Grafton Elliott

You’ve heard the term “supply chain” tossed around, but do you know what it is, why it failed, or how it can be fixed? Grafton Elliott, CEO of Onward, breaks it down so even a 12-year-old can understand. Yes, it’s a complicated issue, but its problems are easy to understand once you understand the nuance.

The supply chain is wildly complicated, but the solution is remarkably simple. In fact, the entire supply chain could be dramatically improved in just a few weeks if (and that’s a big if) the industry was willing to communicate more effectively.

 

 

Why did the supply chain fail?

The supply chain was already strained before the pandemic, but when the pandemic happened, it broke. When home deliveries—especially for larger items—increased exponentially, that added a final mile problem that already plagued the industry. To summarize, the length of the chain was extended, but no extra links were added, explained Grafton. And when that happened, it broke.

Typically, any other business model would just adapt, but that’s impossible in the supply chain due to their dark-ages approach to technology. Much of the industry, 90% to be exact, is run by regional mom & pop operations that still rely on paper forms, phone calls, and manual processes. This leads to an inefficient supply chain, zero freight transparency, and numerous trucks at low capacity, traveling the exact same routes.

 

Grafton Elliott, CEO of Onward

Elliott believes his company, Onward, can alleviate the empty truck problem. If trucks were traveling at 100% capacity, there’d be more freight moving per mile, less congestion, more inventory for retailers, and more on-time deliveries for consumers. Will the industry make the move or stay in the dark ages? Time will tell.

You can connect with Onward at their official website, or hit them up on LinkedIn.