Supply Chain Stability: The art of an ever-shifting balance between resiliency and efficiency
St. Petersburg, FL – Joe Adamski, Senior Director at ProcureAbility, shares his expert advice on supply chain stability with Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
Supply & Demand Chain Executive
The US finds itself at another turning point amid escalating geopolitical risks, election cycle uncertainty, and shifts in monetary policy. These factors continue to impact the broader economy. Ongoing tension between resiliency and efficiency in supply chains remains a challenge. Geopolitical and domestic events are further intensifying this pressure, driving higher costs for manufacturers. The packaging industry supports a wide cross section of materials and services providers, with overall packaging demand following macroeconomic trends. As manufacturers rebalance production offshore and onshore, packaging demand, logistics needs, and required services will shift across US regions.
When combined with packaging trends like waste elimination, environmental improvements, and direct-to-consumer optimization, change is constant. What we do today will continue to evolve for tomorrow.
Finding an artful balance during volatile market conditions
Corporations and stakeholders like certainty and stability—and value productivity and efficiency. While inflation has retreated from a 50-year high, it remains a problem as consumers have seen their buying power drastically eroded. Manufacturers have responded by downsizing packages or finding other cost savings means, often by changing or restricting packaging. The removal of Chevron deference will have a major impact on environmental policy, the most significant since the EPA’s creation. This will, in turn, significantly affect packaging manufacturers.
Looming threats of trade wars or price controls are driving expectations of consumer disruption. This remains true regardless of which party wins the election.
Not surprisingly, these conditions have impacted the packaging industry significantly, as this is a sector that is sensitive to rapidly changing demand, increasing costs, and logistics issues. Areas of top concern include:
- The rising cost of raw materials, such as paper, cardboard, and plastics, which has directly increased the cost of packaging production
- The surge in energy prices, which has led to higher energy costs for packaging producers
- Increased transportation costs due to higher fuel prices and supply chain disruptions, which have added to the overall cost of packaging
- Environmental impact concerns of materials that become waste
While these challenges are expected to continue through 2025 and beyond, the packaging industry has a strong history of adapting. It continues to innovate in response to constant change. One example is the rise of fit-for-purpose packaging solutions. Traditional fillers like plastics and Styrofoam are being replaced by biodegradable or organic alternatives. These solutions mimic the same properties without the same environmental impact. Microplastics are another driver of innovation due to growing concerns about environmental and health risks. Packaging materials that contribute to this issue will be flagged and may face future regulation.
Read the full article in Supply & Demand Chain Executive
Managing Director
Joe Adamski has more than 12 years of advisory and consulting experience centered on strategic procurement and large-scale transformations. He has deep experience in launching and executing programs focused on strategic sourcing, supply chain, procurement strategy, organizational design, and transformations.
Earlier in his career, Joe was an Air Force pilot before joining A.T. Kearney in their consumer practice. He has consulted with numerous Fortune 500 companies in a variety of industries, including utilities, CPGs, grocery, retail, telecom, apparel, food and beverage, and government.
Joe holds a B.S. degree in Physics from the United States Air Force Academy and an MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School. He enjoys boating, hiking, and spending time in the outdoors.
ProcureAbility, a Jabil company, is the leading provider of procurement services, offering advisory, managed services, digital, staffing, and recruiting solutions. For more than 25 years, we have focused exclusively on helping clients elevate their procurement function.
We combine leading methodologies, analytics, market intelligence, and industry benchmarks with our uniquely flexible and customizable service delivery model. Global organizations of all sizes trust ProcureAbility to transform their procurement operations, drive growth, and reimagine what’s possible.
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