On Wednesday, Gartner released its annual ranking of global supply chains, which identifies leaders in the field and highlights their best practices.
In the 16th edition of the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25, we retained our spot in the exclusive ‘Masters’ category. This recognises companies that have attained top-five composite scores for at least seven out of the last ten years.
The ranking essentially looks at overall business and corporate responsibility metrics, how peers from other companies rank each other, and how Gartner analysts also view and rank these companies.
Gartner introduced the Masters category in 2015 to acknowledge sustained supply chain excellence. The category includes just four other businesses: Amazon, Apple, P&G and McDonald’s.
This year – according to the analysts who compile the list – our Masters status was secured by our agility in planning, use of digital technology in sourcing and purpose underpinning everything we do.
They also recognised our response to Covid-19, highlighting our repurposing of factories to make hand sanitisers, donating €100 million in products, making available €500 million of cash flow relief for small and medium-sized suppliers and customers, and protecting jobs.
In a message to all employees who work in the function, our Chief Supply Chain Officer Marc Engel wrote: “I hope you feel proud of this recognition which is testament to each one of you and your continued hard work and commitment in times of normality and in times of crisis. I am very grateful to be part of our world-class supply chain team.”
About the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25
The Supply Chain Top 25 ranking comprises two main components: business performance and opinion. Business performance in the form of public financial and ESG (environmental, social, governance) data provides a view into how companies have performed in the past. The opinion component offers an eye to future potential and reflects leadership in the supply chain community. These two components are combined into a total composite score.
Mike Griswold, VP Analyst at the Gartner Supply Chain practice, says: “With substantial amounts of the economy closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leaders need an agile strategy that allows the supply chain organisation to sense and respond to changes in the business context as they happen. Our ranking highlights companies that possess these strategies and other differentiating capabilities.”
Read more about the Gartner Supply Chain Top 25 for 2020.