The Great Supply Chain Podcast

In this candid discussion about pharmacy inventory management, Tecsys’ Cory Turner is joined by Chris Jellison, vice president of Pharmacy at Parkview Health, a not-for-profit, community-based health system serving northeast and northwest Indiana. Chris began his career as a pharmacy technician, worked in a surgical ICU pharmacy and has held several roles in the leadership team at Parkview. In his current role, he oversees the strategic direction of the health system’s pharmacy operations.  Drugs continue to be a costly and complex asset to manage, representing significant operational and financial upside when done right. While some health systems are integrating supply chain principles and practices into their pharmacy operations, others are challenged by friction between supply chain and pharmacy. With a network of 10+ hospitals and integrated physician practices, Chris lends insight into how Parkview Health has evolved its pharmacy supply chain operation to meet modern demands.  In this episode, Chris and Cory examine the clear intersection between pharmacy and supply chain, what an integrated approach to pharmacy inventory management looks like and what benefits can be achieved by taking control of the pharmacy supply chain. 

In this episode of the podcast, we’re joined by Joe Vernon, Principal, Business Consultant at EPAM Systems, who is focused on the adoption of emerging technologies, and by Mark Delaney, VP of Industry Strategy, Retail and CPG at FourKites, who is widely regarded as a leading technology futurist with expert knowledge of the retail technology ecosystem.   Analyst firm Gartner listed digital supply chain twinning as one of 2022’s supply chain technology themes and in today’s market, we are increasingly hearing of distributors and retailers utilizing this technology. In this conversation, Tecsys’ Maryah Merchant and her guests examine the concept of digital twinning (creating a virtual mirror of reality), how it works and the impact it has on the supply chain in distribution and retail.  Our panelists discuss the impact of digital twinning across a range of industries, examine how to implement the technology and measure its effectiveness, as well as make process improvements by running digital simulations.  

We welcome to the podcast Joe Dudas, executive vice president of Operations at Inspirity Health Partners and division chair at the Mayo Clinic, whose dual role provides him with sharp and applied insight into managing volatility in the healthcare supply chain arena. The conversation provides us with a pragmatic framework that prioritizes patients and navigates disruption.  With ‘resiliency’ earning top spot in the minds of most supply chain practitioners these days, we wanted to understand what resiliency looks like from an operations standpoint. Together with Guy Courtin, Joe unpacks a new ‘triple constraint’ in the relationship between supply, demand and volatility, while getting a glimpse into their ProMat 2023 on-floor seminar.    Drawing on Joe’s wealth of experience, this episode provides guidance for healthcare supply chain practitioners and other high cost of failure sectors in developing a strategy that assumes volatility, seeks balance and pursues continuous improvement. 

Joining us for the first time on the GSC Podcast are two supply chain experts in warehouse automation and robotics, Ram Gopalakrishnan, founder of Bricz, and Eugene Demaitre, editor of Robotics 24/7 and warehouse robotics authority. The conversation helps us unpack the impact of automation on the industry and how it is changing the ways we do business.  In 2022, a surge in interest in automation gave companies leeway to evaluate their opportunities and choose the right solutions for their needs. As we picked Ram and Eugene’s brains as practitioners and specialists, we looked into the state of the industry, investments and technologies, while getting a glimpse into their Promat 2023 on-floor seminar.   Supply chain practitioners want to make well-informed decisions, but with ever-expanding options in the market, it’s noisy out there. This episode highlights the state of the industry and fills in some of the most common information gaps. 

We are joined by Mark Bentler, chief financial officer at Tecsys, and guest co-host Guy Courtin, vice president of Industry and Advanced Technology at Tecsys. Together, we discuss ongoing economic volatility, a possible recession, and how these conditions are likely to impact distribution and supply chain-oriented businesses. We will explore ways to shore up a strategic defense against this new layer of supply chain disruption.  If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that supply chains are often too fragile and too reliant on ‘business as usual’; that investments need to be made for long-term success. Our conversation touches on the economic slowdown, the types of investments that can boost supply chain resiliency, and how to identify opportunities and risks in your current environment through a ‘supply chain audit’.  With the help of guests Mark Bentler and Guy Courtin, we underline key strategies and supply chain software functionalities that will help supply chain operators make smarter decisions when things get bumpy.  

In this episode, we explore the challenges and opportunities that retailers are bound to encounter when implementing OMS solutions. Together with two of Tecsys’ subject matter experts, David Mascitto, Retail E-commerce Supply Chain product marketing manager and Neeta Garg, delivery director for Retail, we lay out a blueprint for unified commerce and the technology needed to support it.  Over the last decade or so, digital and hybrid shopping have forced retailers to take a closer look at how well their supply chain and order management processes are suited to meet the demands of the modern-day consumer. This discussion touches on pressure points in the retail industry, the role of OMS solutions, and how to navigate the ups and downs when implementing this type of solution.   Our guests, David Mascitto and Neeta Garg, present an integration framework to facilitate and expedite an OMS implementation. They delve into mounting consumer demands, the capacity for supply chain to meet those demands, and how B2C experts can prepare for a successful OMS project.   

In this episode, we jump into a conversation between Tecsys’ Maryah Merchant and Janick Coulombe, vice president of Finance and Administration at A.M.G. Medical, a leading Canadian distributor of home healthcare and medical professional products.   There is a resurgence of the decades-old term ‘digital transformation’, and companies like A.M.G. Medical are leaning into that resurgence through investment into modern SaaS-based technology, allowing them to scale and adapt to business-critical complexity and financial reporting. Focused around A.M.G. Medical’s recent ERP investment, the discussion explores the challenges and opportunities involved by embarking on digital transformation and how an ERP keyed into the form and function of a distribution organization can help drive business objectives.   Our guest, Janick Coulombe, shares her insights to shed light on A.M.G. Medical’s digital transformation journey thus far and offers perspective on how business leaders may embark on such journeys within their organizations. 

In celebration of National Healthcare Supply Chain Week this month, we curated some of the best clips from our healthcare focused The Great Supply Chain Podcast conversations. This episode is chockfull of healthcare supply chain insights and expert perspectives that are sure to inspire and engage.  The healthcare supply chain is different from most other supply chains because of the unique challenges presented by clinical priorities and quality patient care. Regulatory requirements, supply volatility and intensifying complexity are driving healthcare supply chain leaders to shift from tactical excellence to strategic excellence. In this episode, we dive into inventory visibility and traceability, clinically integrated operations, cross-functional collaborations, data integrity and more.  Our guests, Betty Jo Rocchio, Hays Waldrop, Dr. Randy Bradley and Carrie Gorman, offer insights into the foremost obstacles and achievements in the healthcare supply chain today. Join us as we revisit the perspectives and key takeaways from some of this industry’s most respected thought leaders.  

In this episode, we jump into a conversation between Tecsys’ Maryah Merchant and Todd Boone, director of product management at Fetch Robotics, the Zebra Technologies subsidiary that pioneered on-demand automation, to examine how to make smarter and more informed automation technology decisions.  Warehouse automation is evolving at breakneck speeds, and it’s daunting to think about the kinds of robotics that are rolling into mainstream distribution environments. To unpack what is on the horizon in the warehouse robotics space, Todd shares his insights on the impact that automation is likely to have on the distribution and 3PL industries, and what to consider when looking at autonomous mobile platforms and technologies (AMR). Learn about warehouse design components to consider when looking at automation, the challenges and how to overcome them.  Our guest, Todd Boone, identifies the opportunities ahead and the hurdles to anticipate in automating both greenfield and brownfield warehouses, providing practical advice for those designing a one to five year warehouse automation roadmap. 

This on-location episode features Dr. Randy V. Bradley, an associate professor of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, who explores the evolving role of distributors in healthcare supply chain.  Dr. Bradley has countless years of experience and a Ph.D. in Management of Information Technology (IT) and Innovation from Auburn University. Today, his research is showcased in more than 100 articles across the web. In this episode, we touched on parts of his research and unpacked the challenges that healthcare supply chain leaders have been (and will be) facing. He shares how data can be repurposed for more value and the kind of technology needed to move forward.  Our guest, Dr. Bradley, does a fantastic job dissecting the opportunities and challenges in the healthcare supply chain and where we must refine our distribution strategies to meet rising expectations. 

This episode features Aveline Sodji, university lecturer and Tecsys’ new principal UX designer, who draws on her more than 15 years in the fields of IT and user experience to explore the purpose of UX in logistics and supply chain, and its effect on pickers, vendors, and organizations that implement software into their everyday tasks.  Is the software you need to do your job enjoyable to use? Is your experience positive? With more and more digital natives in the competitive labor market, enterprise software UX in logistics is an increasingly important dimension of workforce attraction, satisfaction and retention, especially in the supply chain. That’s where Aveline comes in. At the intersection of persistent curiosity and data, Aveline describes how the ultimate in enterprise UX sophistication is intuitive, seemingly obvious design that delights the user.  Our guest, Aveline Sodji, does a remarkable job of translating complex processes into intuitive workflows for all those involved. Join us as we indulge in the world of UX design in supply chain, and its role in countering some of the major challenges of modern supply chain operations.   

In this episode, we chat with Matt Gunn, a veteran supply chain technology executive and thought leader with a professional background that includes Slync.io, Llamasoft and Infor. We discuss the logistics and fulfillment landscape from a people, process and technology perspective in the context of post-pandemic recovery.    Most of us are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it’s been a long and dark one for many companies involved in logistics. We explore how interconnected our supply chains are and how our stewardship over them must be mindful of potential blind spots and bottlenecks. We then converse on how important it is that as things normalize, we must heed the lessons of these last few years and address root causes through transformation.     Our guest, Matt Gunn, provides sensible insights into the state of logistics, the long-tail impact of COVID, and how supply chain organizations are well-advised to use the lessons of the pandemic to better futureproof their operations. 

On location at MODEX 2022, we connected with Jim Brownell, partner in the GO5 consulting practice for warehouse robotics and automation company GreyOrange, to discuss the evolving role that robotics are playing in the supply chain fulfillment cycle.    With over 40 years of experience in the supply chain technology sector, Jim is a wealth of information with a keen sense of how innovation will translate into pragmatic business value. As automation technologies cross over from early adopter to mainstream, we investigate emerging use cases, practical applications for robotics in the warehouse and beyond, and some of the unintended inefficiencies that automation and robotics introduced at customer sites in early implementations.  The robotics industry is exceptionally noisy right now; but our guest, Jim Brownell, does a remarkable job of filtering out the noise and providing sound advice to paint a pragmatic picture of the automated warehouse sector to come. 

Featuring Hays Waldrop, we explore the unique collaborative dynamics of the healthcare supply chain, some of the more prevalent issues facing health systems today, and what healthcare leaders across the country are doing to address both lingering and emerging challenges.  Hays is founder and president of The Institute of Healthcare Executives and Suppliers, The Council of Supply Chain Executives and The Council of Pharmacy Executives and Suppliers. His 25 years of experience and deep ties to healthcare executives provide him with shrewd insight into best practices and emerging trends, which he shares with Adam and his guest co-hosts, Cory Turner, CMRP and Bill Denbigh. Drawing from those executive focus group conversations, Hays delves into topics like labor shortages and wage flares, data standardization, automation, sustainable transformation and more.  Our guest, Hays Waldrop, captures the national discourse around healthcare supply chain, and conveys the lessons learned, perspectives, strategies, and tactics of major IDN and regional hospital executives alike in this candid and thoughtful exchange.   

Featuring Nabil Malouli, digital supply chain evangelist and VP of Global E-commerce at DHL, this special extended episode gives a glimpse into the changing e-commerce order profile, omnichannel fulfillment strategies, micro-fulfillment and hyperlocal fulfillment, and its impact on the evolving role of third-party logistics providers.  With many years of experience in the world of e-commerce, Nabil helps DHL meet next generation supply chain expectations through fast and sustainable solutions. Together with Guy Courtin, Bill Denbigh and Adam Polka, Nabil touches on the changing role of the warehouse, keeping pace with fulfillment expectations, robotics and their impact on contemporary labor challenges, and the role of the gig economy in modern fulfillment.  Our guest, Nabil Moulali, shares his powerful insights on what adaptation looks like in today’s digital commerce ecosystem, and how companies of every size are poised to take advantage of that shifting landscape.