Supply chain leaders have certainly proven themselves to be fighters over the last few years. Gladis Araujo, Global Supply Chain Strategy Vice President at Mattel, believes they have earned the label ‘gladiator.’ They face many opponents: psychological challenges, physical challenges, constant pressure, and unfavorable conditions. And, like gladiators, supply chain leaders are unbeatable when they fight as a team.

Gladis is a global business leader with over 25 years’ experience in quality and supply chain. Today she is responsible for the global quality digital transformation, licensing, nearshoring initiatives in LATAM, and logistics at the number one toy company in the world. Gladis is also dedicated to a number of initiatives and community organizations aimed at supporting women all over the world.

In this livestream-based interview, Gladis speaks with Scott Luton and guest co-host Astrid Aubert with Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now En Español about:

• The complex regulatory requirements that must be satisfied when manufacturing toys and products for children

• Why companies and their suppliers have to work collaboratively to satisfy challenges like sustainability without raising costs for customers

• Changing dynamics that make manufacturing a global exercise – and a highly localized one

• Quick tips for becoming the best supply chain executive you can be

Intro/Outro (00:03):

Welcome to Supply Chain. Now, the voice of global supply chain supply chain now focuses on the best in the business for our worldwide audience, the people, the technologies, the best practices, and today’s critical issues, the challenges and opportunities. Stay tuned to hear from Those Making Global Business happen right here on supply chain now.

Scott Luton (00:31):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Scott Luton and special guest, Astrid Aubery, here with you on Supply Chain. Now, welcome to today’s livestream, Astrid. How you doing today?

Astrid Aubery (00:43):

Good. I’m really excited about this. Thank you for this invitation. I’m ready for do this.

Scott Luton (00:49):

<laugh>, we have a big conversation today, right? Yes,

Astrid Aubery (00:51):

Yes, we have. We have an amazing guest. So I’m, uh, very excited about this.

Scott Luton (00:57):

Oh, wonderful. If you can’t tell, Astra and I both are excited about, uh, a wonderful repeat guest, an extraordinary repeat guest we’re having back with us here at Supply Chain. Now, back, as we’d like to say by popular Demand. So we have Gladis Araujo with Mattel, who’s gonna be joining us momentarily. Now. Now, Astrid, as you know, we’re gonna be diving into Nearshoring trends, career advice, uh, some of the things that are going on in Ukraine, but, but, uh, some of the good things to help folks in that region, um, and Astrid, what it means to be a supply chain gladiator. So it should be an, uh, intriguing conversation. I’m, I’m, I’m looking forward to getting that defined, aren’t you, Astrid?

Astrid Aubery (01:38):

Yes, this is, yes. Uh, really excited about this talk with Gladys. So I’m more than ready for learn and to know about her.

Scott Luton (01:46):

Astra, do you know it? Remind, when I hear the term gladiator, I, I think of like a, a, a, um, an armor. Armor. You gotta have on to do supply chain in 2023. But we’re gonna find out from Gladyis. And folks, we want to hear from you as well. So we already got a couple of folks. Hey, I, I gotta go ahead and pull in one Astrid, cause this is my mom. This is Leah Luton. I know she’s got a lunch with some friends coming up. So she popped in early. She says, Hey, Astrid, nice to meet you. Hey, Scott. Uh, so Astrid’s, good to have your mom, our mom with us here, huh?

Astrid Aubery (02:18):

Yes. Yes. Hello. Mom.

Scott Luton (02:20):

<laugh>. That’s right. Uh, and Nuria, hello to you from Bristol. I bet that’s Bristol, uh, I guess Bristol, North Carolina, maybe. But Nuria great to have you via LinkedIn, uh, confirm that. We love, we love connecting dots where our listeners and viewers are tuned in from. But, uh, and so we wanna hear from y’all. Y y’all keep it coming. Astrid, really quick before we get, uh, Gladys in here, and we all experience the Gladys Factor cause it’s coming. And, and I tell you, you’re gonna leave here in an hour, and you’re gonna have, you’re gonna look so much differently at the rest of your day. You’re gonna have a spring in your step, I promise. But before we get there, Astrid, I wanna give a shout out to all of our friends at Vector Global Logistics. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, doing great work across the globe in particular, love the work You’all doing with, uh, logistics, with purpose podcast, uh, supply chain, now in ESP Spaniel podcast programming.

Scott Luton (03:11):

You and Sophia, many others do great work there. And Astrid, I know you and I both want to invite folks to be part of this, leveraging logistics for Ukraine Initiative. This has been going on for over a year, uh, led really created and led by the Vector Global Logistics team, um, Astrid, Christie, and Maureen and Enrique, and a ecosystem, a community I’ve built. Uh, and if I’ve got the numbers right, Astrid, at least the last numbers I had, uh, over the last year, over 600,000 pounds of humanitarian aid have made it across the Atlantic to families in need in Ukraine, Poland, and elsewhere. Is that right,

Astrid Aubery (03:51):

Astronaut? Yes, you’re right. Totally right. Uh, I’m a witness that this effort, uh, make a positive impact to, to the people who are living in this horrible situation that the world. Uh, so I encourage to all the members to join us in this, uh, leveling, logistic every, every month and to, to make, uh, a positive impact for them.

Scott Luton (04:14):

Yes, Astrid. That’s right. It’s just that simple. And so, when Astro’s talking about each month, these are planning sessions that drives everything. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, the next one’s May 9th at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. We’ve dropped a link in the chat. And folks, you don’t have to commit to giving anything to show up at these. You don’t even have to say anything. No. You can show up and just observe and learn. And I’m telling you, you’ll leave those meetings with a much better and informed, um, appreciation of what’s going on, the tragedy, the need, and you’ll be informed on how you can help. And we’re gonna touch on that later in today’s conversation. Thank you, Astrid. Delighted to have you here. Um, thank you. So we’ve had, let’s see, O L K. Larry Klein is with us here today. It’s going great, Larry. Uh, and let us know where you are today. So, Astrid, um, have you, have you ever been to, uh, south Georgia here in the States?

Astrid Aubery (05:03):

No, not yet. Okay. I need to go soon. Hopefully

Scott Luton (05:06):

We’ll have you down there soon. So Larry, typically dials in from, um, uh, what is the town down, Larry, you’re gonna have to refresh my memory. The town down in South Georgia always mispronounce it. But, uh, anyway, great to have you back and let us know where you’re tuned in from. And of course, clay Phillips <laugh>, the diesel is back with us. Welcome. All. Excited to reminisce on childhood toys. We might just do that, uh, d we’ll see how it goes. Uh, but Astrid, I am ready. I bet you are.

Astrid Aubery (05:35):

Yes, I am.

Scott Luton (05:36):

<laugh>, we ready to bring Gladys in?

Astrid Aubery (05:38):

Yes, of course. Let’s do it.

Scott Luton (05:41):

Well, alright. So Larry got back to us, uh, Alban Alban, I think is how I pronounce it. Larry, uh, uh, check me there. Alban Georgia down in real south Georgia, just above the Florida border. There’s some great manufacturing, um, uh, plants and people, uh, down in that part where it’s, it’s gorgeous too. So, Larry, hope you’re well. All right. So, as promised Astrid, we have a big, big guest here today, a repeat guest, one of our faves. I’m so glad we had to go through her rock and roll agent to get her booked. Um, but so glad I’m a welcome in. Gladis Araujo Global Supply Chain Strategy, vice President with Mattel.

Gladis Araujo (06:23):

Hello, <laugh>.

Scott Luton (06:27):

It is so good to see you. We’ve enjoyed the pre-show conversations. It was, I was delighted to meet you through our dear mutual friend, um, Alison Krache Giddens a year and some change ago. Alison’s a dynamo too, but Gladys, so great to have you here today.

Gladis Araujo (06:42):

It’s my pleasure to be here again in supply change now. I’m so excited for that conversation.

Scott Luton (06:49):

Well, Astrid, we got so much to, to, uh, tackle with Gladys today, but hey, we’re gonna have a little fun first, right? Okay. And so for Gladys Astrid and, and Jessica, who’s tuned in from Akron, Ohio, Larry, you down in Albany, clay, we’re gonna talk dessert. First, we’re gonna have a fun little warmup question. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, we’re gonna make folks hungry, so mm-hmm. <affirmative>, um, Astrid and Gladys. Um, it is today, it’s National Peach Cobbler Day here in the us. Oh, and I gotta tell you, I love this stuff, but I gotta have it with vanilla ice cream, or you can have it back, and I, I only eat it with ice cream. So, with that as a backdrop, and Gladys, I’ll start with you here. What is your favorite dessert?

Gladis Araujo (07:30):

Uh, chocolate cake.

Scott Luton (07:31):

Okay. Chocolate cake. Uh, and do you have to eat yours with ice cream?

Gladis Araujo (07:36):

I would love to. With vanilla ice cream would be lovely. And of course, with a diet Coke, you know? Yes. To balance the calorie, to balance the calories, <laugh>,

Scott Luton (07:46):

That’s the right. Gladys. I love, I love how you think, um, Astro, that’s be tough to top. Um, what’s your one of your favorite desserts? Aspen.

Astrid Aubery (07:53):

Oh, the same than Gladys Chocolate in all formats, bringing dessert. Bye. Love it. Everything but chocolate.

Scott Luton (08:01):

So, sign. So y’all like this. So, I’m a big dark chocolate fan. I love Dark Chocolate Astro. Is that a winner in your book?

Astrid Aubery (08:07):

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Dark

Scott Luton (08:09):

Chocolate. And Gladys, are you a dark chocolate

Gladis Araujo (08:11):

Fan as well? You used to be my favorite dark chocolate. Now I sleep to, to milk chocolate.

Scott Luton (08:18):

Okay. All right. Um, well, now that y’all really made me hungry, let’s do this a little more. So Amanda says, and yes, she’s great at making a delicious peach cobbler. She uses her mom vow. Mom’s ma name is Val famous recipe, and yes, you know, Amanda don’t make any tonight. We’ve already cheated. I I’ve been cheating on my diet all week. We can’t make any <laugh>. Uh, Larry says, red velvet cake and black coffee. Huh? Beautiful. Uh, hey, Josh, Goody’s with us from the West Coast up in beautiful Seattle. Josh, hope you’re well. He says, Dutch oven, German chocolate cobbler. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> with cherries. Oh, man. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, alright, so as promised, we made everybody hungry, um, Astrid and Gladys. Um, so Astrid, as we dive into, as we switch from all these desserts that we can’t have too often to, uh, kind of the, uh, some of the key topics we’re gonna be walking through with Gladys and everyone. Where are we starting, uh, with Gladys today? Astrid,

Astrid Aubery (09:13):

Uh, how about if I ask, uh, Gladys, what are you doing in Mattel? Tell us about what you do.

Gladis Araujo (09:20):

I am having a lot of fun. <laugh> No, just, uh, to give you a little bit of background for the audience, uh, Mattel is number one toy company in the world. We have over 400 amazing brands, and our iconic brands is Barbie Hot Wheels American Girl feature prize. And we are so excited because you have to put it in your calendar. July 21st. Okay. It’s coming. Our first movie of Barbie with Margo, Robbie and Ra Joceline. Then it’s a lot of excitement, exciting going on in the company. And I, I know in the world about this, and also a little bit of background of our industry, um, our industry is highly regulated because our customers have the most vulnerable that you can have that is a baby and children. Mm-hmm. And you have like 10 industry, single one, because you have to think about toys. The basic is chemical industry, because we have ings and pigment transformation, and we have electrical industry electronics, including in Internet of things, artificial intelligence, the fashion, but all about fashion food because we have many things that are, uh, moldable for the kids cosmetics, even furnitures for babies and automotive.

Gladis Araujo (10:40):

Then what is happening in our industry is, besides having our toy industry requirements, we have in top all different industry requirements. Could be ul, FDA and so on, and even which share same of these suppliers that in, in this industry. Many of our people listening today are also facing, uh, challenges with many of them as well. And what I do here, I have been having fun for over 25 years, um, in, I will say end-to-end supply chain. It’s like being in four or five different companies, working in different, uh, parts of the world, enjoying working with multicultural teams. If I can put it in. Four buckets will be logistics and planning, sourcing and supplier development, manufacturing, engineering, and very heavily in quality and compliance. And of course, along those lines is also about, uh, opening new markets in terms of contract manufacturing in India, Brazil, nowadays in Mexican, south America, integrating new business when we secure new, new companies or opening new manufacturing facilities or to around facilities whenever it’s necessary. Then I’m having a lot of fun working, uh, globally with many different initiatives nowadays, in terms of a strategy is all about digital transformation, I think, as everyone else in, in the audience and also about nurturing initiatives. But we can say at bottom line is developing, uh, a resilient and a supply chain, eh, with a lot of agility. Hmm. That’s a little bit about me. <laugh>.

Astrid Aubery (12:23):

Wow.

Scott Luton (12:24):

Gladys, man. So, Astrid, did you hear there, the Gladys factor has gone global, right?

Astrid Aubery (12:29):

I know.

Scott Luton (12:30):

And clearly she doesn’t get any sleep at night. Did you hear everything that she’s got that she’s driving and, and working and, and leading at Mattel? <laugh>? I wanna go back to, to one point though, Astrid and Gladys, uh, because as, let’s see here, um, as Katherine points out, she’s really excited for that movie first ever, if I heard that right. July 21st. Is that right? Gladys?

Gladis Araujo (12:52):

Correct. All theaters globally.

Astrid Aubery (12:56):

Okay. I know. I love the marketing campaign that you make with the filters in Instagram with the Barbie fashion. Ah, yeah. So it’s an amazing campaign. Congratulations.

Gladis Araujo (13:06):

Yeah. That has been a bureau. Everyone wants to have their background and everyone is putting their Barbie background. And so it has been a, an amazing, uh, uh, process.

Scott Luton (13:18):

Well, so clearly, uh, the Barbie is one of those iconic toys that has, uh, impacted so many folks, kind of what Clay was saying earlier. So I’m gonna call Clay out. So Clay, if there are any Mattel toys in particular that really you remember from your childhood or any of our, uh, listeners, y’all drop ’em in the chat. We’d love to share those with Gladys and Astrid. Okay. So with that as a, we got, we’ve done some great level setting. We’ve made everybody hungry, and we’ve filled anybody in with all the cool things that Gladys is up to <laugh>. Um, so I’m gonna share a couple comments, and then we’re gonna drive into talking about supply chain gladiators. So, but I gotta share some of these great comments here. Um, Jessica’s a big fan, those peaches we talked about. Now she likes pumpkin pie. Now, I used to love pumpkin pie as a kid.

Scott Luton (14:00):

Not so much anymore, but Jessica, maybe I’m making it wrong. Uh, let’s see here. Larry says, excellent peach cobbler needs no ice cream. Okay, maybe I’m doing it wrong. <laugh>. Uh, let’s see. Donna peach. Cobbler is great, but give me a blackberry cobbler with vanilla ice cream, man. Sounds delicious. And uria, uh, sasher cake. I might, I might be saying that wrong. Let us know what’s in there. That’s a new one for me. Nuria, thank you for, for sharing and making us hungry. Um, okay. So, Gladys, so much to get to you with you and Astrid and so little Tom. Uh, astro time, uh, astronaut, both want to kind of pick your brain. Um, I love the supply chain, gladiator, global supply chain, gladiator, that, uh, that message and that, um, um, kind of the, the, the image that it, that paints in your mind, what, you know, what do you, uh, think makes up a global supply chain gladiator. Gladys?

Gladis Araujo (14:56):

Yes. In book time that we’re living today, high volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambi. I feel like everyone in supply chain, we are a gladiator. But let’s talk a little bit about what a glad means in, in my context, if you have ever watched a, a movie of a gladiator or a TV series, what you see is they have a lot of challenges. Um, they have psychological challenge. They have physical challenge. They are facing a different opponents. They never know what is gonna be coming. Uh, there is a lot of uncertainty and a certain degree, lack of control. What is gonna be coming out. They have limited resources, and they are under high pressure to perform for the audience mainly. And they, they play hard in terms on, on unfavorable conditions that they are dealing with. And, and also, uh, they need to have a lot of preparation, not only physical, also mentally.

Gladis Araujo (15:58):

And they, they need to be very skilled in a strategy mindset. They need to be, uh, a good on different type of weapons. I feel like it’s like in our supply chain environment, it’s our toolkit. Then I have my toolkit. I don’t know what is gonna be happening, but I’m gonna be thinking fast strategy, and I’m gonna be picking and choosing what is appropriate in that moment for, for fighting back. And, um, and I also, uh, gladiators, uh, sometimes for many times they play, uh, uh, uh, they, they fight for their life as a team, and they call fili. Then the fili is they help each other and support each other in the arena. And it’s where I feel more connected, because I think in terms of leadership, the way I I identify myself is, I always use this acron that is csr, that you need to be in the arena with your people, supporting them, not sitting in the office or somewhere else.

Gladis Araujo (17:03):

Yep. Really understanding what are the challenges that they are facing, helping with the strategy, helping to provide the right tools that they may need to be juicy, thinking ahead. Then what I meant with the CSR is, uh, number one is truly connecting with your people in terms of your mind and your heart. Yeah. Listening to them communicating what is, uh, what we are looking for, does the see as, uh, is about supporting them, whatever they need. We as a leaders, we need to serve them because if they’re successful, we’re successful, our business is successful, and the environment is an environment of, of trust and empathy. That is the new leadership that we need to play in a book. And r is, for me, the recognition. Uh, and I, I put high value on the moral recognition. It, it doesn’t need to be like monetary or fancy, just a photo, uh, uh, a recognition, a pitch or something, or a, a hamburger with the team together. But if you have one goal at a time, you’ll be, um, uh, reaching this goal and recognizing at every step of the process, then you create an environment that is easy to succeed and save the challenges that nowadays is everywhere.

Scott Luton (18:24):

Yes. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Yes. All right. So, uh, if you’re keeping track at home, this, this csr, connecting, supporting, and recognizing, man, that those are great, um, uh, words and a mantra to live by. But Astrid, now, Gladys shared a lot of, there, a lot of it resonated with me. Um, you know, that she talked about the high pressure that our global supply chain workforce is under, and we gotta recognize that as leaders. Cause there’s lots of burnout, right? We gotta, we gotta find ways to make making the jobs easier and letting our people who wanna be successful, enabling and empowering them to be successful. That’s also part of our leadership responsibility. But Astrid, what’s one, one thing that that, that, uh, that made up, uh, Gladys’s gladiator definition that really resonated with you?

Astrid Aubery (19:05):

Well, uh, a lot of things, uh, every, everything that you already shared with us make me a lot of sense. But, uh, first of all, we will be the, the agility to adapt to the changes, uh, to have a very good and clear communication with the team clients and also, uh, suppliers maybe. And also the, to have a very clear objective to make a, a correct strategy to follow up. And of course, the final, the cherry of the, of the pie, yes. Will be the recognition that everyone needs the recognition to make, uh, and improve a better work.

Scott Luton (19:42):

Astrid Yes, and I love how you finished there because, uh, as Gladys mentioned, it could be as simple as grabbing a hamburger and sitting down with your people and really, you know, celebrating and getting to know ’em and spending them some time with them. Right. Now, there’s gotta be bacon on that hamburger, though, folks. I’m, I’m, I’m telling you, bacon and cheese <laugh>. Um, all right, so what a great start already, Gladys, I’m telling y’all the Gladys Factor is live. And well let, share a couple comments here. And, uh, man, everybody’s reminiscing. Larry and Clay’s talking about Hot Wheels, and, uh, Donna is talking about, hey, she’s in her sixties, but she’s still gotta have her Barbies. Uh, Jessica says her boys love the Hot Wheels, but she’s got fond memories of Mr. Potato Head. Clay talks about Uno, my kids love. They play Uno like every day.

Scott Luton (20:26):

Yeah. Um, and then Nuria, you know, asking, you shall receive. She’s talking about, we talked about Sasher cake. Uh, that nurse says dense chocolate cake with a thin layer of apricot Jan in between two halves coated in dark chocolate icing on top and sides. Wow. Okay. Uh, toys and desserts and supply chain leadership. You can’t go wrong with those things, <laugh>. Um, so let’s keep moving forward. Um, so Gladys, uh, and folks, if you don’t follow, uh, Gladys and ask her for that matter, but, uh, Gladys loves, she’s, she’s, you should have heard her travels as we’re getting on the pre-show. She’s going a lot of places leading, engaging, you name it. And she’s a great person to connect with and follow on social wealth and make that easy for folks. But Gladys, I saw one of your recent LinkedIn posts, you talked about this wow moment that you had while you were speaking at a conference in Amsterdam. So tell us what that wow moment was related to leadership skills required to navigating these VUCA times, huh?

Gladis Araujo (21:28):

Yeah, the VUCA times. Yeah. The topic was about, um, how to leverage inflation and, uh, this challenging time, as you say, the VUCA time. And what I was saying to the audience, uh, there are many, uh, business models out there from different well known companies about how to build a resilient and agility in your supply chain. And, uh, what I see and what I read, and I think everyone in this room is, is, uh, taking those actions, like having a stock inventory, uh, developing alternative route, uh, having a, uh, alternative warehouses and alternative suppliers and, and so on and facing now, um, the inflation, the scarcity of resources, the high cost of many of our raw materials for very long. And of course, other collateral issues like the war and also, uh, political situations around the globe, uh, covid or many other type of, of barriers is happening.

Gladis Araujo (22:31):

Then I see that everything is like adding cost. And, and then we cannot, uh, as, um, suppliers of the world for a saying, continu increasing our work because of our products. It’s gonna be a point that no one will buy your products because it’s in time. Then we need to find ways to leverage that cause in a way that we continue, uh, succeeding in, uh, in the market. Then what I was telling them in those, uh, business models, there are two elements that I think can help us balance, uh, this out. One is about, uh, localization and near, and the second one is about, uh, collaboration. And that’s where I’m gonna be focusing right now. Later, we can talk about nearing, then I was talking to them and, and I will tell you why it was a well moment in a minute, is that, uh, in terms of cost, it’s not more about the unit cost anymore, it’s about the total cost optimization.

Gladis Araujo (23:31):

But I will be adding collaborative total cost optimization. And the way I see it is the way we can overcome many of these challenges, because this includes also our responsibility for sustainability and also a responsibility for a s g that, uh, many people, oh, it’s also adding more cost, more constraints and more challenges. Then some of the examples that we were discussing. And that’s when, uh, the one moment it was happening, it was, uh, like an open discussion with the audience about how, uh, we can, uh, and how many of these companies, uh, there are worldwide companies, uh, such as Mattel, they have been using collaboration as a key strength. And the way I see it, the new role of the game and supply is collaboration. Collaboration, of course, internally needs to be happening. If you’re still working in a silo, you must need to fix it.

Gladis Araujo (24:30):

If you dunno how to fix it, just call me <laugh>. And then you need to go be full ecosystem. Your logistics, your competition association cluster, the government. Sometimes, uh, let’s say you are looking for a sustainable material, but no one will produce or, or make APL just for you. Then maybe you need to partner with your competition or with other, in the automotive industry. And then you will have the volume to have that sustainable material at, at a cost effective, uh, price for, for the manufacturing and the consumer. And also, eh, we were exploring, kind of brainstorming all the different factors beyond the unit price that is in the end to end value, network, logistics, eh, packaging that we need. Take a look, but what I, I was telling them when I see the most of the success and my experience through the years, even before the Booka time is truly make a collaborative event, then could be some companies call Iten, some companies call workshops, or you name it.

Gladis Araujo (25:37):

But, uh, when I was, uh, always having a challenge, let’s say, uh, we really need to demean, uh, to reduce the footprints of packaging. Many of the consumer goods have a lot of packaging, then it’s the cost in the product. It’s not sustainable. Right? And, and also, uh, the logistics is going up because you have more weight or more space than how to optimize. Then I, I don’t care. They are competition. All the suppliers on packaging all in the same room. Let’s figure it out. What is our 80 20? What are these products that we are selling the most? And they’re having the high impact in terms of, uh, uh, weight of packaging, right? And let’s figure it out how we’re gonna be redesigning, maintaining the quality and the safety of the product. And let’s move on. Putting in the room the full logistic team from end to end and figuring out what are our gaps, what are opportunities, what are move up, including internal, uh, scope three in terms of sustainability and maybe using recyclable packaging.

Gladis Araujo (26:39):

Maybe I’m, I’m asking too many deliveries instead of one delivery a month, right? And it’s feasible and it’s possible. How can we reduce the number of screws that we are using? Can we standardize the, the, the screws Instead of having 10 different screws for a toy? Can we have only one or two? And so on. Then once you start in that mood, also inviting the supplier to be bringing innovations to be a part of it, our, yeah. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> our success. Their success is our success. And by versata, then we have the, the, the ultimate goal together of making business as success in terms of, uh, uh, cause and also compliance and sustainability. Then we just need to work together. And I don’t see, uh, it’s, it’s happening as we speak, but we need to do it more than ever. Right? Uh, at that level of collaboration, among all sharing best practice, sharing opportunities, purchasing consortiums, maybe when I’m a strong in my, in my buying power, uh, uh, uh, uh, someone else is weak, and then we leverage the volume and then we move on, right?

Gladis Araujo (27:51):

Then get together with the cluster, get together with the associations, get together with the government, how they can be supportive. Then our running a way it’s gots changing as a supply is not a transactional or operational. It has to be more strategic and, and, and also more collaborative, then that’s what we were talking about. But was the one moment is because I don’t know if you have watched the quid game Netflix series from Korea. Have you seen that? Yes. And just for the audience is a kinda a weird Syria, but it’s very popular because you have always gained that you are between the life and death. Then we were watching, um, the, uh, the game of, uh, talk of rope. Yes. Uh, then, uh, you have like a, a precipice, an infinite precipice. And then we were, uh, uh, laughing in terms of making the analogies, okay, what is the other team representing in, in, in theca time?

Gladis Araujo (28:53):

What is, you remember the, the old guy and how everyone needs to be aligned and precise, and if they didn’t trust each other in, in, in the, doesn’t work. It didn’t work. Yeah. Then, uh, uh, it was that level of trust, right? And then that we need to move this way. We need to move this way. And, and then even the, I feel like the energy of, of, of, they were like, eh, putting a lot of, uh, eh, emotion when they were, uh, pulling the talk. Like even that rate of emotion is creating that, that you need for things to make it happen. Then when, uh, we were, uh, looking at that, um, I think two minutes episode, then the brainstorming, uh, on, on things that they were doing right, things that we can do more, it was flourishing. And then I think we need more of that happening today to succeed.

Scott Luton (29:52):

Agreed. Uh, alright. So you shared a lot there. I, uh, I would love to dive into, I, I counted about 17 things. I wanna speak to what you shared, Gladys. Uh, we’re gonna have to bring, we’re gonna, we’re gonna have a Gladys Factor series, is what we’re gonna build here. <laugh>. Um, Astrid, I’m gonna get you one of your favorite things and maybe, maybe one of your favorite leadership skills, but before I do, um, one of Gladys’s earlier points there, she was talking about a Kaizen event or, um, you know, Kazan Blitz is what we’ve called those before. And I think what’s helpful for folks, I wanna really play up. One of the things that Gladys said there is, it’s not a meeting, right? It’s not a meeting. There’s lots of communication, but there’s, there’s a lot of focus, right? On a singular problem. Mm-hmm.

Scott Luton (30:34):

<affirmative>, there’s a lot of communication around defining root cause, right? There’s a lot of, uh, discussion around the solutions that might can work, that they come to cons, they come to one that they’re gonna do, and they do it right. You do it right? And, and, and the action there is the focus and the action there are really important to, uh, Kaizen, a kaizen blitz, whatever you wanna call it. Um, it’s great call out. Gladys. Astrid, when we think about these, these times, all fighting through together, uh, what’s one important element to successful leadership skills, in your opinion?

Astrid Aubery (31:08):

Well, first of all, Gladys, that’s why you are a leader. You get it <laugh>, you know, that you need to trust, uh, in your team and in your collaborates. And for me, is the highlight was that we need to, to collaborate together, uh, to encourage the business to, to improve. So for me, one of the skills is the, it will be the, the trust. Yes. That will be one of the highlights to trust to, to, to the others, and to have these open mind to get, uh, different ideas, and then we can make a good conclusion.

Scott Luton (31:42):

Astra, that’s a great call out cuz you might, when you, when you when folks hear trust and being open minded, they may not think of skills, but those are skills you’ve gotta develop, right? Because sometimes you don’t naturally, you know, some folks don’t naturally trust, some folks don’t naturally have an open mind, and you gotta work those leadership muscles to, to get to where you can leverage those as, as, um, accelerants to doing, doing big things. The other thing, Gladys, as you were kind of walking through your response there, that came to my mind. Remember back in the eighties, uh, there was a, a brand of, um, plastic bags that made these iconic blue and, uh, let’s see here, blue and yellow make green. It was like a, this commercials, right? Yes. And Gladys, as you’re talking about bringing suppliers in, which is really important, we’re seeing more and more of that in the last decade or so, and breaking down those bo uh, uh, barriers.

Scott Luton (32:34):

Sometimes the only way you can make yellow, or, or sorry, make green is by bringing blue and yellow together, you know? So if you don’t bring suppliers in, you’re leaving out, uh, a certain portion of possible solutions and gains for everybody. So, Gladys love, man, we could make a whole, uh, series on that last response. I think Astrid and Gladys, I wanna share a couple comments here. Yeah. So, uh, when we’re going back to, uh, going back to, um, the Gladiator, um, uh, discussion. There is, uh, let’s see here, my mouse to work. So, hey, sometimes technology just fails. It’s my mouse just disappeared. I was telling y’all about that and appreciate, right, <laugh>, um, let’s see. Islam says, as he, as Gladys was defining gladiators, he goes, I would call them sales managers victims rather than gladiators, right? Cause gladiators, <laugh> haven’t respond to a lot of that.

Scott Luton (33:28):

Love that Islam. Uh, and Larry, I’m gonna share, I’m gonna read his, since I don’t wanna cover up, uh, Gladys Visually, Larry says, good talent needs to feel supported by management, right? You heard that from Gladys and Astrid earlier. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, if not, Larry says, your gladiators will desert you. Loyalty goes both ways. Top talent won’t stay in a situation based on loyalty. That common sense would tell them to leave. Larry says, my last sin has seen key leaders part to include himself to this reality. This, this lack of loyalty. Um, that’s a y y you know, there, there’s so many layers of the onion here, but you know, that loyalty does go both ways, right? Mm-hmm. Uh, I, I believe Gladys and Astrid. Um, all right, so let’s get back to the next topic for Gladys. So Gladys, you already kind of gave us a, um, a sneak peek there. You mentioned Nearshoring, there’s a lot of, um, you know, for, for a couple years now. I mean, really all this is cyclical in many ways, but there’s a lot of nearshoring initiatives going on. What’s a, a couple elements, Gladys, when it comes to some of what we’re seeing from a Nearshoring perspective that you wanna call out and share with our listeners and viewers?

Gladis Araujo (34:43):

Yeah, yeah. As I was mentioning before, uh, localization and near Cho is one of the key strategies to develop resilience. And I will go in a minute more deeper, uh, but I want just to make a parenthesis. Uh, when we talk about, uh, we have three elements on shore of shore in nearing, and now with Biden, they call French touring. Uh, and if we use, uh, US as our base, uh, will be on shore, is bringing business back to, to America, to US offshore maybe is manufacturing Vietnam, India, or far away and near shore is manufacturing close to your, uh, main market in this case could be Canada, could be Mexico, could be south, south America as close as possible. And that’s what we meant when we said, uh, nurturing. And, uh, I think it was a Q4 of last year when the Biden administration was, uh, putting into the news that now we have this story means, okay, we are looking for nurturing, but with France, because all the political, uh, uh, uh, issues, uh, they’re of, of America.

Gladis Araujo (35:50):

Then this is just kind of a background for the audience and, and, and what I see that is happening, and, uh, there are, um, really, uh, exciting moments that I think there are plenty of opportunities for the audience here. What is happening is, eh, globally, uh, US is by far the largest, uh, consumer, the highest c d P and so on. Then everyone and every part of the world is telling something to us, and also we know that because the war, the energy, the main power and some constraints with China, then people is looking for nearshoring. And in terms of nearshoring and number one, and, and number two is, uh, Vietnam and Mexico, who, who is, which are to countries that are, uh, uh, flourishing right now. And since a Mexican, I can give a little bit of more of background of what I have been seeing and what are the opportunities for the people that is here in the audience.

Gladis Araujo (36:50):

Um, what has been happening is, uh, companies from us are moving to Mexico because, mainly because the main power availability in Mexico, 70% of our population is between 18 years old and 45 years old. Then there is, uh, a big, uh, workforce here, eh, companies from, uh, Europe are moving also to Mexico to be closer to, to United States, and also because they have some constraints in terms of energy or, or gas, or even manpower as well, right? And, and, and also there is a, a big trend in which American corporations are also asking some of their partners in Asia to move closer, because the issues that we were facing during the Covid and this disruptions that we were having, we were having interruptions of our supplies, and many of, uh, Chinese, uh, Korean, uh, Japanese are, are moving in Mexico, and high interest also from Southeast Asia.

Gladis Araujo (37:49):

Then what is has been happening, and since Aji ago, every single week there are two openings or expansions. And, and specifically I will talk about noon. That is the state that is neighbor to Texas. And, uh, I will say that 50% of the increase of, uh, differentiate investment and the exports from Mexico are coming from noon. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, what is the beauty of noon is they have a highly qualified main power, because we have four domain universities in Mexican South America, and then we have over 100,000 engineers. We have very good vocational and technical schools. Then the main power is here, and the spirit of the people is just, uh, very hardworking and, and entrepreneurship. Then what I’m seeing, including Matt, where largest Megasite is here, same for healthy, same for Legos, same for, uh, the Korean, uh, home appliance company and name even Qantas.

Gladis Araujo (38:50):

And I think everyone knows what is going on. Nowadays, the largest manufacturing site from Tesla light is gonna be located here in Ion, and then what is gonna be happening is we’re gonna be having over 2,500 tier one, tier two, three coming. It’s gonna be like, uh, um, uh, um, a city of, uh, environment or an ecosystem that will be done of manufacturing. You need to have restaurants, you need to have hospitals. You need to have a school. You need to have, uh, hotel. A holistic approach. Yeah, a holistic approach. Then what I, what I’m inviting to the audience is thinking about this because this also carry on challenges. Uh, for example, uh, now that I’m working as many others in contract manufacturing, there is, uh, external manufacturing of your finished good. Many of these companies are looking, uh, either partnership with someone here and grow, or looking for contract manufacturing, or they are opening their operations, and they are many, uh, mechanisms in place to make it easier for the people with a partner to make it faster.

Gladis Araujo (39:58):

You just get the kids of your new plan by September with no liability, and you have your operation ready, right? Uh, but, but what I was going to say is, um, uh, to be truly 100% beneficial, because we just, we everyone knows here with U S M C A, it, it has been very successful. Our free trade, uh, agreement among Canada, US and Mexico is the largest by far in the world. Uh, Europe is, is 20 trillion, and our case U S M C A is 20 24, 20 5 trillion, and it has been established and flourish and, and, and, and growing through the year, right? Then, uh, but what is happening when I see the opportunities for entrepreneurs that are here for people who already has a business is, and, and that’s the challenge that, uh, including, uh, companies like us, we are, are having, let’s say, uh, we are either putting where manufacturing site in Mexico or we are, uh, eh, having a tier party manufacturer, contract manufacturing, but then many of us, we have a very long list of, of raw materials, eh, or tooling that we need to manufacture those goods.

Gladis Araujo (41:12):

Then if we don’t have the full change integrated or localized, then we still have the same type of constraint. Meaning if I’m still bringing, let’s say 50% of my raw material from China or from India, or, or you name it, then I’m still having delete and potentially the localization in full will not work right? Then, uh, I invite you, um, we have very well organized in Mexico in terms of clusters by industries mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, where, uh, very easily you can get like the connection of the whole country just getting into the heads of those clusters. Those clusters have perfectly identified the gap of what are the raw materials that we are lacking because they work in collaboration with all these industries, and it’s where you have the opportunity working with the secretary of economy or working with the cluster to see if your current business can fit now and, and flourish here to support this big ecosystem, and or you may want to open something that is missing here. And I, I was mainly talking about raw materials, but you name it, logistic service, transportation service, warehouse, four pl, uh, et cetera, and we are just neighbors, you know? Right. Then I think this is a, a brilliant opportunity. I will say one in a history time that we have been seeing, okay, maybe from since the recession that I think at least will be lasting 10 years, five to 10 years, then we need to take advantage of that

Scott Luton (42:48):

Once in a lifetime opportunity, folks. There’s lots and there’s lots op opportunity across the board for many as Gladys is a point now. Um, so, so Astrid, uh, I wanna shift gears here. So Gladys, so much to talk about. So little time. Um, I wanna switch gears for the second time and, and go back to Ukraine, and I wanna kind of, I, I wanna start actually with Astrid as we make this pivot, cuz I wanna, I wanna bring up this opportunity again and hey, we’re we, we’re gonna, we’re gonna keep shouting us from the mountaintops. There’s so much need that, uh, folks in need, and we’d love to have you join us. But this, this, as we pivot over to Ukraine, Astrid, this leveraging logistics for Ukraine, what has been your favorite part of working, uh, uh, on this humanitarian initiative?

Astrid Aubery (43:34):

Well, for me, it was a very, uh, simple, uh, campaign that we, we sent letters to the Ukrainian people, uh, made by, by kids. So, personally, personally, I encouraged to the school of my kids. So they draw a lot of letters and we sent to the, to the people in Ukraine. So it was a simple action that it makes a positive impact for them. So you usually need to do a big things, you can do small things that it really makes, uh, a positive huge difference for them.

Scott Luton (44:11):

Yes, huge difference. And it goes back to Gladys’s C s R that are, you know, recognizing try and, uh, and, and the yes. Supporting, and, uh, you arid you unique. A great point. And Gladys, uh, you may be familiar with this, but they, they, uh, encourage folks across, uh, the world really to draw letters and pictures for school children in Ukraine. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? Folks are in, in these combat zones, and they’re experiencing just, uh, something that most of us thankfully have never been a part of, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and, and just brightening their day with just some, some, some messages of, of, of hope and support and inspiration and such a great job there, uh, with what y’all are doing and the community of folks that want to help and find a way to help. And folks, we did drop, uh, if you wanna be a part of that, we dropped a link there in the chat. Um, Gladys, I know you’ve been a part of, of efforts, uh, that, that also mm-hmm. <affirmative> support those in need. The Ukraine, of course, the people Poland, have been amazing, welcoming and finding a way for all these refugees, these families, the displaced people as a result of, of, uh, the Russian aggression is just, it’s just heartbreaking. So, Gladys, what, tell us some things you’ve been a part of there. Uh, yes. Support Ukraine.

Gladis Araujo (45:23):

Yes. Uh, I think I would like to bring to the attention of the audience in case they wanna to make a difference as a leader. Uh, there are two, uh, in main initiatives that I can share about it. The first one that I get involved, and I invite the people to get involved, and we will provide the links that appropriate. You know, when the, uh, conflict started, uh, all the women and the children needed to go out the country mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and they lost their jobs then, uh, we have very talented woman professionals everywhere in the world that they’re looking for, uh, remote opportunities or face-to-face opportunities in terms of work. Then in European women’s board that are an active member, uh, we have a mentorship program in which we are supporting them in terms of maybe a grading their linking in profile, their tv, making sure that they have the right connections and, and, and, and helping them to navigate through this difficult time.

Gladis Araujo (46:21):

Just sometimes just to hear, uh, some, someone that is truly listening you with your car, it makes a significant difference. But of course, the ultimate goal is that you help them out to navigate until they find their, their, their way of living in the new place, wherever they are. Um, the other, um, group, um, that was recently launched at and is a platform that is open even for companies, uh, is a partnership and also, um, uh, an the advisory board of lean organization that is founded by Cheryl Sam, who used the former CEO of Meta. And, uh, eh, we support women, uh, eh, eh, to, to reach their aspirations in terms of a professional and personal development. Then in partnership with mackenzie, there is a platform where we are, uh, linking, um, uh, woman with employers to have a, a, a new life, uh, going on mm-hmm.

Gladis Araujo (47:20):

<affirmative>. That’s, that’s one of the, uh, initiatives to support women. And then the second initiative that is going on that just couple of weeks ago, I was very fortunate to met, uh, Ole and Alvida. You can see the Post and Lincoln in, or I can send also the link, the link. Um, they, they are part of a consulting firm that they are focused on international trade and development, that is called d a i, and they are partnered with s USA eight, the economic resilient activity, uh, for the war. And then, uh, pa uh, if we put it in a simple way, if you see Ukraine, let’s say half of the country is in the conflict and fighting every single day, and the other half of the country is still, uh, uh, producing and manufacturing goods for the work. Mm. And, and many of the locations that were lost in half of the, of the country, they already successfully, with the support of these agencies, relocated.

Gladis Araujo (48:20):

Uh, they provide also support in terms of, uh, consulting and, and, um, eh, make them more profitable. And then they have opportunities for experience, supply change, uh, in the audience that they want to be an advisors of these SMEs in, in Ukraine, they can join the program. And secondly, uh, what is very interesting for us in supply chain, that where is gonna be where I’m gonna be, where I am right now, very active, right? Is what is happening is when the conflict has started. I think everyone knows, uh, what type of materials I’m talking about, that we were sourcing only from Russia and Ukraine. Then when the conflict has start happening, we lost those, uh, uh, alternatives then now they are back, let’s say, kind of in production, and they, and, and they have been, uh, very successful so far, but they’re looking for, um, uh, rebuild, let’s say the supply chains in terms of, uh, potential buyers. And also they’re looking for, uh, uh, sourcing raw materials because some of their original sources disappear for a say. Then there is an opportunity in terms of, uh, mentorship or consultancy, uh, uh, uh, supporting the SMEs, but also in terms of trading of, uh, finish good as well as raw materials. And that way we can support the economy to continue operating in Ukraine.

Scott Luton (49:50):

Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So no shortage of ways to jump in.

Astrid Aubery (49:57):

Yeah. We lost you, Scott. I can hear you

Scott Luton (50:00):

Okay.

Gladis Araujo (50:01):

Yes. Now we jump back. We

Scott Luton (50:03):

Back. Okay. All right. My apologies. Uh, I was just adding, uh, there’s so many different ways that folks can jump in and support folks in need across Ukraine, across the region, really, and so many different layers and, and, and, and types of needs. So, uh, we’ll try to, um, of course, we want y’all to connect with Gladys. She can shed light on a lot of things she just mentioned there. Of course, we also want, invite y’all to be a part of, of the humanitarian aid leveraging logistics for Ukraine. The link there is in the chat, uh, do something, do something’s our challenge, uh, on behalf of Gladys and Astro to all of our listeners, just do something. Um, okay. I hate, uh, we’re kind of coming down home stretch here. I wanna, uh, get your, uh, Gladys, um, um, you’re a fountain of knowledge, a fountain of knowledge, <laugh>. I love that. I told y’all, I told everybody on the front end, the Gladys factor is alive and well, um, for, for perhaps some of our student listeners are folks that, um, are maybe earlier in their careers and they want to be into the executive suite like you, Gladys be, you know, senior executive supply chain leaders across industry. What’s, uh, what’s two or three tips that you’d offer up to them, Gladys?

Gladis Araujo (51:11):

Yeah, I think somehow we have been talking about them along the, uh, the program. First of all, uh, you should be a people leader, whatever transformation, whatever challenge that you have, if you are not a people leader, following the csr, uh, information that I shared, like connecting with the people, creating an environment of trust, supporting them along the way, and recognizing things won’t happen. If you hear many of the conference or postcards, everyone said, you can have the best technology, the best state of the art procedures, but people don’t accept, they will not follow. And the main challenge I always hear everywhere where I go is change management. But I think it’s so easy. It’s just connect with your people, support your people, recognize your people. Be a people, a people leader, a people, uh, that, uh, you serve your, your team. If they succeed, you succeed and the organization will succeed. That’s number one. Uh, number two, um, as, as, uh, we have been, um, uh, uh, saying today we are in ACA time. The BCA time will continue for, there is no estimation maybe the next 20 years, 30 years, it’s gonna stay here. Then since this, the model ofum, you need to be a gladiator. We already talked about when it’s a gladiator, you need to be working in collaboration, and that’s the only way to succeed in personal or professional life. Then continue practicing that. And lastly, but not

Scott Luton (52:51):

So glad, okay? Okay. Yeah. Hey, Murphy’s law is with us here today. Know it’s a global conversation and it keeps trying to disconnect us. It’s not gonna happen, Murphy. It’s not gonna happen.

Gladis Araujo (53:01):

No, no, no. Because it was the preparation for my last statement moment of Trump. You need to embrace a lifelong learning mentality. For me, lifelong learning, as you know, uh, we need to have a new series of skills. Automation technology is advancing so fast. You need to upskilling, reskilling. We’re expecting to have at least six different careers. You, you, you don’t know how many times I have been reinventing myself up to now, and I will continue that cultivate curiosity in a way that you are really eager to learn. And this is the only way you will continuous improvement yourself and your operations, because if not, you’re gonna be getting behind.

Scott Luton (53:53):

Oh, man, Gladys, I am so glad, <laugh>. I’m so glad. Yeah. Astrid, I’m with you. I’m so glad we saved that to the last part, because beyond the truth in all three of those things, um, it, it’s, it’s, uh, it’s, it’s never too late. It’s, there’s, it’s an optimistic message, a practical, optimistic message there. Uh, Astrid, out of those three things that, that Gladys shared, what was your favorite

Astrid Aubery (54:16):

Collaboration? Of course, collaboration is the key to have a, a good optimisation in everywhere.

Scott Luton (54:24):

Love that. And I would just add, I love that one, of course, um, the lifelong learner thing, because that means so many different things in so many different ways. And part of that meaning that I heard, uh, there, at least what it means to me is that beyond personally learning, it’s al also not sitting on your laurels as an organization, right? I think that’s human nature, the sit, it’s been working, it’s been working forever for years. Let’s not change it. And man, that’s a dangerous way of thinking. We, and unfortunately, we saw that, uh, come to fruition and bite us in many ways these last few years. Um, okay, folks, man, I told y’all, let’s see here. Larry added a few, set the example. You were more likely to be followed by your actions instead of your words. Ooh, that’s a good one. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And going along the third lines of what Gladys said, of being a lifelong learner, Larry says, don’t be scared of new technology. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> and listen to your workforce. I love that, Larry. All right. We’re getting all kinds of good stuff here. So, Gladys, um, and Astrid, I’m gonna ask, ask, ask y’all both as actually, um, Gladys, if folks wanna connect with you and learn more about anything you touched on here, or, or any of the different ways you’re serving and leading industry, how can folks connect with you, Gladys?

Gladis Araujo (55:38):

Yeah. The faster, and this is way, will be through linking, uh, you just, I always answer any, any linking, uh, request. Then everything that you hear here today that you want to collaborate, know more about it, you are looking for an advice, please don’t hesitate and just send me a message. And also, many of the initiatives that I have been sharing here, you can find them very detailed information in my, in my link in, in my post. And then we continue the conversation. We need to work together. We need to support each other and, and be optimist’s. I like that from Scott. That’s my learning from you <laugh>.

Scott Luton (56:18):

We glad. Hey, hey, I owe you, I owe you about 5,000 eureka moments. Cause that’s what you’ve brought us here. So, um, but, uh, always a pleasure. We’re gonna have you back. And by the way, Nuria, you’ve got a great question there. I’m gonna encourage you to reach out to Gladys and hopefully y’all can get, um, a cup of coffee and exchange thoughts there. I appreciate that Nuria. Sure. Astrid, all the cool stuff y’all got going on at Vector and, and the podcast. Uh, and in the most importantly, a lot of the, uh, nonprofit purposeful work y’all do, big fan, I admire y’all. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, I’ve shared that with our listeners time and time again. Astrid, how can folks connect with y’all?

Astrid Aubery (56:53):

Also by Linkin is the fastest way, and I’m really active, so just send me a message and I’ll be, I’ll be there for sure.

Scott Luton (57:02):

It is just that easy. And as I, as we shared earlier, not only do we share Gladys’s direct, uh, LinkedIn, y’all one click away from connecting with Gladys. You’re also one click away from connecting with Astrid and the team there. So y’all check that out. Um, man, it what a, uh, energizing last hour. I wanna thank both of you, Gladys Ajo, uh, uh, with Mattel. Gladys, thank you so much. The Gladys Factor was alive and well. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, you brought it by the truckload. Uh, Gladys, we’re gonna do this again soon. Thank you for your time.

Gladis Araujo (57:35):

Thank you very much for the invitation. I enjoy our conversation as always with you as Scott and Ashley.

Astrid Aubery (57:41):

Thank you, Gladys,

Scott Luton (57:43):

And safe travels, uh, and your future travels. I know you’ve been very busy in that regard. Look forward to some pictures there. And Astrid, uh, thank you for your time here today. Had a blast. Uh, safe travels to you as, as, as you’re, uh, you’re in a beautiful city, right? This Bennett <laugh>, but Astrid Obert with Vector Global Logistics. Thank you for joining me here and be my co-host.

Astrid Aubery (58:02):

Thank you so much. Thank you so much for this invitation. I really enjoy to be here.

Scott Luton (58:06):

Awesome, awesome, awesome. All right, folks, man, uh, if that doesn’t inspire you, if that doesn’t give you ideas. If that doesn’t get some thoughts going and your juices going, you better check your pulse. I <laugh>. So check with your doctor. But hey, whatever you do though, it’s about acting on some stuff you heard here. Acting even the smallest actions, the smallest step will move you forward. Especially when you put, you know, a small step a day and you, you bring ’em all together. That’s how we collectively, we move mountains. So Scott Luton challenging all of y’all deeds, not words. Take action. Hey, be like these two, do good, give forward, be the change that’s needed. And with that said, we’ll see you next time, right back here on Supply Chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (58:49):

Thanks for being a part of our supply chain now, community. Check out all of our programming@supplychainnow.com and make sure you subscribe to Supply Chain now, anywhere you listen to podcasts. And follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Instagram. See you next time on Supply Chain Now.