Our supply chain risk management work helps a company see supply disruptions coming instead of suffering them. The idea is simple: identify the points where the chain depends on a single link (a supplier, a material, a region) and decide, with a clear head, how to reduce that dependency where it is truly dangerous. Managing risk is not about securing everything; it is about securing what matters.
The problem it solves
Many companies discover their weak points at the worst moment: the day the sole supplier fails, a material runs short or a lead time doubles. The cost is not only the incident itself, but the knock-on production stoppage or missed delivery. Without a map of dependencies, the risk stays invisible until it materializes.
What makes it worse is that dependencies build up unnoticed over time: a supplier that was once one of several becomes the only one, out of convenience or for a price advantage. No one decides this deliberately; it just happens. That is exactly why it pays to examine the chain in quiet times and name these silent single dependencies before a failure makes them painfully visible.
Our approach to supply chain risk management
We map the critical dependencies in your chain, then rank them by impact and probability. For the risks that warrant it, we design concrete countermeasures: dual sourcing, strategic stock, supplier contract clauses, fallback plans. Under the Two-Layer Model (leadership decides the plan; operations execute it), deciding which risks to accept, which to cover and at what cost belongs to the decision layer; implementing those choices in purchasing and planning is the execution layer. Our article on dual sourcing illustrates one of these countermeasures.
Our guiding principle is that you can only protect what you have first made visible. As long as dependencies stay implicit ("we have always worked with this supplier"), the risk is neither seen nor addressed. So we start by naming the single points of failure, then concentrate effort where an incident would hurt most, rather than spreading attention across the whole supplier base. A countermeasure has a cost; it is only justified by a real, high-priority risk. This sorting, done ahead of time rather than in the rush of a crisis, is what turns a vague worry into a controlled action plan.
The deliverables
- A map of critical dependencies (suppliers, materials, regions).
- A ranking of risks by impact and probability.
- A targeted countermeasure plan for the priority risks.
- Early-warning indicators that let you anticipate rather than react.
Who it is for
For manufacturing or distribution companies whose operations stop when a supply stops, and for those whose chain has grown more complex or more international without risk management keeping pace. A major project, strong growth or a recent incident are typical triggers. Companies that depend on imported components, materials in tight supply or a handful of key suppliers get the most value from it, because their operations are the first to stop when a link gives way. Better to map these dependencies in advance than to discover them the day the line stops for lack of one part.
The first step
A free 45-minute session helps pinpoint your most dangerous dependencies. No commitment. Simply naming together the few suppliers and materials without which your operations stop already shows where to act first, and makes the biggest vulnerabilities tangible for everyone involved.
Frequently asked questions
What is supply chain risk management?
It means identifying and ranking the critical dependency points in the chain, then putting targeted countermeasures in place to secure supply.
Do you have to cover every risk?
No. You cover first the risks that are both likely and high-impact; trying to secure everything would spread effort thin and cost too much without targeting the real danger.
Which triggers justify this work?
A chain that has grown more complex or more international, strong growth, a major project or a recent supply incident.