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From Disruption to Resilience: The Power of the Consultative Approach

The FORTNA consultative approach helps your supply chain solve today’s challenges, adapt to disruption and stay resilient for tomorrow.

von Björn Brunkow

Become Disruption Ready

Over the past several years, global supply chains have faced disruptions that few leaders could have imagined. The pandemic, geopolitical tensions, shortages of raw materials and constraints in global transportation pushed warehousing and distribution to levels of pressure never seen before. At the same time, labor shortages collided with surging e-Commerce demand, adding even more strain and exposing vulnerabilities across industries.

Many companies put a pause on critical investments, including predictive analytics, network design, warehouse automation, robotics and smarter orchestration. Delaying may have been necessary at the time, but it left gaps that are now harder to ignore.

The organizations that navigated these challenges the best weren’t always the largest or the most well-sourced. They were the ones that built flexibility into their operations, had access to real-time data and based decisions around long-term strategy.

Today, resilience, flexibility and visibility define a modern supply chain. Disruption is no longer rare but constant and unpredictable. Leaders can’t afford to focus only on stabilizing for the moment. They need to expand their strategic foresight. In this blog, we explain that preparation starts with a consultative, data-driven approach that uncovers risks, aligns with business goals and creates a clear path forward.

supply chain disruption - navigating and mitigating

Why supply chain leaders need a reset

The urgency of recent disruptions forced many organizations into quick fixes and delayed future planning. However, disruption is no longer an exception but the norm. Now it’s time for leaders to look ahead and prevent the same issues from resurfacing.

Not every company needs a full-scale overhaul, but every operation needs an honest look at where they stand today. This assessment confirms whether growth objectives and customer expectations are being met, while also revealing untapped potential and hidden opportunities.

Supply chain leaders should be asking:

Is our distribution network aligned with real demand or just reacting to shifting volumes?
Are our systems and software enabling performance or slowing it down?
Can our existing assets scale as the business grows?

These questions aren’t a one-time exercise. They form the backbone for continuous readiness in a world where disruption is constant. Leaders who revisit them regularly are better equipped to anticipate change and adapt with confidence.

What is the cost of waiting?

Recent disruptions, including the pandemic, have proved that waiting to act comes at a high cost. Companies that delayed investing in automation and technology were outpaced by competitors and spent more to catch up.

Building resilience takes time, and operational strength can’t be created in the middle of a crisis. It comes from starting early. The sooner supply chain leaders engage, the more options they preserve and the greater control they have to shape outcomes.

Early strategic conversations position companies to:

Make phased, lower-risk investments
Secure internal alignment across stakeholders
Maintain service levels through disruption
Scale with confidence as business grows

Optimize operations with supply chain consulting

Planning starts with a consultative conversation

The most valuable work in supply chain transformation happens before any design or implementation begins. Real progress starts with honest conversations by bringing teams together from multiple departments.

The following questions will provide guidance to help target pain points and create awareness across the organization:

What is your business strategy?
How is your customer base changing?
What growth plans could be derailed by labor, industry shifts or geopolitics?

When the operational design connects back to the company’s overall goals, supply chain leaders can be confident their investments will deliver outcomes that truly matter. This is where a consultative approach proves its value by asking the right questions, understanding constraints and turning strategy into an actionable roadmap.

Four key areas supply chain leaders can’t ignore

Forward-looking organizations now treat the supply chain as a growth driver, not a cost center. A consultative approach helps supply chain leaders focus on four areas where strategy and execution come together.

1. Network strategy validation

Smart companies are re-evaluating where inventory is held, how it moves and whether the physical infrastructure supports service-level agreements (SLAs) and margins. Today, network strategy must account for lead time variability, transportation volatility and customer proximity. Predictive analytics and scenario modeling can provide real-time insights needed to anticipate disruption.

2. Automation and robotics with a purpose

Modern warehouse technology spans everything from Systeme zur automatischen Kleinteilelagerung (AS/RS) and material handling equipment like conveyors and sorters to robotics, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), automated guided vehicles (AGVs), intelligent software platforms and AI-driven systems. With so many options on the market, it can feel overwhelming. Chasing automation without a clear, comprehensive strategy often adds cost and complexity without solving the real problems.

The strongest return on investment (ROI) comes when automation is tied directly to business priorities such as improving inventory accuracy, addressing labor scarcity, boosting productivity or unlocking new capacity. This often leads to a phased approach of implementing solutions one at a time. Each step mitigates risk while building a foundation for long-term growth.

3. Software integration and future enablement

Disconnected technology is one of the biggest roadblocks to supply chain agility. When warehouse management systems (WMS), Warehouse Execution Systems (WES), warehouse control systems (WCS) and other integration platforms don’t communicate, operations slow, data visibility declines and teams fall back to manual workarounds.

Modern operations depend on software that connects systems and data across the network. When installed properly, integration strengthens inventory management, supports cross-functional collaboration and drives continuous improvement. Most importantly, it gives organizations the ability to pivot quickly in times of disruption.

Just as essential is the ability to integrate with automation. This requires going beyond traditional machine control and basic conveyor routing to platforms capable of handling today’s advanced technologies, which have grown exponentially in availability and complexity. Lastly, it’s important to remain product-agnostic across different systems and suppliers, giving organizations the flexibility to adapt and scale.

4. Asset optimization

Not every challenge calls for a greenfield project or major capital investment. Many organizations can unlock capacity and improve performance by “sweating the assets,” which is focused on getting the most out of existing systems and infrastructure before committing to major investments.

That can mean reengineering processes, updating labor models, reconfiguring layouts, fine-tuning retrieval systems or upgrading software instead of replacing it. These steps deliver faster results with lower cost and risk, while laying a foundation for future projects.

A real-world example

A high-volume spare parts distributor facing labor shortages and rising service expectations knew that automation was essential, but leadership wanted to limit risk and preserve capital.

Together, we built a phased plan, beginning with AMRs to support picking and replenishment. That single solution delivered immediate productivity gains and eased pressure on the workforce. As volumes grew, the plan expanded to include storage and retrieval systems, supported by integrated software to strengthen inventory management.

The result included measurable performance improvements, increased labor productivity and an investment vision tied to clear KPIs. This demonstrates how a phased, consultative approach delivers quick wins while laying the groundwork for long-term transformation.

The FORTNA 360° consultative approach

The FORTNA Consultative Approach

Many automation firms focus on either strategy or implementation; few do both. The FORTNA consultative approach brings continuity across the entire transformation journey from strategy, design, implementation and future optimization. That accountability ensures solutions aren’t just delivered and installed successfully but continue adding value over time.

Ask and listen

Every engagement begins with understanding the customer’s business goals, operational constraints and priorities. Listening first sets the foundation for an action plan that aligns with what success really looks like.

Strategy and value analysis

This step conducts a structured analysis across several key areas:

Supply chain strategy and network performance
Operational processes
Financial models and investment criteria
Service level targets and customer expectations
Current and future-state technology needs
Organizational readiness

Consult to roadmap

The insights gathered are translated into a phased roadmap that can include:

Network strategy and footprint analysis
Automation and technology evaluation
Software stack analysis
Improvement actions and “sweat your assets” opportunities
Transformation master plan defining when and what needs to be designed, implemented and ready for operation

These first three areas form the building blocks of most consultative models. Some firms stop here, delivering strategy and vision but hand-off implementation. Others skip strategy and only install equipment and technology. FORTNA does both, bringing strategy and execution together to manage the entire transformation journey.

Design and engineer

Detailed solution designs are created based on the customer’s real data, operational goals and site-specific requirements. These designs open opportunities to:

Reimagine future layouts for great efficiency
Map out automation and robotic strategies for long-term growth
Design distribution, fulfilment and sortation systems to increase speed and accuracy

Since FORTNA takes a product-agnostic approach, every recommendation is made with your business in mind, rather than from a catalog of preset solutions. That independence, combined with our hands-on execution experience, means the solution will fit the way your operation runs. This will ensure the design lays the foundation for smooth integration and implementation.

Integrate and implement

Execution is where your plans become reality. With FORTNA accountable from the beginning, you can trust the solutions are implemented exactly as designed. Our teams manage every detail from data through delivery, including:

Program management
Detailed design and engineering
Procurement and installation
Software customization and deployment
Functional and operational testing
Training and change management
Go-live support

Lifecycle performance

Successful transformation does not stop at go-live. Post-implementation, FORTNA stays engaged to keep systems running at peak performance and to support ongoing optimization through:

Performance monitoring and benchmarking
Uptime and reliability management
Spare parts programs
Maintenance planning and execution
Continuous improvement opportunities

FORTNA unterstützt Sie

Partnering with FORTNA means continuity from data to delivery. Unlike firms that stop at strategy or focus only on implementation, we stay accountable throughout the entire transformation or step in exactly where you need us most. By keeping strategy and execution connected, we help you cut through complexity, stay strong in the face of disruption and build a shatterproof supply chain that performs today and thrives tomorrow.

Start Your Transformation Today

Über den Autor

Björn Brunkow

Managing Director und Vice President Sales, FORTNA International

Björn Brunkow ist spezialisiert auf den Bereich Global Supply Chain Strategy bei FORTNA. In dieser Position unterstützt er Unternehmen bei der Planung und Umsetzung von Strategien, die langfristig Mehrwert schaffen. Sein Fokus liegt darauf, dass die besten Lösungen aus einer engen Zusammenarbeit, auf Realdaten basierenden Entscheidungen und einer auf Wachstum ausgerichteten Grundhaltung entstehen.