With a rise in global chemical regulation and customer disclosure demands, manufacturers are facing new challenges in supply chain management, extending well beyond shipping and logistics to encompass activities across the entire product lifecycle. To keep up with the latest rules and requirements, today’s manufacturers must be sensitive to how chemicals in their new products, and modifications to existing products, will affect health hazard statements, import/export restrictions or waste disposal requirements.
As a sign of how complex supply chain management has become, consider this: in 2006, the WERCSmart tool – used by Fortune 500 companies for regulatory compliance insights across the supply chain – tracked 23 different data points. Fast track to 2013, and that number has grown to more than 400 (see Figure 1).
If manufacturers are to succeed in this environment, they must understand the scope of these new requirements and potential roadblocks that could interfere with business. To start, it is helpful to identify these specific concerns along the product lifecycle:
- Point-of-origin and sourcing
- Transportation and import/export control
- Handling, storage and disposal
With the right people, processes and tools, it is possible to address these and to evaluate risks quickly. Doing so empowers manufacturers to make profitable decisions and effectively manage data across their increasingly complex supply chains.
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