“Many schools have seen an uptick in interest in enrollment, in supply chain management programs. Based on some of my research going back a couple of years, that’s not a new trend, but that certainly is part of the silver lining in this pandemic.”

-Scott Luton, Host, Supply Chain Buzz

In today’s episode of the Supply Chain Buzz, Scott and Greg discuss the top news in Supply Chain for the week of September 28th, 2020.

Intro (00:00:05):

It’s time for supply chain. Now broadcasting live from the supply chain capital of the country. Atlanta, Georgia heard around the world. Supply chain. Now spotlights the best in all things. Supply chain, the people, the technologies, the best practices and the critical issues of the day. And now here are your hosts.

Scott Luton (00:00:29):

Hey, good morning, Scott Luton, Greg white with you here on supply chain. Now welcome to today’s live stream. It’s another edition of the supply chain buzz, Greg, how are you doing? I’m doing well. How are you? I see that you got your hair cut or else you change your whole look just for you, Greg, just for you. I got my hair did and brought to flowers because I knew this is your day back. Um, yes, I lost about three pounds of hair. I think. Uh, now I’ve got to work on the other 30, a lot of hair. It is a lot of hair. Hey, uh, but to our audience, welcome to today’s live stream and yes, uh, you don’t need to rub your eyes. It is Greg white back in the flesh, Greg, uh, fresh on the heels of a, a wonderful sailing expedition. How was it?

Greg White (00:01:19):

Uh, it was great. It was, uh, really, really educational. So three different levels of certification. And I thought I knew sailing. Um, we made ourselves a little bit famous. We may have messed up one little thing that everyone else who was training with the company found out about instantaneously. That’s the, that’s the beauty of VHF radio, but it was great. Uh, yeah, it was, it was a lot of fun. And of course, you know, how can you go wrong, Salem? How can you go wrong? You can’t, but, well, what welcome back. Uh, last Thursday we had Kerryn and Kevin L. Jackson and Jaman, and Ehrenfried who’s who’s back with us on the live stream feed via LinkedIn. Now Aaron was dropping some major knowledge so that, but we’ll, we’ll, we’ll catch up on the replay, but Aaron, good morning. Great to have you here. And of course, Sylvia, Judy, uh, what is the lobstering without, uh, Sylvia, Judy?

Greg White (00:02:21):

So greetings to you in, uh, Charleston, South Carolina and Philippe Philippe. Uh, great to have you here once again, Philippe, remind me, you shared last week, remind me where you’re tuned in from, but great to have you so FIA so real quick. Uh, so today if you enjoy today’s live stream, be sure to check out a podcast wherever you get your podcasts from Greg today, we dropped an episode where we interviewed Sophia Reavis Herrera, and it was home run stuff when it, yeah, it was, it was great. I mean, uh, talk about an intentional kind of purpose and don’t know if everyone in the community knows this, but Sophia is quite the entertainer as well. And you get to hear about that in the show. Not only does she have incredible supply chain chops and trying to build more, but, uh, quite the talented actor and dancer. Yes. And, and, uh, director and director as well,

Scott Luton (00:03:18):

But all wrapped up into serving as a really passionate supply chain ambassador, wherever you get your podcast from, it was a pleasure to do it. Finally, sit down with Sophia, who we’ve been admiring her talent from afar

Greg White (00:03:33):

So long will follow well, uh, tuned in via LinkedIn from Kenya. Great to have you here with us Benjamin gold claying uh, who has probably recently relocated. He was driving. It seems like around, uh, the last time I was around.

Scott Luton (00:03:51):

Yes, I think you’re right. Um, Gary Smith

Greg White (00:03:55):

Tuned in via, uh,

Scott Luton (00:03:57):

LinkedIn. Great to have you Gary, the apex hall of Famer, uh, very active on the keynote circuit,

Greg White (00:04:03):

Always a ton of, of, uh, very, um,

Scott Luton (00:04:07):

Intriguing insights and practice

Greg White (00:04:10):

Back up. So great to have you here, Gary. Okay. So great.

Scott Luton (00:04:13):

We’ve got to get to work, right? These folks expect a lively and informative supply chain buzz

Greg White (00:04:20):

Alive stream. Right? We’ve got to tell them what they need to know about supply chain this week. That’s right.

Scott Luton (00:04:26):

And that’s the whole purpose of the buzz. Every, every Monday at 12 noon, we do, we conduct the live stream, the buzz via the livestream, and then we’ll produce this as a podcast, usually on Wednesdays. So in case you miss it live, you can check out the podcast or check out the hosts

Greg White (00:04:42):

Recording across these five social media platforms. Um, one other quick programming note. So Joseph Valentine is with us here today. Joe Valentine, uh, happy haircut,

Scott Luton (00:04:54):

Scott. I love that, Joe. Great to have you, Hey, heads up to our audience. We had to find an audience

Greg White (00:05:01):

Excuse, talk sports, right, Greg? Yes. We had to find an excuse. You’re right. So what many folks may not know?

Scott Luton (00:05:08):

So about Joe Valentine is he spent three seasons playing baseball at the major league level with the Cincinnati reds, who the Braves are gonna face in the opening round of the playoffs. Wednesday,

Greg White (00:05:19):

Noon. I think it’s game one, but

Scott Luton (00:05:21):

Before we even get to that tomorrow afternoon, I think we go live at 6:00 PM Eastern time. We’re going to dive in and pick Joe’s brain own his baseball, exploits and experiences. We’re gonna talk a little bit about the logistics behind baseball. Perhaps we might touch on what Joe does in the world of reverse logistics, but frankly, it’s going to be all about

Greg White (00:05:42):

An excuse to talk sports. Right? Greg, mostly I want to know whose garage he lived over when he was in the minors before he got to the majors. Yeah. But yes. Let’s. Yeah, of course. It’s just a reason to talk sports.

Scott Luton (00:05:55):

Right? So, uh, looking to that, Joe y’all tune in at 6:00 PM, Eastern Tom, especially if you love baseball, Joe played alongside two hall of Famers, Barry Larkin and kid Griffey. So, uh, you’re going to want to tune in and uh, we’re going to share together and some of these stories from, uh, major league sports and

Greg White (00:06:14):

Baseball, the only time you may hear us say supply chain might be in the title. So something like supply chain, geeks talking sports or something like that. Right.

Scott Luton (00:06:25):

Alright, hello. Eslam have tuned in via LinkedIn from Egypt. Of course. Jeff, the supply chain is the business Miller. Great to have you professor EY Mohib from

Greg White (00:06:36):

Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:06:38):

World in Wichita, Kansas. Pierre is back with us, uh, tuned in via LinkedIn. Of course he is in the Metro Atlanta area. So great to have you and yes. A couple of questions. Yes. I got a haircut. I got three pounds of hair cut off. So, you know, we had a locked down here, cut working and, and now, um, I’m walking lighter, a little skip in my step.

Greg White (00:07:00):

So did you, I mean, did you actually go someplace to get it cut? We did. Okay. Wow. That’s impressive. I, I did that, uh, I guess about a week ago, but not, not quite as dramatic. Alright. So it makes you look taller. I love it. Love it.

Scott Luton (00:07:23):

Um, all right, so let’s open with a quick review and really check this out. This really struck us when we saw this review come in and this is going to tee up the second half of the live stream discussion. So, um, this comes from Anna Mary, and I don’t know if that might be Anna Marie, but regardless she says this podcast has been a huge help for a former stay at home mom who is just now entering the supply chain world. Yeah, very cool. With only 10 months of experience in logistics and a hunger to learn about supply chain as a whole, this podcast has provided me with many resources and shed light into the direction

Greg White (00:08:02):

I want to go. You have gained

Scott Luton (00:08:04):

Faithful listener, Greg here and stuff like that. That makes my day makes my week. I mean, that’s the rewarding secret sauce as part of this journey, right?

Greg White (00:08:16):

It it’s, it’s so great to hear that because you just don’t think of it from that perspective. I guess we think of our audience, our community as mostly people who, um, are in our practice practicing supply chain now, but to know that people are getting help from that is fantastic. And I would encourage anyone to do what some of our insiders are doing is engage with the community and, and get even more learning from the community on supply chain. Now insiders agree.

Scott Luton (00:08:49):

Yeah. This was really neat to see and love seeing the conversations between whether on the live streams or, or folks getting together kind of, um, you know, own their own on the side and, and, and having those as best practice discussions. That’s, um, you know, that that’s a really rewarding part of this whole journey. So yes, Don, now that I’ve got my, now that I’m lighter, I can get up with the mountain. It’s so great to have you done. And now that you’re lighter and that it’s a little bit cooler here in Georgia, uh, by the way, the temperature has not dropped much in Florida. It’s hot down there it is. Alright, so love our reviews. We encourage you to share, uh, reviews, wherever your podcast from most of them of course come via Apple podcast, but y’all give us that feedback that helps us get better at what we do.

Scott Luton (00:09:39):

And, and it’s always nice to know, um, that folks aren’t just listening, but they’re, they’re getting better at what they do. They’re, they’re connecting the dots, they’re putting the picture together, so it’s good stuff there. Alright, so let’s dive into some of the top headlines over the past week or so, Greg, um, I wish we could start with better news, but nevertheless, we’re starting with an update from Boeing supply chain. This comes to us be the wall street journal. So Greg, if you remember, a few weeks ago, we were talking about some very large manufacturers that were paying their suppliers early, especially their upstream, smaller suppliers that keep them afloat during these challenging times, maybe even unrelated to a part, uh, aircraft insulating them from the market conditions, keeping them open and keeping the production lines moving. Right? So with the massive seven 37 max program being grounded, Boeing that have the same options at their disposal, right?

Scott Luton (00:10:41):

And as we both know, any grounded programs can be costly, especially major aerospace programs that, that if they’re up and running, they actually shift national GDP. How about that? Uh, Impresa is a California based aerospace company that supplies a seven 37 max. And it’s unfortunately declared bankruptcy like so many other companies in press and went really hard after the seven 37 max business, you know, different parts and whatnot. And as this article shares the company invested heavily in the production launch, right, getting ready to meet the demands, the forecast based on the big aircraft production numbers that Boeing before the troubles arose, you know, they had to be in position to meet these, these heavy production numbers as big as it turns out because of the grounding, the overinflated production forecast, right? The Jeanette, the GRA, the aircraft, Tom floss, but the aircraft has been grounded since early 2019, all production ceased in January, 2020, just to resume here a few months back, but at a fraction of the initial, uh, projections, right production schedule. Um, now impress a did receive paycheck production protection program funds from the federal government, but they were hoping that that would just kind of float them to when the program would be restarted kinda, uh, in mass. Uh, but unfortunately those funds VAP, uh, kinda ran out in July and after laying off 11% of its workforce, the company now has had declared bankrupt.

Greg White (00:12:21):

So, um,

Scott Luton (00:12:24):

I think we both wish that the re the current review that that is, is the, um, the Boeing is in right to get the seven 37 Mac cleared for, you know, take off. And hopefully that will impact and get production ramp back up. Hopefully that, that gets cleared up really soon. However, Greg, when I was reading this article, it took me back to, uh, my time where I worked in a metal stamping manufacturing and much like impressed and went hard after the Boeing seven 37 business. Uh, my team went hard after an outdoor products manufacturer who was outsourcing these parts that have been made internally for decades, probably for 40 or 50 years. We went hard after to get as many of the, of the appropriate and a good fit parts we could get. And to do that, we, we bid projected own on what they were estimating annual production to be. Right.

Greg White (00:13:23):

Well, we won

Scott Luton (00:13:24):

A slew of parts. I’m talking dozens of parts and after the tools and, and after production, it had moved into our facility. All of a sudden those production numbers dropped dramatically and it triggered a variety of repricing con I mean headaches, but repricing conversations, because as it, as you would expect, it is going to cost one thing to make a hundred thousand parts, it’s going to cost a whole, another thing to make 500 parts. Yeah. But that’s exactly where my mind went back. And, and, you know, we hope that impressed in the bankruptcy proceedings go well, and maybe they get a buyer that protects and, and, and, and, uh, keeps the jobs. And now you rehire some of these folks, but this is the risk that is posed to global supply chains, right?

Greg White (00:14:11):

It is. And, you know, double whammy and neither could impress a have foreseen, right. One the grounding of the aircraft, because that was caused by now, well known poor engineering and an execution on Boeing’s part. But of course, that was never known outside of Boeing. Right. Um, prior to, prior to the aircraft being grounded, and then you add to it, the sustained probably long sustained downturn of that, of the aircraft industry by 96%. Um, there’s really nowhere for them to go. And if Impresa did not have a substantial secondary business, even just to keep them, uh, cashflow positive, they really had no choice. Right. And I, you know, this does stand in stark contrast to the experience that we saw with what Lockheed was doing now, Lockheed Moore, um, military industrial complex focused than public aviation focused. Right. So maybe there’s some sustainability there, but it does make you wonder too, Scott, if you won’t see this from other suppliers and of other of either Boeing or other, um, in product, or yeah. We’ll tell him on vacation, right. Finished product producers,

Scott Luton (00:15:42):

These aircraft, they have so many thousands of suppliers, so many thousands of components, um, you know, massive, massive, uh, programs. And unfortunately, a lot of these smaller companies may be overly invested into single, you know, programs. Uh, which, which seems like reading between the lines was part of the challenge here with impressive.

Greg White (00:16:04):

It does kind of seem like that, right? Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:16:07):

But nevertheless, we’ll keep tracking the seven 37 max program. We hope he gets clear. Hopefully the problems get fixed first off and that it gets clearance so that we can, we can get it back and running and, and protecting this, the global supply chain behind.

Greg White (00:16:23):

Yeah. And that’s a good point because I’m getting passenger air freight as the CEO of Southwest said that his estimate is decades. Right. Other, other airline executives are saying a couple of years, his, uh, his estimate is around 10. So, um, this could be long sustained, which means that companies that have all their eggs in this basket or are going to be in trouble. Yep.

Scott Luton (00:16:55):

All right. So we’ve got some buttons y’all stick around. We’ve got some much better news.

Greg White (00:16:59):

Yeah. That’s the good news.

Scott Luton (00:17:02):

All y’alls takes the second half the live stream. We’re going to be focused in on own advice that all of you can share about folks breaking into supply chain and advancing and building a career. So to that point, I want to share Don’s comments here. So Don says great to see so many new people getting involved in the supply chain 2020 has provided us some great lessons and new blood and insights will go a long way in helping to make the systematic improvements needed. As we implement new technology and processes in our logistics modeling, you know, speaking of, uh, you know, we interviewed Don on veteran voices a while back and learned that he was involved, um, in aviation, I used an air force, but he also spent some time in the aviation industry. So I’d love to get Don’s take on what goes on in aviation supply. Uh,

Greg White (00:17:50):

Hello to Eric from Ecuador. Great to have you here, Bob is with us. Hello, Bob. Great to have you great to see as always, uh, Sylvia says seven 87, Dreamliner production is being moved to Charleston. Everett is closing down for the seven 97. Hm. Uh, Jeff shares multiple body blows to demand. Not only as you were saying, Greg, not only the zeroing out of new airframes, right? Huge reductions in MRO service and spare parts spend too. He also said, please don’t fly stuff. Don’t break. Right. MRO is facing enormous pressure due to the downturn. This story is largely below the radar. Pardon the pun there? Uh, let’s see. Michael says twin Haven, majority owner, looking to kick in 10 mil to keep them from going completely under that’s right, Michael. Um, and he also shares that wall street journal had an article last week about Korean air taking seats out of cabin to increase capacity for air freight.

Greg White (00:18:51):

You could go there yet. Exactly. But that’s a really good point. This, I mean, you get some of these aircraft off the ground. There is some possibility there, right? That’s right. I think there is some capacity available or some, some opportunity for capacity in the air freight market still. Yes. And some revenue for these passenger airlines. Um, gosh, we’ll probably see a lot more seats taken out before we see getting added. Imagine, imagine if for the next 10 years you could be sitting next to a box instead of an insurance salesperson. Hey, that would be a great scenario. That is right. Um, and so Aaron, I see you commenting own what helped to break into supply chain. We’re going to get to you all share in about 10 minutes, we’re going to start picking your brain on what, again, advice you give folks that are looking to really break in and advance through supply chain.

Greg White (00:19:49):

So y’all keep that feedback coming. Yeah. All right. Second story. This is a little more brief, neat story here. VSC NBC from the innovative minds over at Unilever. So Mark angle, I think is how we pronounce that. Right. Uh, we’ve talked about Mark before Mark had a quotable quote. I can’t remember what it was on, uh, Greg, but nevertheless he is Unilever’s chief supply chain officer. He says that the first mile in supply chain is typically historically difficult for large companies to gain a lot of visibility there. Right? And by first mile, uh, we’re talking farmer’s fields to processing plant. So to speak. Unilever is using a lot more technology to shine a spotlight, a bigger spotlight on that first mile, Greg, this is up your alley, advanced satellite imagery, geolocation data, advanced algorithms, all part these efforts to get a much better look at that first mile. So yeah, I see your,

Scott Luton (00:20:48):

Your wheels turning already. Greg you’re already kind of figuring out the solution. I see it. So Unilever has stated a goal, a goal of deforestation free supply chain just three years from now, 2023. And so they’re applying these technologies right now to Palm oil and soy bean suppliers. Goodness. And they see an opportunity here, Greg, this is interesting. And I want to get your take if this is in the art of the possible and if it comes to fruition. So Mark Ingle again, chief supply chain officer at Unilever says, quote, if let’s say at the top 10 or 15 fast moving consumer goods companies with similar change would join. We can all use the same photographic material. We can all use the same phone signals, but for different parts of our supply chain, then the cost becomes much bearable in quote, Greg, do you see that happening?

Greg White (00:21:44):

Well, I see that as an absolute necessity, what they probably ought to do is create a co op of sorts or a company that runs and administers that for all of those companies. And that could be its own entity, um, and facilitate this. Yeah, absolutely. I think that really that’s what they need is a neutral party, objective entity who provides that service. It’s surprising, frankly, that there isn’t somebody doing that, but it’d be a great opportunity for an investor with, with a few hundred million dollars to help them do that. Ben Gordon, um,

Scott Luton (00:22:27):

It mentions the phone signals. So in that context, they’re there, they’re assigning, they’re putting cell phone signals on trucks is one of the, as I was reading into this article and then anonymously they’re tracing where all the trucks go and, and that helps it helps them piece the puzzle together of what may be leading to deforestation versus, um, you know, knocking a few trees out for a farm versus a wide swath is what I, what I took away from that

Greg White (00:22:56):

Well that, and, and the construction equipment, and now companies like Caterpillar, Caterpillar, and Kubota and others, they provide GPS. So you can track the vehicle either with a phone signal or using GPS satellite. Some combination of those should cover just about every vehicle you can put on the road. And that kind of technology is not that difficult. I was working with a company in Canada that does that for mining equipment. Um, and the stuff is very rough and tough. I mean, it’s hard to, hard to break, and that’s a good thing as well. You know, look at this, this can definitely needs to be done. It needs to be done. Soybean production is the greatest production, the greatest contributor to deforestation on the entire. You can

Greg White (00:23:46):

Literally, and I mean, literally if you watch it from satellite imagery, you can literally watch it happening in Brazil as they strip away the rainforest to, um, create more soybeans, do not eat soybeans under any circumstances. First of all, they’re not good for you. Second of all, they are the largest contributor to deforestation on the planet. Not a pretty picture, not a pretty picture. Hey, I’ve got a couple of comments that aircraft story, um, really got folks weighing in. I want to share a couple more. So we’re going back before we go forward. What’s old is new again. So, uh, so Jeff says, I guess I call them the commies, you know, kind of a slang term for, you know, part passenger part freight, although, you know, every, I bet every plane you and I have ever written in had freight, at least in the belly, at least in the belly.

Greg White (00:24:37):

Yeah. Um, let’s see here, Herrick, uh, Erin, sorry. Say, she’d love to sit next to a box. It’d be much better than the salesperson. So, uh, Dave and great to see you here with us. Uh, but with the reduced people, cargo rates make up the difference to keep it viable. Interesting, Greg quick tank. Good point. I mean, if you can sell, if you can sell a space, the size of a seat for $500, it’s hard to, hard to beat that. I agreed. Uh, Sofia says most grounded aircraft are not expected to come back. So capacity availability of seats will be an issue in the next year as well. Good stuff there. Do you see the analyst? And then Basadur the forward looking, coming out there for fear? Uh, so we talked about how Don had experienced an aviation industry. So he shares this a bit of irony when it comes to flying aircraft.

Greg White (00:25:32):

Just about to say that the more air frames sit idle, the more problems that tend to develop much like cars that function better when operated on the highway versus a lot of stop and go. And in city driving aircraft typically are more reliable. The more they are flown. Interesting. Greg, you want to add a comment? I don’t know all the science of it, but I know that because aircraft operate at ground level and an elevation that they are built to flex like that. And when they don’t, because aluminum they’re made in large part from aluminum, aluminum becomes brittle. I only know that from breaking and mountain bike or frame or two from, um, the old days. Huh? Interesting, good stuff. Thanks for weighing in Don and David and Aaron. And of course Sophia. Um, and then one last comment before we hit our final story, which kind of leads into the discussion in the second half. So Michael says he had an accounting professor who said his hardest job was auditing cattle farms because the ranchers would, would rotate the same cattle in fields to prevent an accurate count, which translates to visibility. In first mile, you find

Scott Luton (00:26:44):

That humorous, Greg you’ve seen that happen before

Greg White (00:26:47):

As charged. That was my job as a 12 year old on the, our family ranch in Western Kansas. Wow. Okay. And the more, you know, I didn’t know why I was doing it thankfully, but now you, now you cannot get away with that because they can use drones and satellites to do those counts, but that did happen. Yes. And advanced

Scott Luton (00:27:10):

Rhythms, geolocation data, all that, all that stuff that you know, how to work a Philippe says, soybeans are also used to feed animals. And as biofuels in China, they moved from eating rice to meat, hence a rising soybean and other commodities prices for feeding the cattle, some international, uh, um, commodity traders here as part of today’s supply chain.

Greg White (00:27:36):

I love this such a big part. I mean, it is such a big part of the, uh, of the ecosystem, right. And, and the environment for sure.

Scott Luton (00:27:45):

Yup. Okay. So to, to our listeners, we’re going to kind of move, we’re going to make today’s buzz even more interactive. Uh, w w we’ll share why in just a moment, but let’s, let’s tee this up because another neat article that came to us from of course, supply chain DOB this one via Matt Leonard at supply chain dive. And it it’s all about how the pandemic is impacting supply chain education. Why wouldn’t it it’s impacting everything else. Right. So we’re all familiar with all the many ways how the pandemic has impacted global supply chain in particular how work gets done. Right. So think about how those tasks with educating future practitioners think about the problem and that the dilemma that they’re in, you know, how are they adjusting their approach based on all the blind spots that have been revealed right in the last year or so.

Scott Luton (00:28:39):

So this article really need an article. Y’all check it out. We’re going to do a very reader’s digest approach to it here. So highlights a bunch of topics that are being adjusted in programs throughout the education industry communicate. And so I’m a couple of examples that excited Greg communication, particularly priority communication approaches when it comes to things like emergency response plans, a bigger emphasis, as we all expected on risk management, right? We’ve heard that phrase once we’ve heard it 3 million times reassuring near shoring and overall sourcing shifts and what it means how to manage. And it even went further of how to, um, some of the pricing formula behind all of that. Uh, of course sustainability is gonna be more resurgent. It predicts in curriculum. And also one last thing here, there seems to be a heightened, at least in some programs, a heightened focus on agile project management versus some of the more standard approaches have been around for, for quite some time. But here’s the here’s, here’s something else that is really exciting. Many schools have seen an uptick in interest in enrollment, in supply chain management programs. I’ll bet based on some of my research going back a couple of years, that’s not a new trend, but that certainly is part of the silver lining in this pandemic. Wouldn’t you agree?

Greg White (00:30:04):

Oh, I think so. I mean, look it, if people didn’t know the football existed, they wouldn’t try to get a scholarship for it. And in college, if people didn’t know supply chain existed, they wouldn’t go that way. And now, as we’ve talked about for now, seems like forever, but six months or so, it’s in the forefront of everyone’s mind when major retail chains talk about their supply chain in their commercials when government officials and consumers and people at, at dinner tables, other than your family are talking about it. And they know what it is, uh, you know, that the, the recognition is out there. And, uh, it’s good because we are going to get more and more quality people into this area. And there are going to be slots for them because this area is going to get much more refined, much more algorithmic, much more advanced, electronic, uh, technological, uh, specific TA uh, tactical and strategic over the coming years, as, as it has come into the forefront. Yep.

Scott Luton (00:31:21):

And also a lot of deferring and new, and even water variety of points of view and approaches and mindsets, which will be great for industry.

Greg White (00:31:31):

Yeah. That focus on risk management. That is the focus of supply chain it’s than just my opinion. Risk management includes the risk of cost, the risk of loss, right. And the risk of disruption. We have to think of it that way, as opposed to think of it as try to minimize costs at all effort. And that comes from the transition of supply chain from necessary evil to strategic, um, to strategic opportunity to really being the forefront of your brand equity.

Scott Luton (00:32:06):

Yep. Good point there. I think I agree with that opinion. It’s dangerous to always agree with Greg White’s opinion, but yeah.

Greg White (00:32:14):

Dangerous to ever agree. Scott,

Scott Luton (00:32:19):

So Kula, Hey, great to have you here with us to be a LinkedIn, uh, appreciate your, your feedback there. Um, Sylvia says, Hey, here’s something for some, perhaps some members of our audience

Greg White (00:32:31):

Back in the States, by the way she is. Okay. So she got back early last week, if that’s all. So

Scott Luton (00:32:40):

She, she mentioned a couple of different, different associations and how they all have unused scholarships in logistics and supply chain management, a widely unknown fact. So that’s great to know and feel free Sylvia if you’d like to drop in some of those hyperlinks to those organizations in the comments. And we’ll try to connect the dots for folks. Uh, let’s see Barb, Hey Barb, great to have you here via LinkedIn. Hope this finds you well out in Arizona. I believe so. If, if, uh, Gigi is talking supply chain, everyone is talking

Greg White (00:33:10):

Supply chain. I’m guessing that means grandma.

Scott Luton (00:33:18):

Aaron says amen. Risk management is where we create value. Good stuff represent right. There is a segue. So the other one of the other ways our audience creates a ton of value is what they bring and what they bring to the table. Ideas, uh, content, best practices, suggestions, you name it. And this is where we’re really leaning on our audience to come in and not only speak to Jake’s question, which we’re going to read here momentarily, but also in a broader sense. So, uh, Greg, I believe this hit your inbox from a listener with named Jake, right?

Greg White (00:33:56):

Yeah. So, um, uh, I just read it right after I had gotten back from, from the trip and it was just so poignant. Uh, I thought it was a great opportunity. First of all, I wanted your opinions on this Scott and, and then I thought what a great opportunity to get the community involved and have them, uh, sound off on this. But let me just kind of read through this real quick first, uh, congratulatory for us. So I’m going to read that. I love that part. Um, so I wanted to connect after listening to the great episode with Mike Griswold at Gardner. And if you don’t know everyone, that was an episode where we talked about none of us, Scott, nor I, nor Mike Griswold from Gartner had a formal supply chain education. And, um, two of us, I think had no, uh, certifications by apex or, uh, CSMP or anything like that.

Greg White (00:34:54):

So much of the conversation spoke to my background being through the school of life in various transportation’s ops management roles, compared to all the SCM related degrees out of the high concentration of schools in the Southeast, that I will surely face in the competitive interviewing ahead. I’ve always embraced problems, enjoy getting stuff to the people. My question is, what advice can you offer on making sure soft skills do not get overlooked? I’m going to come back to that soft skills thought real quickly in a sec, especially coming from a recent nonprofit work period with limited technical application use slash experience when there’s so many different systems often listed as required prerequisites. So Scott, that PR not, not this thing, but particularly that last sentence, you’re far more capable of assessing that than I am. Cause I don’t know how headhunters and recruiters and HR people, I don’t know how they screen. I know that sometime it, sometimes it can be a little bit rigid, right?

Scott Luton (00:35:58):

Well, you know, when I read this, when you shared it and we were baking into today’s show, my brain went to a couple of bullet points, um, to Jake’s question specifically, in terms of how, how can he really lean on the soft skills where he has, I think maybe a more compelling case to, to win a job. Um, and you know, as I’m thinking about that, Greg, I think about, um, you gotta put a plan together, right? You gotta put a plan together for each of the conversations and the conversations between the conversations. Right. Um, I think in my experience, a lot of folks, um, don’t necessarily put a plan together for their interview is as strange as it may seem. And, you know, if you can formulate one, you can make sure you accentuate all of your, um, put your best foot forward, basically.

Scott Luton (00:36:49):

Right. And, and, and so when I think of when I think of soft skills and, and these may not all be perfectly, um, soft skills, but if you think about how you have previously marshaled resources, right? Um, regardless of what type of organization you are part of that would definitely be something to talk about, uh, multilevel relationship management. And for that matter multilevel communication, you know, when I think of supply chain, uh, practitioner roles, you know, being able to communicate and coordinate through a wide variety of parties up and down the totem pole and in different functional areas and being able to put yourself in their shoes based on what their procurement versus distribution versus a driver, you know, they’re all looking for different pieces of information. Um, we talked about agile project management in my experience, Greg, a lot of folks don’t realize just how much project management they have had in their background because they don’t view it that way.

Scott Luton (00:37:46):

Uh, and, and while there are certainly some hard skills associated with project management, there’s a ton of soft skills. Um, and then finally, one thing that hopefully Jake will think about, and we’d love to get the comments, what we’ll read some comments from the audience here momentarily, but these days global experience, including as silly as it may sound travel, um, certainly any international business experience. Those are definitely things you want to share and, um, hit on in any interview or, or any, any way you’re building and submitting a candidacy. That’s really important. Now, obviously it’s gotta be a good fit right there. Um, some companies don’t have nearly, you know, the international aspect of their supply chain, but in this global world, despite some of the things that we may see move and get reassured or near shore in the coming weeks and months, it’s still going to by and large be a very global supply chain community, which I think, you know, I think it’s a good thing, but those were some of my initial observations, Greg, before we read some, some comments from the audience, what else would you elaborate on?

Greg White (00:38:55):

Oh, well let me preface this with, I’m probably the worst interviewer on either side of the table ever. Um, but the themes that leapt out at me in reading, this was one, if you want to get across the experience, school of life, soft skills, um, that you have is, uh, think about, as you said, Scott, the, so what of what you’ve done not, I did X, I did X and I learned, or I did X and I applied, I did X and we succeeded, I did X and we failed because of, you know, those sorts of things, express what those learnings or skills be, be they soft or hard skills. Um, were you that, that were utilized in, in conducting some of those transportation and ops roles or some of the specific problems that you faced and put that in, in your resume because you got to me what I’ve heard loud and clear, uh, from, from hiring and recruiting experts like you and, and all the other folks that we work with is you got to get past some of these really rigid, uh, screening programs where they’re looking for keywords. And if they don’t see the key words, you don’t go past that. And as we’re, as one of the things he expressed was, um, technical application used or technical experience, you, if they’re looking for, for instance, demand forecasting, and you did it, but you didn’t use a system use that key word, right. Things like that. Um, so that they at least know that you have a frame of reference for some skills that may not, uh, may not tie directly to a technology or something like that, but do express that you have the knowledge.

Scott Luton (00:40:54):

Yep. Great, great insights. There you are. You’re not the world’s worst interviewer.

Greg White (00:40:59):

You haven’t ever interviewed me. Have you?

Scott Luton (00:41:03):

So Tom shares, Hey Scott and Greg set up an Airbnb in Greenville, South Carolina, while we wait to close on a home, finally, congratulations time. Uh, he’s renewing his job strategy while listening to the show. So thank you. We’ll talk. So to our audience, uh, Tom is a veteran and, uh, Tom, I don’t wanna, I don’t want to miss position you, I think you’re breaking into supply chain. You may already have some experience, but feel free, you know, within reason drop, drop what you’re looking to do. Uh, but most importantly, appreciate you wearing a uniform and really appreciate our, um, uh, big congrats for closing on the home. And, and hopefully it’s successful move so great to have you here

Greg White (00:41:43):

With us. Yeah. Thank you, Tom. And I have a quick question, Scott, and maybe, you know, this isn’t Greenville South or North Carolina, South Carolina upstate go to work for BMW dude, whatever that’s right, right.

Scott Luton (00:41:59):

Dave has a great question here. And, and he says, how do you leverage those soft skills on a resume when you don’t have the experience? That’s a great question. And I, and at least offer one. I’m not going to have the silver bullet answer. However, you know what I have seen. Um, and not necessarily I spent some time in the recruiting industry, but I will,

Greg White (00:42:21):

You know, um,

Scott Luton (00:42:22):

Yeah, I’m drawing mainly on my experiences kind of in supply chain associations, rubbing elbows with a ton of folks that were transitioning, you know, over almost 20 years, which we don’t go over the two decade Mark, right?

Greg White (00:42:34):

Yeah. Yeah.

Scott Luton (00:42:36):

What I see, what I’ve seen a lot of times is even though folks know they don’t have the experience, they don’t actively go find ways to fill those gaps in. And these days by volunteering is, and again, it’s not a one size fits all answer, but you’d be shocked just how much experience you can get in volunteer positions. Uh, and if, if you can’t find

Greg White (00:42:59):

How to fill a gap, you know,

Scott Luton (00:43:01):

I think if you can, very specifically, if you can identify folks right,

Greg White (00:43:04):

Or enrolls or, or, or have those games,

Scott Luton (00:43:07):

Apps field via your, your network, and then very specifically reach out and tell them very specifically, again, not a general catchall, uh, let me pick your brain, but Hey, I’m trying to find, identify this, this and this. You can uncover ways of addressing the gaps, especially if you start with the goal in mind of where you want to be and work yourself, you know, work your way backwards into building, you know, the, the steps to get there based on other,

Greg White (00:43:34):

Other folks journey. Greg, what else

Scott Luton (00:43:36):

Would you add to David’s question there?

Greg White (00:43:40):

Yeah, I guess I think it depends on your definition of soft skills. I’ve always thought of soft skills as people management skills, right. And express how, you know, whatever those soft skills are. I would just go back to what we said before, express how you have used those soft skills in the past to what end or what they accomplished. Um, you know, and if you don’t have the experience in a particular one, then strongly enunciate the ones where you have strength. Because I think somebody said it here, uh, in the stream is I can teach you certain things. I can’t teach you everything. Right. So I can teach you a technology, but I can’t teach you to be a good business person. Right. Love it. Um, so if you have a big portion of what they’re looking, you don’t have to fill the whole bill.

Greg White (00:44:34):

No one has ever done that. By the way, in the history of, of getting a job or applying for a job has ever fit the whole bill, they may have looked like it on paper. They may have sounded like it in the interview, or they may have been able to interpret their experience to make it appear that way, which I would strongly, strongly caution against, by the way, don’t get, don’t put yourself in a position to fail by getting a job that you’re not a fit for. Um, but I would say enunciate more strongly where your strengths are. And if, if the opportunity is the right one, then they’ll acknowledge that those strengths, someone with those strings could translate into the other strengths that we need.

Scott Luton (00:45:20):

Good stuff, good stuff up. Sophia shares a couple of comments here. I think it is about the way in which you tell your story. You should be able to describe your experience in such a way that you showcase your talents, but also your accomplishments. And she goes on to say, I would put a higher effort on networking and relationships rather than on the paper, CV or resume. Good, great, um, comments there, you know, especially the relationships part, you know, think networking has a bad name, Greg, because for so many, it means going into a room or virtually these days, and having as many conversations and exchanging as many cards you can get. And it’s 32nd conversations and that’s not best for me. It’s not networking and it’s not really meant for it. That approach may work for some, but I think the valuable piece is a second half of what Sophia said and his relationships and meaningful relationships were not only, of course you want to share about who you are and your background, and maybe what you’re looking for, but, but more importantly, learning from others and learning about other folks background and building that nice, healthy two way dialogue, right?

Greg White (00:46:33):

I think the old saying, it’s not what, you know, it’s who, you know is half right. And 180 degrees wrong. It’s not what you know necessarily. And it’s definitely not who, you know, it’s who knows you think about how many people know you and those are the people that can help you get a job. If you know them, there are a lot of people. I have a neighbor who owns a restaurant. There are a lot of people that know Billy, but the people that get value from that relationship are the people that Billy knows. That’s the important thing, not only networking, but really that close networking, where people really get to know your strengths and your weaknesses, your history, your, your knowledge, your, you know, your personal gifts, things like that. Those are the people that can help you. Who knows you.

Greg White (00:47:31):

All right. So Greg, we asked and the audience has delivered

Greg White (00:47:35):

Right

Scott Luton (00:47:37):

Through your responses kind of in rapid fire. And then you will, you and I can revisit them, um, here, before moving to the event, kind of wrap up, uh, Don has a great point in any, in any interview, be genuine, trying to be what they want versus who you really are, will ultimately lead both parties in the interview process, being disappointed in the long run,

Greg White (00:47:59):

Well said. Yeah,

Scott Luton (00:48:00):

Michael says, I had a manager wants to tell me I can train you on a program. What I can’t train you on his people, skills of that. Sylvia says, Hey, BMW is hiring in supply chain.

Greg White (00:48:13):

No. So don’t feel obligated to give us a discount if you get a job there. But if you’d like, you know, feel free. Um, for

Scott Luton (00:48:24):

Jeff says for individuals seeking to grow in supply chain management, in addition to core functional knowledge in one or more of classic score model components, focus your skills and interests in the supply chain as a set of networked capabilities. That’s where digital is producing new sources of supply chain, efficiency and value. And Jeff would love for you to drop in, uh, the score, what the score model is. If you, if you’ve got a quick link to it, I know I bet Gary Smith knows exactly what it is. And many of you all may know, uh, but it’s really, it’s a framework. So I’d love for you to drop that in there. Gary says, Hey Scott, great comment on volunteering. If a person can influence a group of volunteers, they can influence nearly everyone.

Greg White (00:49:08):

That is true. Yes.

Greg White (00:49:11):

Peer peer says

Scott Luton (00:49:13):

Key for the employer is what you can do for them. Use your experience to develop a message of value for the hiring manager. Well said there,

Greg White (00:49:23):

Oh, did I miss that seriously? It’s just like selling anything. You have to express everything in terms of how it serves your target parties, enlightened self interest. That is brilliant.

Greg White (00:49:42):

Peer. You got a whole new, big, big fan here, mr. Greg white. So Philippe says,

Scott Luton (00:49:48):

Okay, any suggestions on where to find those places or people to contact, he’s doing a master’s in supply chain would love to volunteer. So Philippe, um, you know, everything shouldn’t be geographic, but, but in my experience, a lot of chapters and associations, it kind of depends on, on the local market you’re in. But, uh, you know, for starters, I would check out the websites of the following organizations and see if they have a local presence I would look at. Um, and, and also based on where you’re looking to specialize within supply chain, but here’s a few that I’ve enjoyed. Uh, you’ve got CSC and P, which is the council of supply chain managers and professionals. I think his name is, is what that stands for. They’re global.

Greg White (00:50:28):

You’ve got apex, which is now part of AACM or global organization, all about supply chain. You have ism, which is about sourcing. I believe they’re international, but you can check them out@ism.org. Uh, you’ve got the project management Institute, which I believe is global. And with so much, uh, project management, that’s taking place across industry. What we’ve seen at least in Atlanta, vibrant 5,000, 6,000 member plus chapter. And, um, you know, it, it’s a great community to network in. So those are four that just come to mind. Uh, Greg w how would you, what else would you offer Philippe there? Well, I mean, if you’re in a master’s program, talk to the professors and, uh, consider internships or, um, or other sorts of programs that might relay, um, at Wichita state, I know they work with Cargill and Koch industries and, and just recently opened a facility with Deloitte.

Greg White (00:51:29):

Um, so there are always those kinds of opportunities. He’ll work with a professor, write great papers, be a volunteer, graduate assistant who, you know, anything there, there, some of those, uh, opportunities. And those professors will know also some companies within formal programs may not be related to the university. They might say, Hey, they could use some help at, at whatever, Greg, that’s a great suggestion. So Philippe based on what school you’re in, you’re, um, matriculating through. I think I said that, right? I love that word. They’ve got resources, right? And, and or the alumni that come out of that school, they may already be an industry. You know, if you can pull some of those lists together and then do some outreach, or, you know, if you’re, if you’re working and going to school at the same time, you got limited time, grab a couple of classmates and have a standing cup of coffee where you just talk supply chain. And a lot of times you can find ways of connecting the dots. And there may be an introduction that may come out of it. So, you know, finding those kindred spirits, regardless of where you find them, there’s so many different avenues, um, it helps you gain momentum. So good question there, Philippe. Uh, all right. So let me share this. Sylvia says networking is no longer hot balls and

Speaker 5 (00:52:49):

Sylvia love it. Love it. Yeah,

Greg White (00:52:51):

No we’re missing. We’ve been missing our, um, uh, our friend. Um, who’s a resident who is the other half of the German duo. [inaudible] we’re missing their father, uh, Sylvia. Thanks for bringing some of our comedic relief. Yes, Sylvia, thanks so much for, for filling in that gap here today. Uh, let’s see. Oh, it’s definitely mr. Stephan too. We need to check in on Stephanie and see how he’s doing. Alright. So swipe that says, uh, she asks, what advice do you have for graduating? Even

Scott Luton (00:53:26):

Though I have completed certifications like the CSCP, which is part of the, the apex family of certifications. I don’t have experience and it’s getting tough, Greg, I’m gonna let you start there first. And, and audience feel free to weigh in on a, as a question. This is a, this is the kind of practice

Greg White (00:53:44):

[inaudible] experience that I, or practical advice that I’ve used myself and that I advise my children with. Don’t get a job. You deserve get a job that somebody gets for you. Nice. I mean, that’s, that is the ultimate leverage of, of who knows you, is go to the people that know you that want to give you a leg up and implore, beg, grovel, whatever it takes to have them understand what your gifts are and figure out where you can employ those gifts. Um, you know, right now you’re not going to get a job you deserve. You’re, you’re going to get a job that somebody gets for you. I got my very first job in retail, the old fashioned way. My dad got it for me. So, um, I, I can’t overstate the value of that. Now it may not be your parents. It may not be a professor, but it will be somebody who knows you, who wants to give you a leg up. So think about those people do not ever hesitate to ask because they are dying to help you. You would be surprised at people who are dying to help you, that you may not have thought were

Scott Luton (00:55:02):

That’s good. Excellent, excellent insights there a really quick, uh, sweet that I would, uh, two pieces. I think number one, look for every opportunity, especially with social media and, um, you know, it it’s cliche, but, but folks that really find ways of showcasing their knowledge and expertise and they garner a following. And as we all know, there’s tons and tons of recruiters, both external and internal own LinkedIn. So I think fine, regular ways of building that personal brand. It would one thing. And then, um, um, secondly building network, you know, beyond showcasing your expertise and what you know, and your POV, you know, really actively working on building a network, you know, that those, um, seven degrees of separation, that’s a Kevin bacon thing. It really, I mean, to close, the more connections you can make, the closer to finding the people. You need to have conversations with, uh, the, the shorter of a distance that is so, um, easier said than done, but those are two easy things that come to mind for sure. And, and of course the associations, you know, the associations we mentioned, there’s lots of others out there. That’s where you’re going to rub elbows with folks that with practitioners already in some of the organizations that you want to get conversations or are hired by. So associations still, you, some of them are more

Greg White (00:56:24):

Forward looking than others, and they found new and exciting ways of being more relevant than others here in 2020. But building that network of practitioners can be so, so powerful. And this is a topic I can see that this is a topic. There are still some really good questions out there. I can see this as a topic. We probably should dedicate a whole show to. I agree. David’s question in response to errands, highlight Aaron says, highlight your ability to learn and perform in difficult situations, a great way to overcome lack of experience and David’s response is okay, but how do you highlight that on a resume? And, um, I think, I think there is a way to do it. I’d have to think about it more, but I feel like we, maybe we have to dig into some of these questions and come back to this and let let’s.

Greg White (00:57:17):

I mean, maybe we just attack this problem, Scott. Yeah. Agreed. You know, we’ve talked about setting up kind of as much as we try to do, there’s always more to be done. Right. We’ve talked about setting up like a, um, you know, at UCML elsewhere, a virtual networking, um, call for the insiders and a lot of those conversations that have been part of that LinkedIn group. It may, we just, we set up a couple of calls and, and we try to help foster the, the back and forth that I love seeing right here in these live streams, but as we’re almost hitting the, is at the top of the hour or the bottom of the hour, I always get that backwards top. Uh, and, and who prompted all this conversation by the way, Jake, thank you so much for submitting, you know, that the comments and the question that really allowed us to, Hey, you know what we should at least set some time aside and really, you know, dive into that more.

Greg White (00:58:11):

So Jake really appreciate you reaching out. And as he shares there, he really has enjoyed Sophia’s and Jeffrey’s, um, perspective. And he’s currently studying for supply chain certification. Hey, can I, this, as long as we got Jake on here, um, uh, I want to address the one, one of the aspects of it is that the recent nonprofit work, um, there is likely a way to tie that into supply chain or at least principles that apply to supply chain. Because as we have worked with so many nonprofit entities through vector global logistics and some of their, uh, partner entities and through [inaudible] in South Africa and some of their partner entities, we have heard brilliant things about supply chain in regards to nonprofit like Scott, I bet. You know what I’m about to say, he’d rather say it, no, you go no product, no program. Right? So supply chain applies to everything, even if you’re just trying to get relief supplies somewhere. Um, so consider how, uh, your experience in any industry might apply to

Greg White (00:59:22):

That when we were in Austin, whenever that was, um, it seems like a thousand years ago now, doesn’t it right? And we were in Austin, we went through this slew of people who had gotten into supply chain from a physics, uh, services iMedia other areas and their gifts were genuinely applicable and a fresh viewpoint in, in the supply chain industry. So think about how, what your gifts are apply to supply chain.

Scott Luton (00:59:58):

That’s an excellent point, Greg, really? I mean, again, it’s cliche thinking differently thinking out of the box, but really setting aside your long-held assumptions and how you’ve used certain parts of your background, your skill sets, and really looking for new ways, creative, innovative ways of applying them in today’s ever evolving, uh, uh, job marketplace, supply chain industry, well said, Greg, um, all right, we’re going to run over for a couple minutes, but I want to make sure folks know. So it looks like Sylvia knows some folks in Kenya, that’s setting up a new operation. So if you’re local to Kenya and you looking for jobs, you can reach out to Sylvia and maybe we can connect the dots there. Um,

Greg White (01:00:39):

That’s how cool was that networking right there? Right.

Scott Luton (01:00:45):

Um, let’s see here. Gary also makes a great point here. Every organization has a supply chain. Nothing happens until something moves Gary. Amen. And lots of kindred spirits there. Alright. So Greg, I think the other thing that we want to make sure we share with everyone, because it certainly helps as you’re, um, not only filling in knowledge gaps, but you’re, you’re making connections just like hopefully folks are on this lab string and that sees these online events. There’s so many of them that are really inexpensive, easy to plug into. Uh, and we’ve got no shortage. Holy cow. It is the, um, it’s just that time of year. I think, um, webinars, virtual events, of course live streams, you name it every con uh, we’re going to share four quick resources, really quick or audience, and we’ve made it really easy. Greg, the hyperlinks to each of these are in the show notes. So we try to make, we try to be one click away, right? That’s our aim. Um, so on October 6th, if you’ve ever been curious about control towers and what they are, how they’re used, how you stand one up, you’re in luck, you got analytics and rate links that are coming together and talk about how to build a control tower in 30 days. And you know what, Greg,

Greg White (01:02:03):

It’s free. It’s free, free to attend. So if, if, if anyone has been, um, following us for the last couple of weeks, we’ve had Nate and Shannon and Tim, uh, Tim from analytics and Nate and Shannon, right links on to talk about their viewpoint on utilizing data and creating these, these control towers. And, um, just that is, is refreshing. They’re not all about the data. They’re not all about the tower. They’re all about the solution and utilizing the data and these control towers as a means to that end. And so that’s great perspective to gather, love it firsthand, really knowledgeable and entertaining and a really good partnership between those two, two companies.

Scott Luton (01:02:54):

It is, it really is very tangible, practical partnership. Uh, Hey, I didn’t say hello to Kayvon who is in Iran. Uh, he always joins us and, and like sharing different experts.

Greg White (01:03:06):

They called you straight out. Well, I w I meant to say hello earlier.

Scott Luton (01:03:13):

And I, I think, I, I think it was a complete oversight, so great to have you here. And he’s waiting on supply chain management for dummies, but I think he’s also waiting. I think he’s signed up for this webinar too. So, alright. So that is the, uh, the control chart webinar. We’ve got something this week. So Greg has, I’ve been sharing everybody, Hey, everything you’ve, you’ve accumulated as it relates to how retail works, put that in a big box and then push it out the window because things have changed dramatically. Now, of course, I’m exaggerating a little bit, but you’re to want to check out this new market, new mindset, all about re retail. A lot of it really focused on e-commerce. We’re going to hear from two folks that are making it happen. One on the automation side and, and, um, robotic side and as Jeff from gray orange. Uh, and then you’re going to also hear from Cindy who is leading digital transformation and other supply chain initiatives, and it’s going to be a really powerful conversation. So, uh, and it’s also free to join. So September 30th, I think we kick off at 2:00 PM Eastern time. And Greg we’ve been working on this for quite some time, and it’s neat to be able to offer both of these voices and POV in the same session, right?

Greg White (01:04:26):

Yeah. We’ve, we’ve had both of them on, in, in the past. It’s going to be great to have them on both at once Cindy from the practitioner and consulting side, Jeff, who’s been in the industry as a, as a consultant and as a solution provider for many, many years, and both who are attacking this transformation of fulfillment and retail in this new environment. Right, right. Brand new, exciting, the forefront of it, four of this change for the last several months. And it’s going to be interesting to hear what they’ve learned and how they’ve applied it, and they definitely have the chops to do it. So I agreed.

Scott Luton (01:05:10):

Uh, and, and to, uh, DDA the question, yes. The links to register, it looks like you’re on LinkedIn, it’s in the, of the live stream on LinkedIn there. And it looks like, uh, Amanda or clay are dropping the, the hyperlinks into the feed as well. Alright. So let’s also a supply chain USA virtual 2020 with our friends at Reuters events. Uh, in a nutshell folks you can sign up for, for all six of the key notes at no charge. They’ve developed something called the taster pass. Yeah. So, um, I think we’re sitting down Greg with, uh, Petter as part of our role in the event, but you’re gonna also gonna hear from a lot of other big names, including one of our favorites, Sandra McQuillan.

Greg White (01:05:55):

Yeah. The chief supply chain officer. Yes. Sandra

Scott Luton (01:06:00):

That’s right. Um, great. Always a great interview. I mean, she tells it like it is and, um, in a very, uh, uplifting way. So I’ll love always hearing and learning from Sandra’s PR perspective, but check it out the link again, to register for your free taster pass is in the show notes. And finally, uh, we, you know, we talked earlier Greg, a little bit about, you know, reassuring and near shoring, and I think that’s going to be one of the big topics as part of this panel session that we’re moderating with the association for manufacturing excellence

Greg White (01:06:35):

In October. Yeah, no doubt. I mean, you know, how manufacturing has adapted to all of this, um, is, has been interesting and not any less impacted than fulfillment or retail, right. Sourcing has changed and, um, production and an outbound and downstream, uh, communication and relationships have changed as well. So this is going to be a really interesting discussion from my perspective, and I think it’s going to tie really nicely to all of the other events.

Scott Luton (01:07:18):

Um, and I love manufacturing, you know, that that’s where in the, in, in, in supply chain view, if you subscribe to that, like so many do I’ve spent most of my career either in manufacturing or supporting manufacturing and it, uh, I’m addicted to it. It’s so neat. Uh, and it’s been too long since I walked into the plant here, but so need to go, you know, go to the gemba, as I say, and go see production, see the problem solving, seeing the, you know, people working together hardest working some of the smartest people I’ve ever worked with in the manufacturing industry. And of course that’s the best the sector to Amy, uh, serves the association for manufacturing. Excellent. So check that out and you can also learn more about the group@ame.org. Um, if there’s something you can’t find, you know, we’ve been promising Greg, we haven’t quite delivered yet, but we will, we are dropping radio. And then we are in the process. We’re, we’re identifying different ways that our website, um, our new website can, can serve our customers better and our audience and find, and, and, and have things easier to find and engage. So while we do that and conduct that assessment, uh, you can still find us at supply chain now, radio.com. If there’s something that we’ve shared, that you just can’t find, you can’t Google getting it, you can shoot Amanda note, Amanda, at supply chain, I radio.com and we will do our best to serve as a resource.

Greg White (01:08:45):

Yeah. Because my fingers are tired by the time I get to radio. That is funny. No, I think, I think that’s, uh, that’s going to be really interesting. And, and man, is that, is that a big change? I mean, really, right. So, and agreed, we’re changing some other things, as you said, behind and behind the scenes and, and on the side as well,

Scott Luton (01:09:12):

We don’t just preach and interview folks to talk about continuous improvement. We’re, we’re big advocates and we practice what we preach. So, uh, that is the entrepreneurial way. And some days are easier than others, aren’t they? Greg?

Greg White (01:09:25):

Yeah. Hey,

Scott Luton (01:09:27):

That’s the journey we’re on. And it’s driven by our North star, which is our audience. And, you know, really have enjoyed all the comments and observations and the questions posed to each other. And the answers given in all the comments, it’s such a neat thing to be part of this community and, and to hopefully serve as facilitators for connecting people and ideas and best practices. So really do appreciate all the involvement participation. Yeah,

Greg White (01:09:54):

We get here. Um,

Scott Luton (01:09:57):

I want to share one more common here. Sylvia says, I love manufacturing. I made muffler inserts for a tier two automotive supplier, nothing like the smell of resin in the morning. He is on fire. She is. Um, but, but Greg love these live streams. Uh, again, we’ve got Joey Valentine and majorly ballplayer three years with the reds, Cincinnati reds joining us tomorrow at 6:00 PM Eastern time. So if you want to, you know, if you want to kind of relax a bit and find a way to just talk sports, you know, enjoy each other’s company, check us out at 6:00 PM. Bring your comments, your experiences, your questions for major league ball player to play the long snide to hall of Famer.

Greg White (01:10:42):

Yeah. Yeah. That’s right.

Scott Luton (01:10:44):

And then Thursday, Greg, do you want to share, do you remember what we have on the docket for Thursday at 12 noon?

Greg White (01:10:51):

Mmm.

Scott Luton (01:10:56):

Uh, well, I mean, come on, you’ve got a great excuse. You’re coming off a hard week of sailing and learning and educating. Uh, so Thursday we’ve got Eric Johnson with the JOC. I hate, yes. We’ve gotten Ricky Alvarez with vector global logistics this a week where

Greg White (01:11:14):

I believe we celebrate two international coffee days. I think we’ve got a national coffee day here in the States and the international coffee day. And I’m getting a bunch of differing opinions of what dates are, what we’re going to celebrate coffee on Thursday Enrique just the other day. So I think one thing, even if you have our, a longtime member of the community, you’ve probably not gotten to see Enrique Alvarez express his expertise. He brings us a slew of nonprofits, a slew of companies who are, who give forward, uh, via, via our, um, Oh my gosh. I have been gone too long, man, just with purpose this thank you, uh, series, but he is an incredibly knowledgeable practitioner himself, right? Logistics is a, is a freight forwarding company, non asset based. I forget all the other terms that go with it, but anyway, a really great organization.

Greg White (01:12:20):

So you’re going to get to hear from Eric and Andy Enrique about their expertise and their viewpoints on the marketplace. So that will be a great, a great session. That’s right. E Thursday at 12 P uh, right here on supply chain now. And it’s all about coffee and, and to your point, I agree. And Rica usually talks about everyone else, right? Cause he’s married. That’s right. He’s a very humble, modest individual, but he has got some, some expertise that our audience will enjoy hearing from. Okay. So we’re 13 minutes over, but that’s okay. We really enjoyed all the, the comments and questions. And we’ll revisit, we’ll figure out a way to dive more into this topic because we’re all looking for ways to succeed, you know, break into new territory, break into new markets and then be successful at it. So we’ll, we’ll a lot more to come, but Greg, the temperature changes has really thrown me for a loop.

Greg White (01:13:17):

My sinuses are fighting with each other, but we made it through and, uh, great to have you back here or we missed your last week. Great to have you back in one person, uh, in, in, uh, sorry, and one piece, one piece, uh, and then, you know, that’s right. And big week ahead. So to our audience, thanks so much for joining us. Uh, be sure if you enjoyed, today’s show it, check out our podcast and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts from all about supply chain, number of different ways. Uh, a as Greg alluded to do good give forward and be the change is needed. And on that note, we’ll see you next time here on supply chain. Now