Dennis Anderson on supply chain
From First, Middle, Final Mile: Dennis Anderson Speaks at Home Delivery World | ArcBest · · ArcBest
“These increasing demands and expectations have created a heightened sense of urgency for everyone involved in the supply chain. Being sufficient is no longer enough. This has led the transportation industry to explore opportunities to optimize networks, capacity and strategic partners in a more fluid manner.”
On , Dennis Anderson, Chief Innovation Officer at ARCBEST CORP, spoke about supply chain during First, Middle, Final Mile: Dennis Anderson Speaks at Home Delivery World | ArcBest on ArcBest.
About Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson, chief customer officer (and later chief innovation officer) at ArcBest, has spoken about the accelerated shift to e-commerce and home delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a September 2021 presentation at Home Delivery World, he stated that the pandemic had accelerated the shift from physical stores to digital shopping by about five years, citing an IBM U.S. Retail Index, and that retail e-commerce in the second quarter of 2020 was up nearly 45% year over year. He described final-mile delivery as "an essential solution" for omnichannel consumers and said that "home delivery is no longer an added convenience or a novelty" but "a part of daily life." Anderson emphasized that ArcBest offers a full suite of logistics solutions covering the supply chain from first mile to final mile, and that the company is focused on creating technology to make it easier for customers to do business. In a separate September 2021 podcast interview, Anderson discussed the growing relevance of supply chain leadership, saying that supply chain professionals are gaining unprecedented focus from the C-suite and that executives now view supply chain as "a competitive weapon" rather than just a cost center. He noted that volatility has always been a fixture in logistics but that recent cycles have become deeper, and he argued that companies should invest in flexibility rather than relying solely on lean, just-in-time supply chains. Anderson also described his role as chief customer officer as a new position at ArcBest that year, responsible for sales, customer service, marketing, and other customer-facing functions tied to company strategy. He observed anecdotal evidence of a shift from urbanization to de-urbanization, with businesses and individuals relocating from major cities to places like Texas.