We are in a world where the unexpected happens and things change fast. Following two years of COVID and lockdowns, we now have war in Europe, high inflation globally, the energy crisis, shortages of raw materials and, most likely, recession in some parts of the world. In our new Three Questions interview series, Thomas Muthny, GELITA’s Global Vice President Central Supply & Operations Planning, explains how we are tackling these supply chain challenges to ensure uninterrupted business for customers and suppliers alike.

Do GELITA customers have to fear supply bottlenecks?

While we don’t know what supply disruptions may still lie ahead – we’ve all seen how quickly political and economic situations can change – it is our goal to minimize interruptions to our customers as much as possible. Having a huge global supply network, strong relationships with our partners and over 20 international sites of our own that work co-operatively and collaboratively, we can quickly adapt our production portfolio when demand changes in a market or region, with customers assured of the same quality wherever our supplies come from.

Will the supply situation get back to normal?

Overall, I would say yes – but what is the new normal? I don’t think things will be the same as they were before COVID, with customer focus now increasingly on carbon footprints, sustainability and more localised sourcing and selling. So it’s becoming more important for us to sell products in the region where the raw material was sourced, and to invest in new plants in locations that make the most sense from a supply-chain perspective.

How is GELITA future-proofing the supply chain?

We’ve been improving our deliveries to reduce CO2 emissions and freight costs for ten years now. With intercontinental shipments, this means identifying the shortest route from production to customer and delivering direct where possible. We’re also constantly looking for new suppliers and, in the longer term, will incorporate alternative protein solutions into our portfolio. Improving the accuracy of our forecasting now enables us to guarantee customers a four-week frozen horizon in which no operational changes occur, ensuring a smoother, reliable supply – in these difficult times, having a reliable partner definitely helps.

• Thomas Muthny began working for GELITA 38 years ago, after graduating with a specialism in controlling and marketing for industrial companies. He has been Global Vice President Central Supply & Operations Planning since 2005.