Michael Proffitt, the former CEO of Dubai Logistics City (DLC), marked his return to Dubai today by issuing a call for senior management at every company to pay closer attention to their supply chains.
“Supply chains right now are a high focus for every firm, and will always be. Is supply chain excellence on the executive agenda? It is fundamental that CEOs ‘own’ their supply chains, or that the issue of logistics is at the forefront of business thinking at the boardroom level,” Proffitt stated.Â
The executive, who expressed his pleasure at being back in the emirate for the first time since last year, was speaking at the Supply Chain & Logistics Group (SCLG)’s Strategy Summitt, which took place in Dubai today. During a presentation entitled ‘Bottlenecks in the Supply Chain’, he commented that the supply chain was ultimately driven by customer service, as companies are using it to sell products.Â
In a wide-ranging presentation, Proffitt insisted on the importance of risk management, and claimed that while he believed the concept itself was justified, “the jury was still out on 4PL”. He also warned companies to focus on cash management, remarking that: “while companies can make a loss for any number of years, you can only run out of cash once”.
In addition, the former DLC CEO reiterated his faith in the future of Dubai as a global logistics location.
“I have a total belief that Dubai has the ability to become the leading infrastructure hub in the world,” he stated.