The National Productivity Secretariat (NPS), Sri Lanka, hosted a face-to-face training course on Building Reliable Supply Chains, 24–28 June, in Colombo. Reliable supply chains supported by digitalization have become extremely important to remain competitive, efficient, and resilient to meet market demand. The rapid development of technology in supply chain management contributes to optimizing productivity and achieving competitive advantage.

In the inaugural address, APO Director for Sri Lanka R.P.A. Wimalaweera, Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, highlighted the importance of sustainable supply chains for smooth organizational operations. He emphasized that SMEs needed to adopt the latest concepts and technologies in supply chains to cope with the challenges posed by the AI era. NPS Head K.D.R. Olga, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Foreign Employment, also attended the opening session.

Twenty-five participants from 11 APO members completed the training course. Three resource persons from the ROC, Sri Lanka, and Thailand introduced the latest concepts of reliable supply chain management, the role of digital technologies in supply chains, and how to build and maintain reliable supply chains. A site visit to Colombo International Container Terminals allowed participants to learn about transshipping operations in supply chains.