Cisco retains top spot in Supply Chain Top 25

Cisco Systems has once again secured the number-one spot in analyst firm Gartner’s annual Supply Chain Top 25. Colgate-Palmolive is in second place and Johnson & Johnson is listed third. In fourth and fifth position are Schneider Electric and Nestlé, respectively. There are also four new entrants in this year’s ranking: Dell Technologies, Pfizer, General Mills and Bristol-Meyers Squibb.

“In our seventeenth edition of the Supply Chain Top 25, we saw organizations continuing to deal with the effects of COVID-19 on their businesses. Therefore, resiliency and agility capabilities became essential to survive,” states Mike Griswold, Vice President Team Manager at Gartner. “Our ranking highlights companies that possess these strategies and other differentiating capabilities.”

The top-ranked company, Cisco Systems, is an American multinational that manufactures and sells a wide variety of network equipment for large companies, mainly in the telecom industry. Strong revenue growth, strength in environmental, social and governance (ESG) initiatives, and recognition of leadership in the community opinion polls drove Cisco to the top spot for the second consecutive year, according to Griswold.

Masters in supply chain

Gartner introduced an additional ‘Masters’ category in 2015. To be considered Masters, companies must have attained top-five composite scores for at least seven out of the last ten years. All of last year’s Masters – Amazon, Apple, P&G, McDonald’s and Unilever – qualified for the category again this year.

“During times of disruption, these companies continue to lead by example and provide advanced lessons for the supply chain community,” adds Griswold. “The Supply Chain Top 25 offers a platform for insights, learning, debate and contributions to the rising influence of supply chain practices on the global economy.”