Scotland’s supply chain

The RSE welcome the opportunity to respond to the Scottish Parliament Economy and Fair Work Committee’s call for views on Scotland’s Supply Chain. The response reflects on high-level supply chain issues through the lens of resilience.

In doing so, the response explores a range of ideas, including the fragility of just-in-time supply chains and lack of investment in stock reserves in the UK, the trade-offs between efficiency and resilience in supply chain management, and the importance of developing local supply chains to achieve carbon neutrality targets, reduce dependencies on fossil fuels, deliver a Just Transition, contend with the ripple effects of Brexit, and counter depopulation in rural and island communities.

In response, the letter outlines a number of recommendations, including the development of a Supply Chain Management Tool to help optimise the flow of materials across borders and through entry choke points, the strengthening of relationships between all levels of government and business through shorter/local supply chains, and the establishment of an independent Foresighting Centre to enable assessment of future risks and preparedness.

RSE advice paper, Scotland’s supply chain (235KB, PDF)