Since the outbreak of the contagious virus SARS-CoV 2, also known as COVID-19, governments worldwide have been implementing new policies and measures in order to control the rampage number of COVID-19 cases and avoid sanitary system crashes due to an overload of patients. Despite the positive effects of the new policies in containing the spread of the disease, the newly adopted measures also have impacted our society socially, politically, and economically. Because of them, numerous firms working in different industries were forced to restructure their value chain to adapt to the new reality and still operate. An interruption in the production of medicines or food, for instance, would mean a collapse of mankind. Considering this new scenario, this thesis seeks to analyze the value chain of food companies in different countries, the potential disruptions experienced by them due to COVID-19’s effects, and the strategies implemented by the food firms in hopes of coping during the pandemic period. Furthermore, emphasis is given to three specific trends such as the implementation of new disruptive technologies (Industry 4.0), and the relocation and reshoring (bringing back outsourced activities to home) of value chain processes during the pandemic crisis. The data for this thesis was collected through an online questionnaire posted on LinkedIn groups exclusively created for senior and intermediate managers of food companies across the world. The findings show that 95% of the firms in the survey witnessed disruptions in their value chain since the outbreak of coronavirus, having the loss of customers and poor logistics performance of suppliers as the most experienced ones. Moreover, the reconfiguration of facilities, temporary closure of production sites, and the implementation of new health and safety protocols were the strategies most adopted by the respondents. Regarding Industry 4.0, less than 15% of the firms implemented any of them. Similarly, less than 10% of the firms in the survey confirm to have relocated or reshored value chain processes since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Even though these numbers can be interpreted as irrelevant, they might indicate the beginning of a trend that will extend for future years. The narrowed number of participants and the multiple kinds of food firms in the survey might distort the outcomes found. For this reason, new studies and research with regard to reshoring, Industry 4.0, and COVID-19 are necessary so these topics can be addressed more properly and reflect the current reality of global food value chains.
Dallo scoppio del virus contagioso SARS-CoV 2, noto anche come COVID-19, i governi di tutto il mondo hanno implementato nuove politiche e nuove misure per controllare il numero smisurato di casi di COVID-19 ed evitare crolli del sistema sanitario dovuti a un sovraccarico di pazienti. Nonostante gli effetti positivi delle nuove politiche nel contenere la diffusione della malattia, le nuove misure adottate hanno anche avuto un impatto sociale, politico ed economico sulla nostra società. A causa loro, numerose aziende operanti in diversi settori sono state costrette a ristrutturare la propria catena del valore per adattarsi alla nuova realtà e continuare a operare. Un'interruzione nella produzione di medicine o cibo, per esempio, significherebbe un collasso dell'umanità. Considerando questo nuovo scenario, questa tesi cerca di analizzare la catena del valore delle aziende alimentari in diversi paesi, le potenziali interruzioni da esse vissute a causa degli effetti di COVID-19 e le strategie implementate dalle aziende alimentari nella speranza di far fronte durante il periodo di pandemia. Inoltre, viene data enfasi a tre tendenze specifiche come l'implementazione di nuove tecnologie dirompenti (Industria 4.0) e, il trasferimento e il reshoring (riportare a casa le attività esternalizzate) dei processi della catena del valore durante la crisi pandemica. I dati per questa tesi sono stati raccolti attraverso un questionario online pubblicato su gruppi LinkedIn creati esclusivamente per dirigenti di aziende alimentari di tutto il mondo. I risultati mostrano che il 95% delle aziende nel sondaggio ha assistito a interruzioni nella loro catena del valore dallo scoppio del coronavirus, con la perdita di clienti e le scarse prestazioni logistiche dei fornitori come i più constatati. Peraltro, la riconfigurazione delle strutture, la chiusura temporanea dei siti produttivi e l'implementazione di nuovi protocolli di salute e sicurezza sono state le strategie più adottate dagli intervistati. Per quanto riguarda l'Industria 4.0, meno del 15% delle aziende ne ha implementato qualcuna. Allo stesso modo, meno del 10% delle aziende nel sondaggio conferma di aver trasferito o reshored i processi della catena del valore dall'inizio della crisi del COVID-19. Anche se questi numeri possono essere interpretati come irrilevanti, potrebbero indicare l'inizio di una tendenza che si estenderà per gli anni futuri. Il numero ristretto di partecipanti e i molteplici tipi di aziende alimentari nel sondaggio potrebbero distorcere i risultati trovati. Per questo motivo, sono necessari nuovi studi e ricerche in materia di reshoring, Industria 4.0 e COVID-19 affinché questi argomenti possano essere affrontati in modo più appropriato e riflettere la realtà attuale delle catene del valore alimentare globali.
Le catene globali del valore alimentare al tempo del COVID-19: interruzioni e implicazioni durante il periodo della pandemia
FERREIRA AMÂNCIO, RENATO
2021/2022
Abstract
Since the outbreak of the contagious virus SARS-CoV 2, also known as COVID-19, governments worldwide have been implementing new policies and measures in order to control the rampage number of COVID-19 cases and avoid sanitary system crashes due to an overload of patients. Despite the positive effects of the new policies in containing the spread of the disease, the newly adopted measures also have impacted our society socially, politically, and economically. Because of them, numerous firms working in different industries were forced to restructure their value chain to adapt to the new reality and still operate. An interruption in the production of medicines or food, for instance, would mean a collapse of mankind. Considering this new scenario, this thesis seeks to analyze the value chain of food companies in different countries, the potential disruptions experienced by them due to COVID-19’s effects, and the strategies implemented by the food firms in hopes of coping during the pandemic period. Furthermore, emphasis is given to three specific trends such as the implementation of new disruptive technologies (Industry 4.0), and the relocation and reshoring (bringing back outsourced activities to home) of value chain processes during the pandemic crisis. The data for this thesis was collected through an online questionnaire posted on LinkedIn groups exclusively created for senior and intermediate managers of food companies across the world. The findings show that 95% of the firms in the survey witnessed disruptions in their value chain since the outbreak of coronavirus, having the loss of customers and poor logistics performance of suppliers as the most experienced ones. Moreover, the reconfiguration of facilities, temporary closure of production sites, and the implementation of new health and safety protocols were the strategies most adopted by the respondents. Regarding Industry 4.0, less than 15% of the firms implemented any of them. Similarly, less than 10% of the firms in the survey confirm to have relocated or reshored value chain processes since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. Even though these numbers can be interpreted as irrelevant, they might indicate the beginning of a trend that will extend for future years. The narrowed number of participants and the multiple kinds of food firms in the survey might distort the outcomes found. For this reason, new studies and research with regard to reshoring, Industry 4.0, and COVID-19 are necessary so these topics can be addressed more properly and reflect the current reality of global food value chains.È consentito all'utente scaricare e condividere i documenti disponibili a testo pieno in UNITESI UNIPV nel rispetto della licenza Creative Commons del tipo CC BY NC ND.
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https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14239/2591