It’s hard to believe this has come already, but today we had our last company visit for our time here in Cyprus. We visited with GAP Vassilopoulos group, a logistics and management company that offers a wide range of services and operates in many different industries. The goal of GAP is to offer a complete package of services for the trading communities of Cyprus and around the world. Dr. Vassilopoulos, one of the three sons of the company’s founder, spoke to us about many of the companies GAP owns or partners with to provide these services, accounting for the entire supply chain for many products. For example, GAP is involved with the monetary transactions that begin the process of fulfilling orders through the supply chain, as it operates many European branches of the Western Union financial services company. GAP also manages ports, airports, and ground transportation for products to be shipped where they need to, including operating Cyprus’s division of UPS. Additionally, GAP manages logistics needs for the UN military forces in Cyprus’s Limassol port, owns two hotels, many insurance companies and has begun to even provide water treatment services for Cyprus’s beaches.

In addition to telling us about all of the areas in which GAP does its work, Dr. Vassilopoulos was also very insightful when talking to us about the many supply chain aspects and concepts the company considers when forming partnerships and operating together with these partners. One of the most important aspects of a good supply chain, he claimed, was a clear visibility for all of its movements. It is very important for GAP and any part of the supply chain to be able to look at any other part and be able to tell exactly what is occurring on a day to day basis. This helps to improve both the trust and efficiency for the supply chain from a customer standpoint, and in turn can also keep costs down. Dr. Vassilopoulos also brought up another interesting point when talking about the COVID pandemic. He told us that this period taught that efficiency can not be the only priority when managing a supply chain, and agility must also be of high priority to avoid future operations disasters like that one. This agility comes in the form of supply chains that can be altered significantly in a fast manner to avoid delays, by incorporating more safety stock and faster modes of transportation, for instance. While purely efficient supply chains have been successful, it seems that in this age they may be a thing of the past.