Predictions for the 2022 Cleaning Product Supply Chain Uncertain

As any commercial cleaning company can tell you, 2021 continued to be a challenging year regarding cleaning product supply chains. Predictions as to whether 2022 will be any better are hard to come by.

Supply chain experts agree that the global economy may suffer if products are not able to move more freely and predictably around the world. New technology can help with this process. Michael Wilson, vice president of AFFLINK, a distributor-member organization, offers ideas on supply chain predictions and trends to look for next year:

• Autonomous vehicles will become more commonplace in the supply chain in 2022 as they prove their value in reducing costs and improving logistics. Wilson believes self-driving trucks will likely be more widespread than self-driving cars in the next year or two.
• Although most drone deliveries in 2021 went to consumers, drone delivery to business and industrial sectors will grow significantly in 2022.
• Robots, which have already been moving into the supply chain industry for several years, will play a greater role in the supply chain starting next year due to the costs of robots coming down and technological advancements increasing.  
• Sustainability has been a supply chain trend for a few years, but with the recent Glasgow 2021 climate change conference, expect sustainability to play an ever-greater role in the supply chain, for instance through electric-powered trucks.
• Expect greater collaboration between suppliers and distributors in 2022. “Ironically, the many supply chain issues we experienced this past year have brought suppliers and distributors closer together,” said Wilson. “They realize greater cooperation can help cut costs, improve deliveries, address evolving end-customer needs, ride out tough times, and enhance sustainability.”