The Consumer Brands Association has announced the creation of a new Supply Chain Health and Performance Task Force aimed at increasing visibility and easing supply chain pressures felt across the consumer packaged goods industry. Comprised of 15 CPG companies working in partnership with FourKites, the task force will leverage the supply chain visibility firm’s data and machine-learning capabilities to create an “air traffic control” system giving members a real-time view of the transportation footprint to identify shared bottlenecks and inefficiencies within the supply chain.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought global supply chain policy to the forefront and increased pressures on already-stressed CPG supply chains. In addition, a single disruption—a delay at a facility or unexpected traffic along a route—can affect multiple stakeholders, leading to costly dwell times and delayed arrivals. The goal of the task force is to prevent such delays by employing data sharing and bringing new visibility to supply chain routes through the FourKites platform.

“COVID-19 exposed supply chain vulnerabilities across all industries, but also created opportunities to collaborate,” Consumer Brands Vice President of Supply Chain and Logistics Tom Madrecki said. “No company operates in a vacuum, and the same can be said of supply chains. The Supply Chain Health and Performance Task Force is the first step toward building a modern supply chain system that is resilient and can support the future of the CPG industry.”

Quotes from the industry:

“Demand shock from the worldwide reopening is straining global supply chains,” FourKites Chief Product Officer Priya Rajagopalan said. “We’re proud to work with Consumer Brands on an innovative platform that enables data sharing and transparency across organizations to alleviate critical pain points and maximize efficiencies.”

“In a world where supply chains are more connected than ever, it is critical that industries work together to find solutions that provide increased transparency to reduce disruption,” Land O’Lakes Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer Yone Dewberry said.

“Accenture is proud to partner with Consumer Brands and FourKites to bring visibility and traceability to our CPG supply networks,” Accenture North America Managing Director of Supply Chain and Operations Maria Rey-Marston said. “Companies want to do the right thing for their customers and suppliers and the more they know, the better they can prepare to improve service, respond to disruptions and transform for the future.”

“Every minute of reduced dwell time across the transportation system increases capacity, which stabilizes costs,” said Rob Haddock, group director of planning and logistics at The Coca-Cola Company. “Visibility of bottlenecks advances shipper/receiver of choice initiatives and supports analysis on where to target infrastructure investment. As the supply of drivers continues to diminish, we must focus on keeping trucks rolling via visibility and collaboration.”

To learn more about FourKites, visit www.fourkites.com.