Professor Jan Godsell, Dean of Loughborough Business School and Director of the UK SCALE Centre, opened the discussion by examining how supply chain decisions directly affect financial outcomes and organisational resilience.
“Too often, the principles of good supply chain management are sacrificed to protect the share price,” Professor Godsell explained. “We need to close the gap between the perception of a well-run supply chain and the reality of one."
"We must rethink how analysts and leaders assess output, performance indicators, planning, buffers and payment terms – because financial health and supply chain health are fundamentally intertwined.”
Building on this theme, Professor Spyros from the Zaragoza Logistics Center shared insights from the fashion industry, showing how business strategy and supply chain design must work hand in hand to deliver both agility and profitability.
Using Zara as a case study, he illustrated how near-sourcing, smaller production batches, and rapid replenishment have enabled the brand to respond to fast-changing customer demand while minimising waste and maintaining strong margins.
Continuing the conversation, Professor Federico Caniato from the Politecnico di Milano examined how financial practices such as extended payment terms can undermine resilience across global supply chains. He outlined the growing role of supply chain finance (SCF) – tools like invoice discounting, payables finance and ESG-linked funding – which can improve access to finance for smaller suppliers and strengthen the overall health of supply networks.
Together, the speakers highlighted the importance of aligning financial strategy with supply chain design and decision-making, ensuring that resilience, productivity and sustainability go hand in hand.
Learn more about the importance of supply chain finance and resilience, watch the full webinar now.