Cisco Systems has topped Gartner’s annual Supply Chain Top 25.
Cisco Systems climbed five places to reach number one, with Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Schneider Electric and Nestlé completing the top five.
Mike Griswold, vice president analyst with the Gartner Supply Chain practice, said: “Cisco’s revenue growth, strength in environment, social and corporate governance [ESG] and recognition of leadership in community opinion polls drove the move up from the fifth position in 2019 to the top spot today.
“Its ESG focus includes the circular economy, with the goal of having 100% of new Cisco products incorporate circular design principles by the financial year 2025.”
Six new firms joined the top 25 in 2020: Lenovo, AbbVie, British American Tobacco, Reckitt Benckiser, Biogen and Kimberly Clark.
The ranking is based on business performance and leadership in the supply chain community.
Key trends to emerge in 2020’s supply chain leaders included purpose-driven supply chains, highlighted by firms pivoting to manufacture critical medical equipment, business model transformation, and the early and frequent adoption of digital technology, Gartner said.
Griswold continued: “With substantial amounts of the economy closed due 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.”
All of last year’s “Masters” – Amazon, Apple, P&G, McDonald’s, and Unilever – qualified again for the category this year. Gartner introduced the masters category in 2015 to recognise “sustained supply chain excellence”. To be considered masters, firms must have attained top-five composite scores for at least seven out of the last 10 years.
“The Masters continue to demonstrate advanced lessons for the supply chain community,” Griswold added.
The 2020 Gartner Supply Chain Top 25
1. Cisco Systems
2. Colgate-Palmolive
3. Johnson & Johnson
4. Schneider Electric
5. Nestlé
6. Pepsico
7. Alibaba
8. Intel
9. Inditex
10. L’Oréal
11. Walmart
12. HP Inc
13. Coca-Cola Company
14. Diageo
15. Lenovo
16. Nike
17. AbbVie
18. BMW
19. Starbucks
20. H&M
21. British American Tobacco
22. 3M
23. Reckitt Benckiser
24. Biogen
25. Kimberly Clark
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