The past year has showcased supply chain disruption after supply chain disruption. But, in just the second month of 2022, I experienced a full 180 of the supply chain process.
I recently moved into a new apartment and decided to order a sofa online. My move-in date was set for Feb. 16. The couch was to be delivered between Feb. 16 and Feb. 18. I submitted my order and that was that – for exactly two days.
Exactly two days after I had placed my order, I received a notification that my delivery would be coming the very next day. This was a full week-and-a-half before I was scheduled to move into my apartment. An embarrassing and apologetic phone call to my landlord-to-be about a full couch arriving too early set the pace for moving into my new place. At the time, the apartment was vacant (luckily), though maintenance and cleaners were in the process of getting the apartment ready. The landlord was understanding and I once again set aside my worries.
The next day, I waited for the delivery notification and kept my landlord in the loop. However, there was not much of an update until well after the apartment’s office closed. An after-hours notification explained that the delivery would instead be delivered the next day. I stressfully made a mental note to call the apartment office as soon as it opened in the morning.
What I didn’t realize was that the delivery would arrive before the apartment office would open. This meant the sofa was left in the foyer of the apartment building’s office. I called as soon as I could and was on the phone with my poor landlord as she and her husband maneuvered my full couch out of the walkway.
That night, my father and I were able to carry the couch to my top-floor apartment and the dramatic couch incident came to a close. While I want to be frustrated with the early arrival and last-minute notifications, I am more impressed than anything.
Writing for Food Logistics and Supply & Demand Chain Executive means that I have seen the messier side of the supply chain. Disruptions are rampant and on-time deliveries are few and far between. Getting my couch a whole week-and-a-half earlier than expected shows that the supply chain is getting back on track. Whether the early shipment was because the company anticipated a late delivery and tried to get ahead of disruptions, or the process just happened to go smoothly, the supply chain is obviously healing.
It's worth staying tuned as we watch the supply chain begin to thrive once again.