AIM Seminar / Conference

Multiple national lockdowns continue to slow or even temporarily stop the flow of raw materials and finished goods, disrupting manufacturing as a result. The Sanchalan team of AIM Kolkata presented "Supply Chain Challenges during the Pandemic", a Panel Discussion by Guest Speakers who enlightened us on how to cope with such situations and keep the operations smoothly running.

The inauguration of the event took place with the lighting of the lamp by Director, AIMK, the eminent speakers and the moderator of the said discussion. Maj Gen VS Ranade (Retd), Director, AIMK subsequently welcomed all the guests and gave his short inspiring opening speech. The first speaker, Mr. Partha Bhattacharya, Vice-President (Materials), Calcutta Electric Supply Corporation Limited (CESC) spoke on supply chain volatility in essential services during the pandemic, where he mentioned about three most essential 24X7 services, namely, electricity, water and healthcare. He mentioned about supply chain volatility matrix based on the knowledge and impact to understand the current scenario. He mentioned the challenges which include manufacturing disruption, non-availability of the workforce, interruption of import of goods and logistical movements, and communication failure. He further discussed the seven tactical decisions to mitigate challenges which include exploring local supply chain, using state administrative machinery, deploying own fleet for goods and transportation, technical development of alternate products, changes in warehousing and logistics model, contactless procurement and warehousing, and maintaining the supply of covid safety-related products. He spoke about the long-term and short-term plans for the future which include long-term contracts with valued partners, four-month rolling delivery schedules, split supply chain to multiple vendors, vendor managed inventory, disaster management stock, strengthening IT backbone and focusing on AI and Machine Learning.

The next, speaker, Mr. Ashim Kr Manna, Officer on Special Duty, Directorate of Technical Education & Training, WB spoke on supply chain challenges during the pandemic from the perspective of procurement, West Bengal Govt. Polytechnics. He mentioned the challenges like remote administrative work, consumer demand and minimum resources and also suggested solutions like digitalization, automation, adaptation, preparedness and sustainability with the help of dynamic application modules like Purchase Requisition Modules and Stock Entry Modules.

The final speaker, Mr. Somendra Nath Chatterjee, 2 nd Marine Engineering Officer, AP Moller-Maersk threw light on the challenges for the shipping industry due to Covid-19, where he mentioned the barriers like cargo stuck on board, anchoring, empty containers, expiring certificates, overdue inspections and change of crew. Solutions provided by him include real-time monitoring of cargo conditions, reduction in bunker oil and lube oil prices, automated terminals and pushing unmanned vessels.

The moderator of the session, Mr. Abhijit Sarkar, Partner & Advisor, JoBexo summarized the three speakers and coordinated a Q&A round with the participants. The Panel discussion ended with a Vote of Thanks presented by Meghashree Chatterjee.