🪱 Maggots represent our Supply Chain
🤯 Seriously, this blew my mind
Hi, it’s Daniel Barnes and Welcome to World of Procurement where I explore developments, challenges, and technology in Procurement and Supply Chain.
I’m always on the lookout for the weird and wonderful when it comes to supply chain. I just didn’t expect to be met with such an opportunity whilst preparing for a fishing trip.
Maggots. That's the point of discussion today. The baby fly, the creatures that consumes the mess at the bottom of your wheelie bin if something leaks and thousands appear from the warp, and the creature that dines on bad flesh to heal you (I mean...it did in the past before modern medicine).
How does this little creature have anything to do with Supply Chain?
Two weeks ago, I went into my local tackle shop, bait box in hand, excited to get my hands on 2 Pints of Maggots. The kids love it when I bring them home so they can see them wriggling around. The fish love them. My partner's friend almost fainted as I opened the box to show here the ones I managed to buy. But I was only able to buy them "because I'm a regular customer".
That's what John, the owner of the fishing tackle shop said. This piqued my intrigue. I asked what was going on. He told me there was a Maggot Shortage. Really...a Maggot shortage. How?
It was too hot.
The flies didn't lay eggs.
The limited number of Maggot farms in the UK lost all "production" over a 2 week period.
Energy prices are too high to use cooling units in the Maggot Farms.
And yes Maggot farms are real, although in decline.
Sellers of these Maggots restricted the sale to all customers.
Some customers got more.
Some got less.
The tackle shop owners had a dilemma. Who would they sale this precious cargo to? Would it be the person they've never seen before? Or would it be the person they see frequenting their shop on a regular basis - a.k.a their customer of choice?
You all know the answer to this one.
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