Unstable weather patterns upend cos' best-laid plans

Erratic weather patterns, including unseasonal rainfall, mild winters, and heat waves, are disrupting the business operations of major consumer goods firms.

- Suneera Tandon

The current summer season, for example, has been unpredictable, marked by intermittent rainfall and periods of intense heat waves.

The unpredictable weather trends are making it hard for cooling appliance makers to plan their inventory, said Anuj Poddar, managing director and chief executive of Bajaj Electricals Ltd.

"For seasonal products, you do not want to be left with an inventory, especially at the end of the season, because it sits with you for a year. So, we plan for it, and then we see unseasonable rains in March. So, we slowed down our April production schedule, but then demand came back strongly in May; then suddenly, in May, we were out of stock," Poddar said.

The solution for this, Poddar said, is to plan more in real time and use data to help better predict demand. "From duction and livelihoods.

Such events also threaten the availability of daily food products such as wheat, fruits and even coffee. As a result, companies are working hard to mitigate the impact of climate change to protect raw materials used to produce processed foods and beverages consumed by billions globally.