Trade Secrets

In this episode, we embark on a detective story to uncover how rows and columns became the invisible backbone of commerce—and why that's both amazing and terrifying.  We meet Natalia, a supply chain professional who shares a spreadsheet before-and-after story that’s a real glow-up. Then we meet Chris, a managing director at Accenture who's helped companies pivot from drowning in cells and formulas to making productivity gains as AI-powered innovators. As we journey from copy-paste disasters to AI-powered futures, we discover that while spreadsheets gave us the world as we know it, getting the world we want will require breaking up with static cells and evolving to intelligent systems.Guests:Chris McDivitt, Managing Director, AccentureNatalia Sawka, SAP S4 HANA Venture - Process Manager of Plan to Manufacture, InfineumArticles mentioned and additional resources:Making Autonomous Supply Chains Real - AccentureSpreadsheet errors can have disastrous consequences, yet we keep making the same mistakes – The ConversationTwo-thirds of companies consider Excel a supply chain system – Supply Chain DiveTwelve dudes and a hype tunnel: Scenes from the ‘Super Bowl for Nerds’ – The New York TimesCredits:Introductory sound clip from “Full Project in Excel | Excel Tutorials for Beginners” by Alex The Analyst is licensed under CC BY 3.0.Production by Josh CaldwellAdditional support from Carlos Gama, Suhas Sreedhar, Stefanie Gordish Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Every industry has its trade secrets, but the most fascinating secrets of all? Those lie in the hidden networks that power global trade itself: supply chains. Welcome to Trade Secrets, the podcast that unveils the hidden world of supply chains and their critical role in the global economy. In each episode, we’ll explore how these powerful, global systems reveal answers to today’s most pressing questions like, how does a trapped ship disrupt global commerce? Or how much of our modern world runs on spreadsheets? Along the way, we speak with everyone, from Fortune 500 executives to planners, to better understand how supply chains connect us all and keep the world’s trade systems running smoothly. Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

How do you operationalize sustainability in the semiconductor industry where rapid innovation and faster product life cycles add ever-changing complexities to the supply chain?For Michele Dumais, Manager within the Supply Chain Management practice at Deloitte Consulting, it’s all about driving data, collaboration, and ensuring supply chain practitioners are involved in strategic planning. Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, VP of Industry Outreach and Thought Leadership at Kinaxis, joins Michelle to discuss the challenges of improving sustainability within the semiconductor industry. They discuss practical strategies to incorporate sustainability into existing capabilities and processes, the evolving role of AI in harnessing data and how everyone from engineers to suppliers can make an earth-friendly impact.Michelle says one of the biggest challenges semiconductor organizations face when it comes to embracing sustainability is properly managing big data throughout the different supplier tiers to address the biggest sources of emissions. It becomes especially tricky on a global scale because there are different ways to collect the data and questions regarding standardization. [06:15]Michelle says that it’s particularly difficult for semiconductor organizations because scope 3 emissions usually occur outside of a supply chain’s internal operations, but the good news is companies are starting to review the data through advanced dashboards for increased visibility, and AI can help create suggestions on how to best use that data to move toward sustainability goals. [8:53]To begin operationalizing sustainability initiatives, Michelle states that companies should begin with four main areas: getting the right data; alignment with their internal team to work towards a sustainability strategy that isn’t siloed; assess their capabilities and update processes; and look at readiness in terms of having the right talent, processes and technology in place. [12:55]To hear more from Michelle and Polly about navigating sustainability challenges in the semiconductor industry, listen to our Big Ideas in Supply Chain Podcast.To learn more about the work Michelle is doing at Deloitte Consulting, you can follow her on LinkedIn. Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

As the world moves forward into 2024, it’s an opportune time for supply chain professionals to continue making even more positive marks on their organizations. A number of supply chain trends were discussed in this panel discussion featuring Mary Byrne, Vice President of Supply Chain at Cardinal Health, Liz Coddington, CFO of Peloton, Gus Shahin, CIO at Flex and Professor Morgan Swink from Texas Christian University cohosted by Kinaxis Board Member, Angel Mendez and Kinaxis Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Anne Robinson.Mendez shared his top 10 challenges supply chains faced in 2023: COVID-19 “hangovers”; a lackluster macroeconomy; persistent inflation; higher cost of debt with higher interest rates; an increasingly complex geopolitical environment; companies attempting to move their footprints away from Asia in a “deglobalization” trend; labor tensions in certain industries; climate effects; continued emphasis on sustainability and ESG; and a “technology renaissance resting on AI.” Byrne talked about how her organization’s customers and partners are seeking more predictability in supply, while the supply chain itself must remain flexible. To create more resilient and responsive supply chains, conversations about technology and transformation will be important. [00:05:15]Sustainability can attract younger generations to supply chain careers, addressing a key need for 2024: strong talent. Swink says students are drawn to “changing people’s lives for the better.” [00:28:37]Coddington believes AI presents great opportunities in 2024 Companies who figure out how to leverage their own team with machine learning/AI to improve processes, use automation in more efficient and effective ways and better forecast demand will have competitive advantages.In terms of advice, supply chain professionals can continue to bridge different strategies and collaborate with partners and other parts of the business, be agile “athletes” ready to respond to changes and new trends quickly. Of course, it’s then critical that they communicate well at the ELT level to influence and educate. [00:44:59]For an in-depth discussion of these topics and several others, listen to our Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.To learn more about our guest panelists on this episode, follow them on LinkedIn:Mary ByrneLiz CoddingtonGus ShahinProfessor Morgan Swink  Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

As supply chains continue to evolve in a post-pandemic landscape, many supply chain practitioners are wondering how to best stay on top of trends. In today's competitive environment, knowing how to deliver the right product the right way and being able to optimize data and analytics could make or break your organization. In this podcast, Mohan Sodhi, Professor of Operations & Supply Chain Management at the Bayes Business School at the City University of London, and Jayashankar Swaminathan, Professor of Operations at the University of North Carolina, join Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss how to bring innovation to the forefront of your organization so you can optimize supply chains for the future.Mohan says that the biggest opportunities in supply chain innovation depend entirely on how much change is required within your supply chain. If you’re keeping your supply chain constant, then new innovations like AI or predictive learning technologies can be used to enhance it, making it more effective and efficient. However, some companies are being forced to shift their processes due to changing consumer habits. He uses music as an example to explain how products may stay the same, but the delivery method could change, highlighting how we went from tapes, to CDs, to MP3s and now streaming. [5:19]Keeping up with innovation isn’t easy for chief supply chain officers that are focused on day-to-day executions. Jay explains that there are a lot of opportunities to explore and get started at universities, or even online learning courses like Coursera. He also recommends having a business case or pilot put in place to determine the value of embracing innovation by solving a real problem. Jay states, “if you want to be successful at innovation you need to try a lot of things. 75%-80% of attempts will fail but you shouldn’t lose heart.” [17:01]Looking towards the future of supply chain innovation, Mohan says most of the students he teaches are interested in digital technology like AI, blockchain, and creating a start-up model. Jay says he’s seen a significant shift with his students who were once interested in the global aspect of supply chain and are now looking closer at digitization and making the supply chain more responsive. [19:53]To hear more from Mohan, Jay, Angel, and Anne about embracing innovation for a futuristic supply chain, watch our Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.To learn more about the work that Mohan is doing at the Bayes Business School at the City University of London, you can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.To learn more about the work Jay is doing at the University of North Carolina, you can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.   Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Want to know what it takes to manage an integrated supply chain that delivers a continuous supply of life-saving medicine around the world? In this episode of Big Ideas in Supply Chain, Elisabeth Kaszas, VP of Global Supply Operations at Seagen, joins Allen Jacques, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, to discuss the importance of demand planning processes and tackling rapid growth during product launches. Gain insights on Seagen's transformation journey and learn why seamless data exchanges within the biopharma industry can reduce lead times to improve patient access to innovative therapies. Seagen develops life-saving medicines using ADC (Antibody Drug Conjugate) technology, which targets and destroys select cancer cells. Elisabeth joined their team three years ago while they were in the midst of launching three major products. These launches created exponential growth within the company, creating new opportunities to scale up operations and understand the demand signals needed for production plans, supply plans, and distribution capabilities. [5:18]Elisabeth worked vigilantly to prepare Seagen as they faced incremental growth. To do this, she knew they needed to remain agile and create more robust roles, responsibilities, and processes to ensure they would be able to sustain the volume and complexity of their products. Additionally, she had an integrated business planning process put in place to gain better end-to-end visibility. [7:51]One of the biggest challenges faced at Seagen is long lead times, a topic that many supply chain practitioners are familiar with. Elisabeth states that making life-saving therapies takes time – and safety stock buffers – to try to stay ahead. She also believes there have been a lot of improvements over the past 20 years thanks to the help of advanced analytics and digital tools that have helped her gain improved insights into their end-to-end times to see where inventory is taking the longest. [18:12]To hear more from Elisabeth and Allen about the vital role of advanced planning and the complexities of supply chain planning in biopharma, watch our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.Learn more about Elisabeth Kaszas and the work she’s doing at Seagen by following her on LinkedIn.  Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

It might be tempting to tackle everything all at once when you’re digitally transforming your supply chain, but our experts at Jamieson Wellness know otherwise from experience. In the latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast, Andre Teixeira, VP of Global Supply Chain, Raymond Khan, Senior Director of Supply Chain Center of Excellence and Network Operations, and Steve Mailloux, Director, Supply Chain Planning, join Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, to discuss the importance of using a crawl, walk, run approach when transforming your supply chain. They discuss the tools, processes, and capabilities needed to become more agile and competitive while sharing their insights on how the role of planners will change. Andre explains that the key to the crawl, walk, run approach is to the start with the basics. As the supply chain team at Jamieson Wellness began its digital transformation, they took the time to evolve their process with a clear vision in mind: having the best service, the best working capital, and the best efficiencies in their plants. With this goal, they were able to select the right tools to enable them to get there. [2:18]Steve attributes a lot of their success to the training that the supply chain team at Jamieson Wellness conducted. They were previously using a 23-year-old MRP system, which meant a lot of adaptability was required from leadership and their teams. Steve says that the training itself was adaptive and varied, offering learning opportunities ranging from live to offline, and working with smaller groups. They used this opportunity to gain valuable feedback so they could update their training strategy on the fly which helped move their crawl, walk, run process forward. [5:07]Andre said that Jamieson Wellness started seeing results as soon as a month after implementing the digital transformation and putting their forecasting accuracy KPIs in place. Forecasting accuracy improved exponentially, and they were able to have more robust discussions with their sales partners. Steve says they saw instant benefits on the supply planning side, specifically in raw material pegging and capacity levelling. [14:14]To hear more from Andre, Raymond, Steve, and Matt about transforming your supply chain with the crawl, walk, run method, watch our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.Learn more about Jamieson Wellness and the work their experts are doing by following Andre on LinkedIn, Raymond on LinkedIn, and Steve on LinkedIn. Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Operationalizing sustainability is critical as most carbon emissions in companies are found within the supply chain. As new pressures emerge to reduce environmental impacts, supply chain practitioners are eager to know how their organizations plan to address these issues. Deborah Dull, Vice President and Global Supply Chain Sustainability Leader at Genpact, and Josué Velázquez Martínez, Director, Sustainable Supply Chain & LIFT research Labs at MIT, join Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, VP of Industry Outreach and Thought Leadership at Kinaxis, to discuss how making sustainability operational provides critical data to inform business and supply chain decisions that fuel growth while making a positive impact on the planet.Deborah is currently working on introducing carbon data into planning and operational systems to build carbon knowledge (also known as carbon intuition) into a supply chain professionals’ day-to-day life. This will give them a better idea of their supply chain’s current environmental impacts. She says, “We often know what the cogs are of something or how long it takes a container ship from China to the Port of LA, but we don't know the carbon emissions of that lane.” [9:02]Josué says a major challenge for companies looking to solve sustainability by following aggregate methods to estimate emissions may not be making the best decisions based on that information. He says it’s important to look at the big picture to provide strategic solutions involving accurate metrics and transparency. [11:44]When looking towards the future of sustainability both Deborah and Josué are optimistic. Deborah says achieving sustainability within the supply chain is possible because the tools exist to do it and supply chain practitioners are experts at problem solving. Josué says sustainability isn’t just a simple problem that needs to be solved now – it’s an issue that we need to resolve for the future. He encourages supply chain practitioners to keep their eyes open for vulnerabilities within their supply chains that may make it unsustainable. [19:10]Explore more about the work Deborah is doing at Genpact by following her on LinkedIn. Discover more about Josué’s work at MIT by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

AI has been a hot topic for supply chain leaders thanks to emerging trends like ChatGPT. With new opportunities on the horizon, C-suite executives are questioning what happens next and how AI will impact the supply chain. Kevin O’Marah, Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer at Zero 100, and Pascal Van Hentenryck, Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Director of AI4OPT, join Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss groundbreaking AI methodologies and research tested insights in the latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast. AI is creating a lot of new opportunities in the supply chain, allowing practitioners to address time constraints, plan, and solve problems faster. Pascal says a lot of these opportunities aren’t yet possible, but AI will help us get there thanks to optimization and advanced learning systems. [3:15]Without good data, optimization and machine learning isn’t possible. However, Kevin and Pascal agree that it may not be an obstacle to implementing AI. Kevin suggests starting with a problem rather than attempting to clean all the data you own to determine where your pain points are. Pascal suggests using data augmentation and forecasting tools to make assumptions. [14:07]Overregulation may cause regulatory barriers that could prevent progress in AI. Kevin states that it may not be something that can be properly enforced, while Pascal says that there are technologies that already exist for privacy management. He mentions that technology and policy issues need to merge. [23:29]To hear more from Kevin, Pascal, Angel, and Anne about AI in supply chain, watch our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.Explore more about the work Kevin is doing with Zero100 by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter. Learn more about Pascal’s work at Georgia Tech and AI4OPT by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter. Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Supply chain disruptions and shifts in ESG requirements have changed how companies are operating, making it more important than ever to use the right tools and processes to reach resilience, profit, and sustainability goals. Peter Bolstorff, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Business Intelligence at ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management), joins Allen Jacques, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, to talk about staying ahead in this changing landscape. As part of this discussion, they explore the revamped SCOR DS (Supply Chain Operations Deference Digital Standard), a digital, open-access model providing methodology, diagnostic and benchmarking tools so organizations can make rapid improvements in supply chain processes. Peter talks about changes adopted in SCOR DS to address today’s challenges, including the need for bi-directional, concurrent supply chain orchestration and new metrics that account for resilience, profit, and sustainability. [3:10]Peter discusses the idea of resilience, and how the supply chain can improve an organization’s ability to be resilient. He speaks about two dimensions to resilience: operational resilience (being faced with disruption and needing to respond immediately) and strategic resilience (processes that allow you to learn from this situation, add it to a playbook, and be more resilient and agile in future responses). He also talks about the importance of balancing both dimensions to operationalize resilience. [7:25]Peter touches on the trends that supply chain professionals should be focusing on. For the first time they’re seeing a substantial shift, with a dominant theme of using AI to be more sustainable. [16:31]Upcoming events:To learn more about concurrent planning, you can find Kinaxis at the “Innovation Lab: Concurrent Planning with Kinaxis” session at the ASCM Connect 2023: North America event at 9:30 am – 10:30 am at Louisville, Kentucky between Sep 11-13, 2023.To learn more about SCOR DS and Integrated Business Planning, you can find Peter and Allen at their cohosted session at the ASCM Supply Chain Tour at 9:30 am - 5 pm at Anaheim on September 26, 2023.Registrations are now open! Get your tickets today and use the promo code KINAXIS for $100 off for either event. Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Sustainability is a topic at the forefront of every stakeholder, company, and consumer’s mind. As regulatory practices become stricter and companies strive to hit their ESG sustainability targets, driving supply chain innovation is now more important than ever. In the latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast, Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, speaks with Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss Colgate-Palmolive’s bold approach to reducing environmental impacts and improving social and climate justice. Ann says she doesn’t see how companies can move forward and achieve sustainability without supply chain innovation. Organizations need to be ready and willing to tackle sustainability at Scope One, Two, and Three because carbon emissions and social impact exist at every step of the supply chain. [5:34]Colgate-Palmolive has three ambition pillars to help them tackle sustainability: driving social impact, helping millions of homes, and preserving the environment. Their flagship program, Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, brings oral health and hygiene to children globally and they’re constantly designing more sustainable products. [8:19]Smaller organizations that want to become more sustainable should begin by doing a materiality assessment and mapping out what’s important and relevant for stakeholders and what’s important for their business to determine which priorities should be tackled first. Ann states that one approach is to adopt environmentally conscious behaviors across operations that can save money. For example, more efficient boilers, heat exchangers, and other equipment of that nature are more sustainable and can even reduce the amount of water or heat used. [15:12]To learn more about the speakers and follow them, see below:Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer, Colgate-PalmoliveLinkedIn handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-tracy-35648711Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer, KinaxisLinkedIn handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-robinson-449225/Twitter handle: @agrobins Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

S&OP is a crucial and essential process within the supply chain – but only if companies are willing to upgrade their existing capabilities so it can deliver on its promises. In our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain video podcast, Bram Desmet, CEO of Solventure, and Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, discuss what organizations can do to improve their decision-making processes by using new technology, working collaboratively, and balancing service, cost, and cash. Bram states that a typical S&OP process can take four weeks or more – by the time this information makes it to the decision-making process, the data is already too old to use. To remedy this, Bram says using new technology like AI, as opposed to outdated applications like Excel, and removing siloed work can make a significant difference. [3:42]Bram says that S&OP is more crucial and essential than ever when it comes to balancing service, cash, and cost – but for it to be successful, companies need to upgrade their material maturity level. Bram states that the ideal standard level that all companies should operate under is maturity level 5, which means organizations are connected to key customers, key suppliers, and can make value-based decisions. [9:13]S&OP is continuously updating, which is why Bram believes the process shouldn’t be limited to monthly meetings. S&OP should be reviewed using real-time data so latencies can be removed, and forecasting can be conducted with robust analysis. [18:25]To learn more about the speakers and follow them, see below:Bram Desmet, CEO of SolventureLinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bramdesmet/Twitter handle: @bram_desmetPersonal website:  www.bramdesmet.comMatt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at KinaxisLinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spoonermatthew/  Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Impacted by constant supply chain disruption, one of the biggest challenges in the electronics industry is forecasting demand both upstream and downstream. Lynn Torrel, Chief Procurement and Supply Chain Officer at Flex, joins Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to explore how to forecast demand more accurately by pairing contextualized data with external demand signals and applying a layer of analytics and AI to get actionable, real-world insights.Lynn talks about the balance of resiliency and cost in supply chain. She speaks to   different customers needing different solutions and how Flex is ready to support those decisions through global scale and scope. [6:24]Lynn also discusses the disconnect between supply and demand in a post-COVID world. While customer expectations have begun to shift, many suppliers continue to operate as they did throughout the pandemic. Lynn states that the old ways of forecasting demand aren’t sufficient and that accurately and providing information to organizations about what constraints could happen in the future is a necessity.  [15:12]Lynn talks about the True Demand Coalition, which is a new group of 25 member companies working together to share access to better data (global market impacts, macroeconomics and other information) with the goal of improving demand forecasting accuracy to mitigate future supply chain disruptions. [21:22]To learn more about the speakers and follow them, access their LinkedIn profiles here:Lynn Torrel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynntorrelAngel Mendez - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angel-l-mendez-98288Dr. Anne Robinson - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-robinson-449225 Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Eaton is a leader in power management technologies that solve complex electrical and industrial issues around the world. They’re also leaders in innovation when it comes to its supply chain. Rogerio Branco, Executive Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer at Eaton, joins Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss Eaton’s commitment to innovation, diversity and inclusivity in the latest episode of our Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.The pandemic put a spotlight on certain supply chain realities that needed to change, and Eaton realized some of its traditional supply chain planning processes and tools were no longer efficient. To channel new ideas, the company turned to its global supply chain team of 4,000 associates and created an incubation lab with a physical location that’s also virtual. According to Rogerio, anyone in the company can bring ideas forward and if it meets their goals and criteria, those ideas will be validated and tested in real applications. [2:08]Eaton also strives to be a model of diversity and inclusivity as a company. Rogerio states it’s taken very seriously, noting that 60% of Eaton’s board and 35% of its global supply chain team is diverse. Additionally, they offer company-wide initiatives to bring in suppliers that are owned by women, minority groups, and LGBTQ+. Rogerio states that this dedication to diversity helps improve innovation within the company because everyone gets to have a voice to provide input in a safe space where they’re free to incubate new ideas without judgement. [9:33]You can learn more about supply chain innovation at Eaton by watching the full episode here: https://big-ideas-in-supply-chain.simplecast.com/episodes/supply-chain-innovation-at-eatonTo learn more about the speakers and follow them, access their LinkedIn profiles here:Rogerio Branco - https://www.linkedin.com/in/rogerio-branco-12598aa Dr. Anne Robinson - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-robinson-449225 Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Generative AI applications such as ChatGPT are waking people up to the potential of AI, and some C-level executives are wondering how it could augment the way supply chain practitioners can solve complex issues requiring ideation and decision-making. Mike Watson, faculty member at Northwestern University and Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, VP, Industry Outreach & Thought Leadership at Kinaxis, speculate how ChatGPT could refine data, impact productivity, and empower practitioners to develop more efficient supply chains. Mike says the recent popularity of ChatGPT has piqued the interest of many C-level executives who are now starting to think seriously about AI and the value it can add in terms of increasing business and individual resource productivity. [5:12]While many people fear job loss when it comes to adopting AI, Mike feels optimistic that this new technology will assist rather than replace many roles in the industry. For example, a supply chain planner or data analyst might not be able to code, but with the help of Generative AI, they may be able to produce a code that can automate certain tasks. [10:32]Mike states there is a lot of potential for generative AI within the supply chain including tasks like automation and the possibility of creating a ChatGPT based application focused solely on supply chain solutions. However, Polly points out that AI lacks context, collaboration, and conscience, which all prevent it from making complex, informed decisions – which still require a human judgement. [17:21] Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

One of the biggest challenges of any Supply Chain Officer is convincing CEOs to invest in resilience. As supply chain practitioners face ongoing disruption while trying to solve for transformation and short-term financial benefits, it’s become clear that supply chains need to be more agile and responsive. In our latest video podcast, Mike Corbo, former Chief Supply Chain Officer at Colgate-Palmolive joins Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss lessons learned from leading during times of disruption, the value of investing in resilience, and how supply chain leaders can promote revenue growth. Mike saw a lot of changes during his 40 years at Colgate-Palmolive. One of his biggest challenges during his time as Chief Supply Chain Officer was the COVID-19 pandemic. Although COVID created drastic developments, Mike says the company survived this period of disruption thanks to the supply chain planning risk management playbook Colgate-Palmolive had developed a decade prior. Mike says the global supply chain organization had back-up supplies and multiple alternate suppliers they could pivot to while validating new sources in record time, to help them manage the immediate impacts of the pandemic. [8:27]To expedite planning processes during the pandemic, Colgate-Palmolive also made the choice to cut their hierarchy of decisions for efficiency, avoiding bottlenecks and reducing reaction time from 60-90 days to only 7-8 days. [10:00]During times of supply chain crisis, Angel says there are three key questions: what is the expected duration, how impactful is it, and how wide is it? Unfortunately, with COVID, these questions were unanswerable due to its global severity with no end date in sight. Because of this, approaching the boardroom about an investment in resilience raises the conversation to a very strategic level. Mike says the key is to balance cost efficiencies and resiliency, which can be done by building resilience into supply chain decisions. [16:14] Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

As the world continues to face challenges from pandemic-related disruptions to potential global recessions, it is now more important than ever to equip supply chain planners with the tools and knowledge they need to respond to crisis. Blaine Fitzgerald, Chief Financial Officer at Kinaxis, and Jim Bralsford, Sr. Director of Industry and Solutions Marketing at Kinaxis, discuss the benefits of long-term planning, diversifying costs and minimizing financial impact to business while preparing for the future.Blaine states that while some geographies such as US, Japan and parts of Europe have gone in and out of recession, there are other financial indicators such as the inverted yield curve that could imply that the recession isn’t over yet. This means organizations still need to take proactive measures to reduce the impact of recession and inflationary pressures on supply chains. To help companies accelerate out of a slow-growth period, Blaine recommends thinking of the supply chain as a strategy center and not just as a cost center; investing in digitalized planning solutions; engaging in short-term vs long-term supply chain planning and diversification of cost. [5:53]Blaine also talks about the independent academic research that analyzed the financial performance of about 700 companies (including Kinaxis customers) across different industries over the last 3 years. The results showed that financial metrics improved in companies that used a digital supply chain planning solution, with average growth revenue of 3.62%, vs peers that didn’t use a supply chain planning solution, where growth shrunk by 5.77% on revenue. The results of this study have solidified and elevated the rank of supply chains as a strategic function with direct impact on financial success, in the eyes of boards and executives. This pivotal shift is a key learning from the pandemic and recession that CFOs and CEOs cannot overlook going into future business planning. [10:37]To learn more about Blaine Fitzgerald, Chief Financial Officer, Kinaxis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/blaine-fitzgerald-71a07972, Twitter: @Blaine_FitzTo learn more about Jim Bralsford, Sr. Director, Industry and Solutions Marketing, Kinaxis: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbralsford/ Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Join Tariq Farooq, former SVP Global Supply Chain at Sanofi, as he speaks with Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, about how the COVID pandemic and subsequent shortages have caused boards and executives to re-evaluate the importance of the supply chain. They discuss why the supply chain has risen to the top of the corporate agenda, and why it is now essential not just to think about tradeoffs in terms of cost, cash and service, but also to include resilience and environmental impact in the equation.Summary points:Recent supply chain disruptions that have stemmed from the pandemic have changed the way that boards and executive teams look at and consider the supply chain. According to Tariq, many consumer-packaged goods (CPG) companies, as well as high-tech companies are beginning to recognize the important role that the supply chain plays. As a result, C-suite executives are bringing more supply chain topics to the table. (2:00) The perception of the importance of the supply chain hasn’t grown just among C-suites, but also among the average person as consumers aren’t seeing what they want on shelves. Supply chain disruption has become a challenge across many industries. Some supply chain leaders insist that resilience is important – but that it must also be cost neutral. Tariq states that, while cost is important at any time, there has never been a higher need for resilience than now. While many organizations were previously cutting down on costs by doing things like mono-sourcing, in an age of disruption, many companies, especially large-scale ones, are forced to multi-source to maintain efficiency. Tariq states, “The challenge really becomes how do you shift from where you have been, where cost efficiency might have been the primary objective to being in a situation which is more balanced as we move ahead. […] I think increasingly what they'll be doing is leveraging some of the efficiencies that come because of digitalization, because of automation, because of all the great talent that's been developed across supply chains and the supply chain networks that they establish to offset some of those incremental risks.” (8:00) In the past, supply chain professionals were focused on trying to balance the triangle of service, cost and cash. Tariq states that as we move forward, this triangle will look more like a pentagon where you’re trying to balance service, cost, cash, environmental impact and resilience. (8:50)Click here to follow or know more about the speakers:Tariq Farooq - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tariqfarooq/Matt Spooner - https://www.linkedin.com/in/spoonermatthew/ Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

In this series debut, Anne and Angel share their thoughts about the supply chain renaissance and pandemic disruptions. Specifically, the lessons that we can learn from living through such a disruptive period and what supply chain practitioners can do to prepare for a tumultuous future. Join them for a discussion about  the importance of organizing lessons learnt from the supply chain triage, emphasizing innovation and delivering results.Intro to guestAngel Mendez is a supply chain expert, transformational leader, and visionary with nearly 40 years of experience. He is joining Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, as a guest host in a new series of our Big Ideas in Supply Chain video podcasts. Watch now as they discuss the importance of lessons learned from the pandemic, embracing disruption and creating innovation for the future.Summary pointsAs part of the new Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast series, Angel Mendez is joining Dr. Anne Robinson as a new cohost. Angel is a supply chain expert, transformational leader and visionary with nearly 40 years of experience. Angel is passionate about bringing big ideas forward and sharing his expertise.The COVID pandemic created significant disruption in supply chain, which continues to be felt today. Angel believes that there are a lot of valuable lessons that supply chains can take away from managing mass disruption, and it’s important to collect and codify what was learned during this time to prepare for an uncertain future. [1:20]Many supply chain practitioners are wondering what can be done to ensure the effects of disruption aren’t felt to this level of magnitude again. Angel argues that this is an unfair question due to the current unstable environmental and economic landscape. [3:20]It’s important to take advantage of the crisis and disruption we faced so we can become stronger and benefit from it at the end of the day – so how do we embrace it? Angel suggests that one solution is for the vendor community and practitioner community to come together to figure out how to harness change, and digital transformation can assist with this collaboration. Another suggestion is to continue accelerating innovation because we need more agile and adaptable solutions for an uncertain future. [8:00]Angel states that a supply chain renaissance began in the early 2010s thanks to the explosion of cloud services and the ability to be API driven, which spurred a period of innovation. [8:00] He mentions that the pandemic forced this innovation to pause, but now, to counter the effects of this disruption, innovation has started to accelerate once again to make sure we’re prepared for a tumultuous future. Anne and Angel believe that a great way for organizations to encourage this is to create a formal innovation team. [10:00]Speaker BiosClick here to follow Dr. Anne Robinson https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-robinson-449225Click here to follow Angel Mendez https://www.linkedin.com/in/angel-l-mendez-98288/ Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.

Andre Teixeira, VP of Global Supply Chain at Jamieson Wellness, joins Anne Robinson, Chief  Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss Jamieson Wellness’ bold approach to operationalizing sustainability. Watch now to learn how Jamieson Wellness has become a leader in sustainability by leveraging data to make better economic and environmental decisions.Andre believes that everything that moves across the globe is supply chain driven, including people, goods, and resources from the earth. Because of this, decisions need to be made by looking at the environment and social aspects tied to economics. “Just by its very nature, supply chains are consumers of the earth’s natural resources. So, anything we can do to improve the supply chain is ultimately in service of humanity and in service of Mother Earth.” – Kinaxis CEO John Sicard, quoted by Anne Robinson (3:37)Jamieson Wellness has a commitment to the planet, people and its communities. Its targets include reducing plastics by using recyclable plastic in 50% of its packaging, reducing 75% of its landfill and bringing sustainable raw materials to its products.Andre believes that the secret to augmenting the S&OP and IBP processes with sustainability lies in data. Supply chains, by nature, are constantly monitoring KPIs, benchmarks and information which should be leveraged to make better decisions holistically. Explaining what this might look like from a practical perspective, Andre explains, “So, when you have a bill of materials with products and descriptions, and quantities, how about having the environmental impact of those items in your bill of materials? How are you projecting your YOY, projecting your inventory levels today? We look at units, we look at dollars. How about projecting your carbon emissions with your level of sales, with your forecasting? And you are going to get that level that I have clarity on where I am and what kind of scenarios, we can use to mitigate those carbon emissions that I foresee.” (8:10) Kinaxis is a global leader in modern supply chain management. Our software is trusted by global brands in every industry to provide the agility and predictability needed to navigate today’s volatility and disruption. For more news and information, please visit kinaxis.com or follow us on LinkedIn.