Project 3.3

Dependency of global supply chains on critical infrastructure resilience

Project 3.3. ‘Dependency of global supply chains on critical infrastructure resilience’ aims to gain an improved understanding of any gaps or opportunities within the food logistics sector in terms of helping it meet current and future challenges related to the resilience of the critical infrastructure (ports, shipping, road, rail, energy, storage) on which it relies.

Aims

The global supply of food is a highly interconnected system, dependent on multiple sectors. Major disruptions to food supply can have direct impacts on vulnerable communities, and indirect impacts such as civil unrest.

The Resilience Shift has identified potential work on food supply chains – keeping our focus on the elements that rely on critical infrastructure including transportation whether road, rail, or ports, water and power, and communications systems. We will influence stakeholders in the food supply chain and shift their understanding of the importance of resilience.  Decisions made along the supply chain will be influenced by the need for resilience, not only short-term factors.

To contribute to this work:

An online survey is available to enable all those with experience and opinions to share them to contribute to our research. Please share this link with interested colleagues world-wide.

https://ovearup.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/supply-chain-resilience-in-the-grocery-sector

You can also join one of our workshops - see below.

Project leaders

Xavier Aldea Borruel
Project Leader

Xavier is a chartered mechanical engineer and is Programme Officer for the Resilience Shift. Xavier has 10 years experience as an engineer, researcher and project manager, and has expertise in resilience of critical infrastructure, flood risk management, climate change and sustainability, with a strong professional background in the water sector.

How are we doing this?

  • The work initiated in Q4 2018 includes workshops and preparatory research. This exercise will explore directly the ‘between systems’ aspect of resilience – allowing us to explore the degree to which food industry actors are aware and concerned about their dependency on transportation infrastructure and logistics industry to their overall resilience.
  • This first phase of work aims to provide us with an understanding of any gaps or opportunities within the food logistics sector in terms of helping it meet current and future challenges related to the resilience of the critical infrastructure (ports, shipping, road, rail, energy, storage) on which it relies.
  • We have undertaken scoping and research activities to identify the best area of focus related to the global supply of food.
  • We have leveraged the Arup expertise in the logistics sector, and an existing global network of skills, business and stakeholders to advance our understanding in this sector.

What are the outputs?

  • The expected impact of this project is to influence stakeholders in the food supply chain, and shift their understanding of the importance of resilience, so that decisions made along the supply chain are influenced by the need for resilience and not only short-term factors.
  • Workshops will take place globally:
    • Manchester, UK – 6 February 2019. More.
    • New York, USA – 27 February 2019. More.
    • Johannesburg, South Africa - 13 March 2019. More.
    • Brisbane, Australia - 20 March 2019. More.
    • Madrid, Spain - 21 March 2019. More.
    • San Francisco, USA - 21 March 2019. More.
    • Hong Kong, Greater China - 22 March 2019. More.
  • By the end of Q1 2019 we will deliver a document that contributes to knowledge about resilience of food supply chains, especially the relative importance of critical infrastructure that supply chains depend on.
  • An informed decision will be made towards the end of Q1 2019 in terms of ‘what next’ in this sector, and who we should work with – also which geographies.

Project Resources

Global supply chain workshop brochure

A series of global workshops will be taking place. See our workshop brochure. See event calendar. Workshops will focus on the resilience of food supply chains with the objective to provide participants with the opportunity to explore real challenges in this sector and to bring together key stakeholders, encouraging inter-sector collaboration and communication. By collaborating on resilience-focused activity at a global level, it is our intention that we can shape possible pathways forward to allow us to improve the resilience of our infrastructure for all.

Round-table Ports and Logistics

Our recent round-table explored the resilience of critical infrastructure for ports and logistics. Find out more about the conclusions of the workshop.

 

 

 

Collaborators

The Resilience Shift has partnered with Arup's logistics experts under the leadership of Darren Briggs. Darren is a logistics consultant and Associate Director in Advisory Services at Arup. Darren’s main area of expertise is advising on operational requirements and improvements in the built environment, covering construction and new or existing site logistics operations. He has worked on a variety of projects, both in the United Kingdom and internationally, covering most aspects of operations.

Resilience Shift round-table on ports and logistics: Report now available

The round-table provided an opportunity for participants to consider the role of resilience thinking for sea ports and associated logistics operations. The event was designed to stimulate conversation among port operators and stakeholders associated with their supply chains. You can now read the findings of this round-table here.

 

Find out more.

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