026-05-27T16:39:23","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newtonimpact.com\/?post_type=content_library&p=7196"},"modified":"2026-05-27T16:47:57","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T15:47:57","slug":"breaking-silos-a-new-supply-chain-optimization-playbook","status":"publish","type":"content_library","link":"https:\/\/newtonimpact.com\/en-us\/content-library\/blog\/breaking-silos-a-new-supply-chain-optimization-playbook\/","title":{"rendered":"Breaking silos: A new supply chain optimization playbook"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n Take Me Back<\/a>\n\n

Breaking silos: A new supply chain optimization playbook<\/h1>\n

By Tony Ward, Jiri Pluhar & Patrick Kelsey<\/p>\n\n

\n \n

Senior Partner, Director & Business Manager <\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

Blog<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

8 min<\/p>\n <\/span>\n \n

27th May 2026<\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n \n \"\"\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n
\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n\n
\n

What it takes today to deliver the right goods at the right price the moment consumers need them <\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n \n
\n

 <\/p>\n

Imagine another\u00a0disruption\u00a0emerges\u00a0today, because\u00a0it\u00a0easily could.\u00a0Think\u00a0Post<\/span>\u2011Covid\u00a0bullwhip effects creating yet another inventory swing,\u00a0Make America Healthy\u00a0Again updating\u00a0the food pyramid, consumer interest\u00a0increasing\u00a0in protein and\u00a0fibremaxxing,\u00a0business splits and spinouts,\u00a0price volatility, labor shifts\u00a0\u2013\u00a0and those are the things we know about.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You jump to assessing\u00a0the opportunities and risks it poses to delivering what your customers need. Import or manufacture in-house? Hold stock centrally or closer to customers? Build to demand or play it safe with\u00a0high levels\u00a0of safety stock? What are the sustainability implications? And beyond!\u00a0Everyone\u00a0else\u00a0is doing it\u00a0too: new product innovation is predicted to double by 2029 with up to 90% of portfolios being reformulated within three years<\/span>1<\/span>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0an incredible rate of change.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>The problem is that\u00a0each\u00a0one of these\u00a0many\u00a0trade-offs has consequences elsewhere. Often, they are not only unexpected but initially unseen,\u00a0spiraling\u00a0under the surface.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The system-wide impact of siloed thinking\u00a0<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you\u2019re a Chief Supply Chain Officer reading this, you\u2019ve almost certainly pulled on a thread in your supply chain and been shocked by what you uncovered \u2013 something even people outside your workplace would be left open mouthed by\u00a0\u2013 like branded packets of food or beauty products being repacked as own brand.\u00a0Then there are\u00a0more\u00a0everyday\u00a0issues\u00a0like the system showing\u00a0that\u00a0milk is available,\u00a0but the fridge being empty.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Even in our recent work with leading retailers and CPGs, we see issues like this\u00a0crop up\u00a0and it is\u00a0because a decision was made without understanding the\u00a0end<\/span>\u2011to<\/span>\u2011end\u00a0system.\u00a0That\u00a0simply\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be done manually with the complexity we face today. Considering\u00a0logistics\u00a0alone, most shippers manage more than seven third-party\u00a0logistics\u00a0providers\u00a0across fragmented carrier networks<\/span>2<\/span>,\u00a0and network modeling has shifted from every one to two years to quarterly<\/span>3<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your organization\u00a0may well have\u00a0identified\u00a0the same issues\u00a0before, tried to unpick why they had happened and correct\u00a0them\u00a0\u2013\u00a0but so far, nobody has managed.\u00a0Fingers\u00a0may\u00a0get\u00a0pointed\u00a0between\u00a0teams,\u00a0but the issue\u00a0cannot be\u00a0one\u00a0team\u2019s\u00a0fault.\u00a0Store processes are a key part of the problem,\u00a0while\u00a0stockfile\u00a0inaccuracy\u00a0alone\u00a0is\u00a0the root cause of up to a quarter of availability issues.\u00a0In\u00a0one\u00a0high profile retailer\u00a0we work with, the\u00a0system\u00a0was\u00a0showing\u00a0availability as high as\u00a096%, yet\u00a075% of family-shop\u00a0carts\u00a0couldn’t\u00a0be\u00a0completely\u00a0filled.\u00a0This is a\u00a0system-wide\u00a0data and decision-making issue.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Forensic,\u00a0cross<\/span><\/b>\u2011functional\u00a0course correction<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Just 18% of R&D leaders involve supply chain at project charter, and only 38% during concept and design<\/span>4<\/span>.\u00a0By the time the call comes, trade-offs are already baked in.\u00a0Costs\u00a0show\u00a0up downstream as\u00a0excess\u00a0inventory, complexity and missed launches.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Siloed teams and stale data\u00a0can’t\u00a0surface the trade-offs hiding in your supply chain, leaving CSCOs to discover problems only after they\u00a0have cost real money. But forensic, cross-functional decision-making\u00a0\u2013\u00a0fast enough to act in real time\u00a0\u2013\u00a0is the lever to course correct.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The winners in this world calculate answers at pace, understanding their impact not just now and within their own team but across the supply chain and across teams. They react confidently to make calls fast, treating disruption as part of the everyday (because it is). <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \n
\n
\n \"\"\n \n <\/div>\n\n
\n \n\n
\n

How to make cross-silo decisions and the impact on availability, waste and stockholding <\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n\n
\n

When we diagnosed the issue in the retailer\u00a0<\/span>mentioned<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>above<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>low\u00a0<\/span>availability and waste\u00a0<\/span>had four caus<\/span>es:\u00a0<\/span>accuracy of\u00a0<\/span>forecast, depot delivery\u00a0<\/span>and\u00a0<\/span>stockfile<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>case size.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span>That granularity is what “forensic” actually looks like \u2013 and turns finger-pointing into action.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \n\n
\n

Many organizations are not there, but aggregate results from our own work show the impact of getting it right:\u00a0<\/h2>\n <\/hgroup>\n
\n
\n 01<\/span>\n

Availability <\/h3>\n

+2-4%pt improvement in on-shelf availability and up to 20%pt improvement in stock accuracy <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 02<\/span>\n

Waste <\/h3>\n

10-20% reduction in waste stockholding <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n 03<\/span>\n

Stockholding <\/h3>\n

5-15% working capital release <\/p>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/section>\n\n \n\n\n

\n
\n
\n \n
\n \n
\n

In fact, improving the entire supply chain process\u00a0<\/span>\u2013<\/span>\u00a0from suppliers to delivery to the c<\/span>onsumer\u00a0<\/span>\u2013\u00a0<\/span>can reduce total supply chain costs by\u00a0<\/span>between\u00a0<\/span>3-7%.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Leading\u00a0with a new lens<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, how do you stop supply chain issues springing up in the first place? How do you move fast to\u00a0correct\u00a0course, ideally in real-time? How do you understand the exact route products take and where and how much value is added along every step of the supply chain?\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u00a0requires\u00a0meticulous understanding,\u00a0continuous\u00a0conversation\u00a0and visible\u00a0senior sponsorship.\u00a0Our programs\u00a0approach it through the lens of:\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n