The Supply Chain Buzz is Supply Chain Now’s regular Monday livestream, held at 12n ET each week. This show focuses on some of the leading stories from global supply chain and global business, always with special guests – the most important of which is the live audience!

This week’s edition of The Buzz was a Digital Transformers edition, so Scott Luton was joined by fellow host Kevin L. Jackson, a multi-time bestselling author who has been recognized as a Top 5G Influencer and a Top 50 Global Digital Transformation Thought Leader.

In this session, created in collaboration with a live Supply Chain Now audience, Scott and Kevin discussed:

• The cyber risk-related downside of the impressive connectivity leveraged by today’s most mature and sophisticated supply chains

• Walmart’s recent acquisition of Alert Innovation, an eGrocery automation firm that makes customized inventory handling technology to increase the efficiency of order picking

• The important first steps IBM is taking towards “continuous intelligence planning” (CIP) which integrates business planning with continuous and collaborative planning using the augmented capabilities of artificial intelligence

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 (00:29):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson here with you on Supply Chain. Now welcome to today’s live stream, Kevin. How you doing?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:38):

Good morning. But you know, um, last night I was, uh, I drove off to Baltimore, and then I was, I was driving home and yeah, I had to turn my heater on. It got called. What’s happening? What’s happening,

Scott Luton (00:55):

Man? That is welcome News. A welcome development.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:59):

I don’t, I don’t like cold weather.

Scott Luton (01:02):

No, no. Well, hey, whenever you’re ready, you can make it.

Kevin L. Jackson (01:06):

You got this thing. They got this thing called, this stuff called Snow. I know. Y y’all, y’all never hear that down there,

Scott Luton (01:13):

<laugh>. We, uh, we, we can’t handle any precipitation too well down here in the South, Kevin, But anytime you’re ready to come on down and have a milder winner, you have an open invitation to join us in, in Metro Atlanta. You Thank you.

Kevin L. Jackson (01:27):

I’ll, I will take you up on that deal.

Scott Luton (01:30):

Well, uh, but all of that aside today, folks, is to supply chain Buzz, where we share some of the leading stories from across global Business is the Digital Transformers edition of the Buzz Day. We’re gonna be talking about a variety of topics and folks get ready cause we want hear from you as well. So, uh, let us know your take on some of these stories that we’re gonna be working through. And Kevin, yes. Got no shortage of things to talk about today, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (01:55):

You know what? I’m, this digital Transformers must we have this show. I’m gonna be on the 17th. We have our regular show after that, and the next digital transformers will drop.

Scott Luton (02:13):

Man, it is gonna be a busy month. Uh, do you, have you got some clones working this month, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (02:19):

Hey, you know, we try

Scott Luton (02:23):

True digital transformation. Okay, Well, uh, folks, what we wanna do, we’re gonna say hello to a few folks in just a minute. I see Jonathan and T Squared already, uh, in here with us, Uh, thanks to we do, uh, big thanks to production team, of course, helping make things happen. Chantel, Katherine, and Amanda Bless, share our few events to get going here today. Kevin, uh, we wanna invite folks, Kevin, to join us at our next webinar, uh, tomorrow October 11th. It’s hard to believe it’s already the 11th of October, 2:00 PM Eastern Time, special time. We’re gonna be talking about why a probabilistic approach is better to manage uncertainty when it comes to forecasting. Kevin, have you ever heard of a probabilistic forecasting,

Kevin L. Jackson (03:05):

Although <laugh> Yeah, that’s right there next to but Monte Carlo simulation, right?

Scott Luton (03:10):

<laugh>. Hey, we’re gonna find out tomorrow for me, it’s tough enough to say probabilistic. Uh, you know, I’m not gonna practice <laugh>. Well, folks, join us tomorrow. Special time, 2:00 PM Eastern Time as we invite our friends from North Find Management and Tools Group, uh, for that, uh, webinar. Then coming up Thursday, also a special time, um, 11:30 AM Eastern Time. We’re gonna be talking to how finance and commercial teams are collaborating to improve global supply chain. So join us there as we bring in folks from Electric Case and our friends at Enable. Kevin, Hey, It, it collaboration is, is not a nice to have table stakes these days amongst these functional, uh, areas of an organization, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (03:57):

Well, it’s, it’s, it’s minimal. You know, I, I really like the term co-creation, right? <laugh>, when you’re working together, I think it’s much better than collaborate,

Scott Luton (04:09):

Okay. Co-creation, I like it. I’m gonna steal that from you, <laugh>, uh, hope I don’t owe you any, any commissions there licenses or what have you. But, hey, uh, kidding aside, folks, on October 18th, so that’s next a week from tomorrow, right? Tuesday, October 18th at 11:00 AM Eastern Time. It’s our next planning session for our ongoing leveraging logistics for Ukraine Initiative. Now, Kevin, we got updated numbers as of a couple days ago. Oh, okay. And there have been over 500,000 pounds of vetted humanitarian aid make its way to Ukraine, Poland, in the region for folks in need. How about that?

Kevin L. Jackson (04:47):

Wow. Wow. That’s, it’s really making a difference. I’m real, You know, that leveraging logistics is making a difference.

Scott Luton (04:56):

Yeah, Agreed. Agreed. And we couldn’t do it. Of course, our, our fearless leaders there, Vector Global Logistics, Enrique, Christie, Maureen, that whole team, but they’ve really built a, a global community that’s all helping out. Some folks are bringing information, other folks are bringing supplies, other folks are bringing, you know, logistics and what have you. But hey, show up on the 18th at 11:00 AM just to kind of, um, piece it all together. Uh, so whether you come to network or you come to learn, or you come to even give you name, you know, no matter, just come and join us on the 18th at 11:00 AM Eastern time.

Kevin L. Jackson (05:29):

Hey, you know, um, sorry to interrupt you there, but, uh, do you know what today is,

Scott Luton (05:37):

Uh, beyond October 10th? I do not.

Kevin L. Jackson (05:39):

It is Indigenous People’s Day. Did you know that?

Scott Luton (05:45):

I didn’t. Hey, I learned something new every hour I spend with you, Kevin

Kevin L. Jackson (05:48):

<laugh>. So it’s also known as Columbus Day Plus be a federal holiday. I don’t know why I’m working, but today is Indigenous People’s Day. And this is when we honored a sovereignty, resilient and immense contributions that Native Americans have made to the world. And we recommit as individuals and as a nation to upholding our solemn trust and treaty responsibilities to tribal nations that strengthen our nation to nation ties. I mean, there are multiple tribal nations that exist, and, and it’s really important to, to recognize this day and the culture, uh, of, uh, indigenous people.

Scott Luton (06:36):

Yeah. Completely agree. Uh, completely agree. Uh, Helen Elena says she did know that Kevin <laugh>, she indigenous People’s Day. So, but I, what I’m, I’m so glad you mentioned that because, um, we should absolutely honor and lift up their contributions. You know, we wouldn’t be here in so many different ways mm-hmm. <affirmative> without having, you know, working together. So I really appreciate you mentioning that, that on the front end, and we’ll look for some practical ways of, of celebrating this special day.

Kevin L. Jackson (07:02):

Great.

Scott Luton (07:04):

All right. So before we get into the news, some of the news of the day, I’m just gonna share, say hello to a few folks. Jonathan is back with us from Louisiana. Uh, good morning to you. Hope you had a great weekend, Jonathan, and look forward to your perspective here today. TS squared is going back and talking weather. Kevin, he says it’s called the fall slap, Kevin <laugh>,

Kevin L. Jackson (07:27):

When you driving, you so get, you know, uh,

Scott Luton (07:31):

Smack in the face,

Kevin L. Jackson (07:32):

Smack in face.

Scott Luton (07:35):

And he, he get also says Baltimore has trick weather all the time. <laugh>, love that. Thank you for holding down the, for, for over at YouTube T squared. Katherine, happy buzz day. Uh, that’s that. It’s also Buzz Day here today. So great to have you, Katherine. Appreciate what you and Chantel and Amanda do back behind the scenes. Hey, Jason Hopkins is back with us. So Kevin, uh, last week we found out from Jason that he moved back to Alabama from dc. Um, he’s a big Todd fan, which we already knew the Alabama Crimson tide. But Kevin, he, he brought in a new addition to the family. Oh,

Kevin L. Jackson (08:13):

Wow. Congratulations.

Scott Luton (08:15):

And Jason, I cannot remember your new newborns name, so refresh our memory there, Joey. Hey. Hey. Good morning to you. Joey. Hells from Minnesota, I believe. Kevin, speaking of, Yeah, I was about to say. <laugh>. Our heads and minds go to the same spot. I bet it is cold up in Minnesota, Joey, but great to have you here today. And then finally forward diving to the news today. Hey, Jenny, Jenny Pot is here, uh, with us today. Good morning from Madison. She says, finally able to join live since my standing meeting move today. That’s good. And my Badgers won this weekend. So she’s a big, of course, Wisconsin fan, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:52):

Well, you know, W’s cold in Wisconsin too, but what’s more important is that the buzz has higher priority, uh, than, uh, that, uh, standing meeting. I

Scott Luton (09:03):

Like that <laugh>. So, uh, that’s a great point, Kevin and Jenny, great to have you, uh, look forward to, uh, another big week and appreciate all the work you do for industry and beyond. And then finally, nav. Hey, good evening to you. Uh, Nav Hills from Pakistan is tuned in with us via LinkedIn. Great to have you Navit. Uh, okay, folks, keep the comments coming. We wanna hear from you as we work our way through, um, four news stories. We’re gonna be working our way, uh, through on the buzz here today. And Kevin, are you ready to dive in? I want, I wanna start here with this story here. Flash. That’s right. <laugh>, a supply chain slap, maybe, or a digital transformation slap. I don’t know. But I wanna start with, uh, you know, digital transformation, of course is nothing new. It’s been going on, uh, organizations. I’ve been transforming a number of different ways, but it’s created some vulnerabilities, um, across global organizations. So, Kevin, tell us more.

Kevin L. Jackson (09:57):

Yeah, a absolutely. So a digital supply chain really is designed to provide visibility into the workings of the chain. But the supply and demand issues that we face during the pandemic really revealed how fragile supply chain can be, especially with the increased threat of cyber attacks. Cause everybody’s working from home, no, no longer work in that office. And organizations had really a, a a, a challenge transitioning and within, uh, supply chain technologies like embedded sensors and GPS and R F I D really helped companies to transform and to, and to flex, uh, from the traditional supply chain structures into more agile, flexible, open, and, and collaborative digital models. But the connectivity itself has dramatically increased the vulnerabilities. It leaves, uh, this chain and the factories, uh, exposed to cyber security threats. A recent survey by Deloitte and the Manufacturer’s Alliance of Productivity and Innovation showed that 48% of the respondents identified operational risks like cybersecurity as the greatest danger to smart factory initiatives. Mm. And, you know, the, the, um, uh, scada uh, supervisory control and data acquisition systems on, on all these machines, they are just over exposed to the internet by all these remote desktop applications. And the FBI said that larger businesses are being targeted based upon their ability to pay higher ransom demands and smaller entities or soft targets. So, I mean, we really need to look at your cyber security when you’re digitizing your processes.

Scott Luton (12:01):

Yep. Agreed. And you know that fbi, um, so we’re talking about this article from our friends Supply and Demand Chain executive. And Kevin, your one of your final notes there was exactly where my eyes went. And with the FBI warning, uh, yes, whether you’re large or small, no matter everyone’s gonna get hit. It’s just a matter of, of how you can mitigate the risk. Um, because to your point, the smaller businesses, uh, they’re seen as, as softer and easier targets. It may have less resources, but it could, it could be easier to, um, you know, get something outta these smaller organizations. So, Kevin, it’s a, it’s a scary time for global supply chains in some ways.

Kevin L. Jackson (12:40):

The other thing, you were talking about, ransomware, the new, the new Wave now is ransomware as a service where you don’t even have to be technically adept to attack someone. You just hire <laugh>, just hire somebody to execute or ran somewhere, attack for you. Mm.

Scott Luton (13:01):

So if you, if you haven’t already, uh, and hopefully your organization, So any of our listeners are already proactively assembling teams and resources to mitigate the risk. But boy, if you haven’t, um, get to work right away. So thank you for sharing, uh, Kevin on the first story here in the Buzz. Um, really quick before I move to our next story. So, Jason’s daughter, newborn daughter, her name is Lyric. That’s right. I forgot.

Kevin L. Jackson (13:26):

Lyric, a

Scott Luton (13:26):

Song. I love that name. So, uh, Jason, congrats again. And, uh, I can’t wait to see how, um, uh, what else she introduces as a parent, uh, to all your responsibilities as a father of three and two daughters, uh, it’s a, it’s one of life’s, uh, best pleasures for sure. Um, sand, uh, is tuned in via LinkedIn from, Is it Barry? Perhaps Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (13:53):

Uh,

Scott Luton (13:54):

Bar. So well, regardless, uh, Sam, it’s great to have you here. Looking forward to your perspective as we work our way through the supply chain Buzz. And by the way, folks, so that it’s right at your fingertips. Our team has dropped that first article, and we’ll drop each of these articles right there in the chat, so y’all can check it. Uh, check it out for yourself. Okay. Kevin, are you ready to move to story number two?

Kevin L. Jackson (14:18):

Yes, sir.

Scott Luton (14:19):

We move fast around here. I’ll tell you <laugh>. Uh, well, this next story, Walmart continues to make big moves in its attempt at keeping up with what I’m calling the eCommerce Jones’,

Kevin L. Jackson (14:31):

The Joneses

Scott Luton (14:32):

<laugh>, the eCommerce Jones, You know, Walmart, of course, it’s a big player, but yeah. Yeah. Um, we know the, um, uh, the, the big time eCommerce player that starts with an A that they’ve been trying to better compete against, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, so according to our friends over at Supply Chain Dive, last week, Kevin Walmart announced that it had a required alert innovation. Now that’s Angra automation firm that makes customized inventory handling technology. So, in a nutshell, they focus on building systems to store retrieve and dispense orders, really using all the latest technologies. And one of the core components in their platform is the use of robots that move, get this omnidirectionally on their own <laugh>. So, as I understand it, there’s no pull, there’s no pulleys there. No conveyors, no. They’re really, um, self-contained robots. They can move all wide variety of directions.

Scott Luton (15:27):

It really cuts down on the space needed in a fulfillment center while speeding up order processing for customers. Now, that sounds like a great move. Yeah. Especially Kevin in urban fulfillment centers, where space is usually expensive and limited. And, uh, on a side note here, uh, we’ve got a great interview coming out on Wednesday, two days from now with Mike Prince, uh, very innovative and senior executive of Walmart. Uh, and, and on that episode, Kevin, Tony Sheroda with rla and I, we dive into a variety of topics, including some of the really cool omnichannel things like this, that Walmart is doing to better compete to, to, to also drive customer experience. Cause that’s one of the names of the game.

Kevin L. Jackson (16:10):

Yes. Yes. You know, um, I, when I, I looked at that article, the thing that jumped out at me was the automated micro fulfillment centers <laugh> that they’re gonna put, uh, in all these stores. And it kind of reminded me of cloud computing. You know, when, when cloud computing started, it was all about huge centralized data centers, um, across, you know, square miles of, of land. And these big buildings with, uh, here where I live in Manasas, all these buildings with no windows, uh, not owned by the government started popping up and they walled data centers. And then as people started, uh, uh, the internet became more and more a part of our lives, they started transitioning from these big centralized data centers to more regional, uh, data centers. So they got smaller, but, but, um, spread out across larger, um, parts of the country. And I think the same thing is happening with this fulfillment. They’re going away from these huge centralized distribution centers to smaller distribution centers, to the little lockers that are now popping up in seven or 11.

Scott Luton (17:34):

Yep. Agreed. Um, more, certainly a lot more nimbleness mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Um, but what’s powering that, enabling that as you know, is, uh, better analytics, right? Yeah. Uh, better forecasting of what folks are going to be, um, purchasing, right. Based on, uh, the area that these, these micro fulfillment centers serve. So, fascinating time for sure. Um,

Kevin L. Jackson (17:57):

Visibility I think is really important.

Scott Luton (18:00):

Agreed. Agreed. Um, alright, so, and y’all stay tuned for that episode, again, releasing that on Wednesday. And I really enjoyed Mike Prince’s, uh, perspective, uh, all the cool things he’s been up to over at Walmart. Uh, Dr. Rhonda, good morning to you. Great to see you here via LinkedIn. Uh, she’s out in Arizona. Uh, Kevin, I bet it’s a lot warmer. Where, uh, Dr. Rhonda is Kevin, what you think? I

Kevin L. Jackson (18:26):

Think I’m gonna go to Arizona instead. Uh, Atlanta.

Scott Luton (18:29):

Well, you know, that’s, that is where we first met. Yeah. Scottsdale, I believe, scottdale you and sat down. Yes. Uh, met you and your wife, and of course, uh, our friend David. And, and, um, Oh, you, you, you successfully mitigated that risk, Kevin. Uh, but Dr. Rhonda, kidding aside, great to have you here, Brian. She has tuned in from Cape Town. Hey, hope this finds you well, Brian, Great to have you here via LinkedIn. And finally, going back to the father thing, Jason says he’s fortunate just to have one, uh, child just yet, first time father. But it’s rewarding and a lot of logistics. He says <laugh>,

Kevin L. Jackson (19:12):

<laugh>,

Scott Luton (19:13):

Plenty

Kevin L. Jackson (19:14):

Getting that, uh, supply chain knowledge in place.

Scott Luton (19:18):

That’s right. That is right. Okay. Uh, so we were just tech, uh, talking about Walmart’s recent acquisition. And again, we dropped that link in the chat there. Y’all can check that out and let us know what, uh, what your take is on that story. Let’s move over to talk manufacturing. Kevin, one of my favorite things to talk about, love the manufacturing industry. Um, a lot of change there.

Kevin L. Jackson (19:41):

A lot of change.

Scott Luton (19:43):

Uh, you’re absolutely right. Uh, and in fact, this is gonna be kind of a tale of two cities here in this report from the Wall Street Journal, where they say the current environment is getting more challenging for many manufacturers here in the States. So the Institute of Supply Management ism, they put out, um, uh, a monthly report that really measures a variety of things, but especially focuses on manufacturing activity and whether it’s, uh, expanding or contracting. Well, the September numbers came out last week, and it’s still, the manufacturer industry here in the States is still growing and expanding, but at a, a smaller, or at a, um, slower pace than it has been. So there’s a few factors at play, and we’ll hit a couple here. Interest rates, of course, have jumped up. Yeah. Which will decrease demand in the housing markets, and that’s gonna push a lot of new factory orders down.

Scott Luton (20:32):

Right. The housing industry drives a lot of manufacturing activity, and the export market is looking, uh, less than rosy, given the strong US dollar, which might sound seem kind of counterintuitive, but the strong US dollar and oversees economic challenges. So that’s, um, not helping our orders. But on the flip side, the mighty automotive sector, which is paramount to manufacturing activity. Kevin, there’s some good news here. So demand has been strong, you know, Heck, because folks can get their hands on new cars. The used car market has really blown up in the last couple years. Right, Right, right. So, demand’s been, uh, demand’s been strong. Chip supplies are finally catching up. That should lead to more sales and a lot less frozen fleets of new cars waiting for just that one final part before they’re sold. Like many <laugh>, like many other,

Kevin L. Jackson (21:26):

A chip, a computer chip, Right.

Scott Luton (21:28):

<laugh>. That’s right. But like many other aspects of global business right now, you know, we’ve talked a lot about patio furniture. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, there’s been a lot, Uh, Nike’s been in the news for a ton of inventory here lately. I mean, so many businesses, just like automotive industry, it’s gonna be working through plenty of inventory in the months to come. So, Kevin, your thoughts here about some of this manufacturing news?

Kevin L. Jackson (21:51):

Well, you know, uh, one of the biggest transitions, and we talked about this be before on the buzz, is transition from fossil fuels to electric vehicles. So will, um, all these cars that are waiting for parts, um, will they now not be able to be sold? Because like states like California are now mandating the transition to electric, uh, vehicles. So, uh, maybe these fossil fuel vehicles, the, the won’t there, they’ll be know used cars before they even get on the lot is new. So, <laugh>, maybe, uh, you know, what do you Yeah, I I think there’s gonna be a, a, a big issue here.

Scott Luton (22:36):

Agreed. Agreed. Uh, and we’ll see all this plays out, you know, speaking of, uh, computer chips mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, just two weeks ago we covered, uh, a new chip foundry, uh, being announced in Utah. And I can’t remember who, who was doing it, but it was a major investment. And just over the weekend I saw Kevin, that in the state of New York, they just announced a major, if one of the biggest investments, uh, uh, uh, here in recent news. I think Myron, I believe was my crime. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That making that investment

Kevin L. Jackson (23:09):

State put a lot of money into that to, to build that, that fa I mean, we’re shifting from offs, showing to ons showing, and there’s some nears showing going on in there too. But, uh, agreed. This is, this is all part of the dramatic shifts on the supply chain.

Scott Luton (23:31):

Yep. Agreed. Agreed. You know, um, many of you, it as a national security issue in terms of how little chip production was made here, still in the states, when, you know, back in 1991 or so, I think, uh, the majority of the world’s chips were still made in the US if I’m not mistaken. Uh, but regardless, big investments, a number of big investments have been announced. And by the end of this decade, uh, we should see a whole different ballgame in terms of, um, uh, domestic sourcing of chips and overall supply. Yeah. Now, Kevin, one last thought here about chips, because it’s interesting, uh, as chips have proliferated everything we touch, I mean, how long before there’ll be a chip in our, uh, water glasses that will be constantly monitoring <laugh> if the glass is half full or half empty. I mean, we’re gonna have more chips that with what everyone do with them, uh, in a couple years, Huh? I,

Kevin L. Jackson (24:26):

I thought you were gonna tell everybody about the chip you have in planted in your neck there.

Scott Luton (24:31):

<laugh>. <laugh>. Not today. I was gonna save that for later <laugh>. Um, but anyway. Well, hey, so we’re just touching on, see, that would’ve been story number three, uh, about the manufacturing industry. One of my favorite sectors of global business to talk about. So y’all check that out. We do also drop the link, uh, in the chat. All right. So Kevin mm-hmm. <affirmative>, that brings us, man, we are shooting, man. Me and you are extremely efficient here today. I tell you what, we’re going to slow down a bit, take a breath, But let’s talk about, uh, how we’re creating smarter supply chains for stronger performance and resilience. So, Kevin, tell us more about, uh, this news from our friends, ibm.

Kevin L. Jackson (25:11):

Well, um, you know, we talked a little bit, uh, about vulnerabilities when it came to, um, uh, cyber security, right? But these, over the past two years, uh, supply chain vulnerabilities have been highlighted in virtual every sector and industry. Uh, and this demonstrates that even a small disruption in, you know, the, the supply chain, which is so intertwined and, and multifaceted, can really have dramatic effects. In fact, 93% of organizations have faced challenges associated with demand volatility. You know, uh, we always talk about every business, a hundred percent businesses have, uh, a supply chain, right? If you don’t have a supply chain, you’re not in business. But you really need to know how to better anticipate and navigate these disruptions. And the volatility you were just talking about. We were just talking about how, uh, the chips are now, you know, being built. Uh, the, the sources for all of these components are changing from offshore to nearshore, to onshore.

Kevin L. Jackson (26:33):

Um, and the organizations really need to be much smarter and build more agile, uh, supply chains. And according to ibm, the first step towards this is, they call it continuous intelligent planning, or c i p. Um, this approach integrates business planning with continuous and collaborative planning using artificial intelligence and it’s augmented capabilities. So, c i p, uh, these capabilities complement all of the other enterprise solutions, things like E R P, and it can sense and respond to the market changes that affect the supply chain, right? Mm. So, with this demand planning, c i p can help address the challenges around visibility and forecasting workflows and, and collaboration. In fact, I, I learned a lot, um, because in, in the recent, uh, couple of weeks, because the next digital transformers, I’ll be joined by Rob Kushman, the IBM worldwide leader of supply chain transformation, and Debbie Powell, the digital transformation leader at IBM Systems supply chain. So this is, this is IBM’s own supply chain, and the IBM consultant team is helping them transform. So they’re going to discuss on the show how smart leaders are turning to what they call the new trife of hybrid cloud data and artificial intelligence in order to navigate this out of this supply chain chaos that we’ll find ourselves in.

Scott Luton (28:37):

So, uh, just level set with three people out there that haven’t heard of digital transformers yet. <laugh>, uh, it’s Kevin’s, it is Kevin’s highly successful podcast. It’s part of the supply chain now, family, uh, programming. And I’ll tell you, uh, he’s really hit it outta the park. So he just, uh, shared that on the next podcast episode we drop, which will be, uh, next week, Kevin, is that right?

Kevin L. Jackson (28:59):

Uh, it’s the, I’m looking at my calendar the next, last Friday.

Scott Luton (29:04):

Okay. Next to last Friday in a month here in October, Monday

Kevin L. Jackson (29:08):

Or this, Yeah, Monday or this October. What’s

Scott Luton (29:10):

The date? Monday. Okay.

Kevin L. Jackson (29:11):

24th. 24th October.

Scott Luton (29:13):

So circle October 24th in your calendar is for that conversation with Kevin, uh, Rob and Debbie. Uh, and I bet I tell you, Kevin, uh, do you offer any, um, pre-pro prepo listing, um, homework so that we can, you know, that sounds like quite a, um, a brain trust with three of

Kevin L. Jackson (29:34):

Y’all? You know what actually, um, last month was Stacy Short, where we, um, uh, we, we, we talked about from the e r p, uh, side of the, uh, ledger where we talked about, um, how SAP and IBM have really been partnered for over 50 years, Right? So, I mean, e r p feeds the, uh, supply chain. So yeah, check out the September episode. <laugh>

Scott Luton (30:07):

<laugh>. That’s

Kevin L. Jackson (30:07):

True. Was that, uh, okay for a plug? That

Scott Luton (30:10):

Was great. That was great. And so, folks, it’s simple. It is very simple. Maybe our production team can drop the direct link in the chat. But folks, you can look up digital transformers wherever you get your podcast from, and check out all the past episodes, or be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss these future episodes. Kevin’s speaking to, Let’s do this. Uh, Kevin, I think our team, uh, so the report mm-hmm. <affirmative> that, uh, Kevin’s referencing. Y’all can check that out there from our friends at ibm. So do that. Um, and then I wanna share a couple quick comments. So, you know what, a second ago, we’re talking about putting chip everywhere, including our, our proverbial glass of water. John’s like, Hey, now that’s a digital transformation. Completely agree. And it’s coming. I’ll tell you, as we all know, you know, um, this is not a new story, uh, Kevin, but still, a couple years ago when I heard this story, it really stopped me, my tracks, uh, because LL Bean, if you remember, Yeah. If you ever had a book bag, maybe from the LL Bean company, um, a couple years ago, or I saw a news article where in some of their clothing, they were putting sensors so that they could gather intel and analytics on how it was being used, what temperatures, how often it was being washed, all that stuff. That is remarkable. And, and, and that’s not even the cutting edge of where we are, that that’s probably two or three years old. So we’re gonna need a lot more sensors and chips where we’re headed, right? Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (31:33):

Sensors, sensors everywhere. Um, yep. Yep.

Scott Luton (31:37):

So going back on the automotive side, so Dr. Ronda said, and she said she’s trying to text, but her keypad is sticking. So I’m gonna work through, uh, any typos here.

Kevin L. Jackson (31:47):

WD 40, you know, <laugh> key pad,

Scott Luton (31:52):

Dr. Don’t do that. <laugh>. She says there was an issue with electric cars over heating and batteries being compromised. I know that’s not a chip issue, but concerning, nevertheless. Agreed. Um, and we’ve all probably seen different footage of, of that, and hopefully that’s something we can get recognized. Hey, Scott. Um,

Kevin L. Jackson (32:11):

Have you, have you ever driven a Tesla?

Scott Luton (32:15):

I have not. Have you?

Kevin L. Jackson (32:17):

Yes. And I didn’t, couldn’t even start the thing. <laugh>. Seriously, It was so weird because I, I rented a Tesla and, um, got into car. I said, Oh, wow, I’m gonna be looking good in my, in my brand new electric vehicle in there. And I, I, I sat down and I had the little square piece of plastic, and up on the screen, there’s this just one big screen, you know? Okay. Right in the middle of the vehicle. And there was a picture on it. It said, you know, put, sort of put the plastic between the two cars, between the two seats. So I took the plastic, I put it down between the two seats, Okay, <laugh>,

Kevin L. Jackson (33:02):

Okay. Take a call, put it down again, cart. Moved it around, moved it around. And, and I’m just looking. And, and the screen, that little movie kept, No, come on, put the card, the card where belong. I’m there for like, I’m there for like 10 minutes, putting the card everywhere under the seat, on top of the seat on the dashboard. Nothing happens. So I, I, I, I finally break down and I get out and I find this attendant, and I said, Excuse me, I’m, I just can’t start this car. And he told, Look at me and laughed. And he said, Let me show you. And he went in there, and I swear he put the card in the same spot that I put it, and the car, just do it right up, Really <laugh>. And I said, Boy, I mean, it was, it was, it made me a, you know, a half an inch in a difference, you know? And, and I said, Well, that’s not where the video said. And he said, Yeah, I know it’s a little hard. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (34:04):

That’s just one of the few times, the handful of times in your career that you have not had that magic touch. Kevin L. Jackson, just one of handful of times. That’s

Kevin L. Jackson (34:13):

Caution cautionary tale when you drive a Tesla.

Scott Luton (34:18):

We know it’s really, it is fascinating, uh, as we’ve all watched the SpaceX launches, and you know, Kevin, you know, of course you worked at nasa. Uh, but I think there’s a great parallel here because if you look at, if you remember the inside of the shuttle program, right? The, where the, uh, pilot and co-pilot set and, and everyone can kind of remember all the complexity and all the buttons and knobs, and I mean, it was just, it’d blow your mind. And then you look at SpaceX and you look at what the pilot and co-pilot has Yeah. Of how, just how it’s been streamlined and simplified. And, and there’s a lot of that that’s coming to global industry, whether it’s automobiles or even running global supply chains, Right? Right. Kevin, your quick thoughts there.

Kevin L. Jackson (35:04):

Well, you, you, you brought up, uh, SpaceX, uh, no, you know, you just had a launch, right? Uh, earlier this year, back to the, um, uh, space station. But, um, and you talked about how great they are with all the details and advancing technology, but did you know that the last launch, they screwed up the NASA meatball,

Scott Luton (35:32):

Really

Kevin L. Jackson (35:33):

<laugh>, but known for, I’m gonna ask to put that in the chat, but, uh, the link in the chat, But they, NASA dec decals laugh about that one.

Scott Luton (35:56):

It’s, Hey, it’s the simple things that can trip you up. It’s like messing up

Kevin L. Jackson (36:00):

That can come and, and bite you in the butt, right?

Scott Luton (36:02):

It’s like messing with the Nike swoosh, right? Or, um, I don’t know. The apple, uh, Apple logo. I don’t know. Apple.

Scott Luton (36:10):

The Apple apple. Couple other quick comments here. Uh, Simon. Hey, so great to have you back. It’s been too long. So Simon says, uh, we touched on sustainability earlier, supply chain. Simon says, Account for more than 80% of greenhouse gas, uh, emissions, and more than 90% of the impact on airland water biodiversity and geological resources. Now, Simon, I appreciate you sharing that. Cause when I think about that, I, I’ll sitting down with Scott Case with the National Retail Federation, uh, Kevin, this was back in February of this year. We’re in Vegas with the early, uh, conference. And as we were talking about kind of what Simon’s mentioning, he goes, he goes, Scott, supply chains do whatever we tell them to do. Right? And there’s so much truth. I mean, it’s, we’re, it’s, it’s, it’s a simple thought, but there’s so much truth there. Yeah. Uh, and Simon, as you know, pulling out so much opportunity there as well, once we change those inputs so we can attack those numbers you mentioned there, Simon, Kevin, your quick thoughts there.

Kevin L. Jackson (37:12):

That’s why we need more artificial intelligence. The regular, normal intelligence is not cutting it anymore. <laugh>

Scott Luton (37:20):

Real ai, really real ai. Um, now Jenny, Jenny’s going back to your fourth item here, Kevin, you’re touching on this continuous, uh, intelligent or bi business planning. Yes. And Jenny says, Big fan of continuous supply chain, uh, planning, not a set and forget it in this constantly changing environment. So Ron Po Hill, he sold plenty of set it, forget it, toaster ovens, <laugh>. But that doesn’t apply, uh, in so many different ways to global supply chain. Not yet, at least. All right. So, uh, Dr. Rhonda really enjoyed your relatable, uh, story there with Tesla. I look forward, I look forward to my first Tesla ride. And hey, the Cracker Jack production team has dropped that NASA decal or, or logo mistake in the chat. Y’all check that out. Okay. So Kevin, we have shot through, uh, all four stories that we we’re gonna tackle here today. We’ve, we’ve talked about some space nerd stuff. Cause I think both of you are, both of us rather Yeah. Are big space nerds. I know. I am. Um, it’s, it’s fascinating to see what continues to come out of James Web, uh, project and also

Kevin L. Jackson (38:33):

A lot of good stuff. They, they’re, um, putting or leveraging Huble, uh, with the James Web, and it’s just given so much more additional, uh, insight. That’s right. Um, and speaking about Huble, they’re now on looking at, uh, using, uh, SpaceX capsule to, uh, Boost Hub so that instead of Deorbiting in the, uh, uh, late in, in 19, uh, in 2030, they may have to be able keep it up for another 10 years. Uh, that Wow. I mean, that’s really, would be worth it.

Scott Luton (39:12):

Uh, absolutely agree. And to your point, it has been interesting, and y’all, y’all indulge us for a second here about some space nerd talk. It’s really interesting as, as the web has come online mm-hmm. <affirmative> and have dropped all sorts of thought provoking and, and, um, you know, science, science changing, uh, knowledge. Yeah. It’s like the Hubble team has embraced the challenge and want, and wants to remain as highly relevant, highly relevant as always. And it’s like they’ve stepped up their efforts at

Kevin L. Jackson (39:41):

Hubble. Yeah. It’s a, it’s a great competition for the front.

Scott Luton (39:45):

Yes. I love that. It really is. I do too. And, and I, I look forward to learning a lot more about how, uh, how we could get another 10 years with Hubble, because Hubble has changed our understanding on so many fundamental levels. And as web continues, you know, uh, as teams around the globe really have gotten their scheduled study slots with the web, uh, space telescope, it’ll have the same impact, but probably by an order of who knows, 10 or a hundred. We’ll see.

Kevin L. Jackson (40:13):

So when you, uh, come up in, uh, up to DC and visit me, Scott <laugh>, um, you flying to Dallas, there’s a tunnel underneath, underneath Dallas. I don’t know if you’ve been in that airport recently, but they have people move us down there. And on each side, they have these huge pictures of Hubble, um, Hubble pictures on both sides of the, of the walkway for about half a mile. It’s really, really a fascinating walkway.

Scott Luton (40:44):

We’re gonna make that happen. And you, you know, we’ll have one more thing when the Artis, uh, I don’t have that new launch date from the Artis, but that, you know, that’ll be fascinating to watch. That’ll be the world’s largest rocket, if I’m not mistaken. That’s bigger than the, um, Saturday bigger

Kevin L. Jackson (41:00):

Than five. Yeah, it’s big. Yeah. Bigger than Saturn five.

Scott Luton (41:04):

Wow. Um, Alejandra says, My husband and I love all things space and would love to work in supply chain in any of the companies that work with space related projects. Well, Alejandra, you’re in, um, there’s some good news for you because space supply chain will only continue to grow, especially as more commercial and private companies get involved in all the cool things, uh, taking place in space. And that will require, as we all know, lots of supply chain know how Kevin,

Kevin L. Jackson (41:33):

So Amanda write that down. We’re gonna have to have a space supply chain special.

Scott Luton (41:40):

Yes, that’s right. That’s right. I love that idea. Great. Well, and, and, uh, some folks may not know you Kevin, and we’ve talked about it and just about every conversation you and I have been on, but you actually spent time on what, what NASA project went to Pau that you part.

Kevin L. Jackson (41:58):

Yeah, that was the new horizon. That was a payload that I, I worked on. So, uh, it, it was great. We, I, I’d worked on some early pay payload processing systems, this one called Epic for the Atlas, uh, launch vehicle. And we process the, uh, New Horizon space craft. And it’s kinda weird because you, you know, you make sure all, you know, all the t across the eyes are dot check all the blocks, right? And you, uh, you button up the, uh, the, the bird and the on the launches, they let the candle it goes, but you don’t know if anything works for like 10 years <laugh>. Wow. And so we’re sitting there 10 years later and, and the spacecraft, it only has like, you know, it’s like less than 30 minutes in the fly by, um, and you just crossing your fingers hoping that what you did 10 years ago actually worked. And, uh, camera comes on and it start taking pictures and it was just, ah, it was just wonderful. Uh, that

Scott Luton (43:07):

Is awesome.

Kevin L. Jackson (43:08):

You know? So, uh, uh, but yeah, I really enjoyed it. I worked on the sh on shadow, uh, uh, projects also along with a really, Yeah, I was another life, another time. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (43:20):

Well, we’ll have to dive into that. Um, I’ll tell y’all, uh, on a more somber note, the Challenger, there’s a Netflix, I think a seven part documentary on the, the Challenger disaster on Netflix. And it is, it is musty compelling. Uh, they interview the, uh, astronauts family. Uh, they really walk through kind of, uh, what took place and, and how it impacted not just nasa, but the US and really global, you know, the global space community. So check that out. I think it’s called the Final Flight, uh, on Netflix. It is it Netflix? It is, um, just in, uh, and remarkable. Um, okay, so Kevin, Yes. On a much lighter note, uh, I wanna talk about blockchain for a minute. Okay. Um, we had, I’m gonna pop this up here. So you and I joined our friends at tns NSS X and deal box for a webinar. This was back about a month ago, in fact. It was really,

Kevin L. Jackson (44:16):

I was just, yeah, I was just in Las Vegas at the Mobile World Congress with, uh, uh, Jameson and John.

Scott Luton (44:24):

Really? Yeah. Well, really enjoyed how, So we touched on a lot of different things in this webinar. And, and by the way, folks, you can sign up for the replay on demand, and our team will drop that link in the chat. But it really focused on a couple different business models that’s really leveraging blockchain in a very practical and powerful way. Uh, so if you’re, if you’re a big fan of practical case studies, this is, this is your jam here. But Kevin, what was one of your favorite components of this conversation here?

Kevin L. Jackson (44:53):

So, I mean, there’s a great discussion with Jameson and John Jameson is from, he’s the CEO of NSS X, and they are actually helping veterans, uh, with their medical claims. I know many of you have heard about the, uh, water problems at Camp June, how, uh, the Marines that was stationed there and, and their families really were poisoned by, by the water there. So he, he, there are like, uh, 40 billion have been set aside, uh, for our veterans. So he is helping, um, go through all that, that paperwork. And, uh, Jonathan, uh, John, uh, Alverado a bill box, uh, his company does, uh, what’s known as investment packaging. You probably, okay, it’s kind of a arcane art, but if you are an entrepreneur, you’re starting a company and you, you go out to try to get capital investors, where those investors want to know a bit about your company, if you know what you’re doing, right, Right.

Kevin L. Jackson (46:09):

Before they give you money. So you have to package up all that information. And that process is investment packaging. Well, it’s kind of, uh, it’s really unique though. They are both using the TNS new U C I E D service that’s built on blockchain. It’s called a Universal Communication Identifier. U NSS X uses it to track the insurance claims and deal box applies the technology to the due diligence process for raising capital, this investment PA packaging, uh, process. But in both cases, the U C I D is used to record transactions associated with the documentation. All this is paper. And if you’re just using paper, it could get lost. It could, it could be mistakes. Um, you may not have all the right pieces of paper and, you know, if you ever dealt with insurance companies, just one wrong sentence, one wrong missing piece of of paper, it’s all go back to do not pass gold, go directly to Journal

Scott Luton (47:30):

<laugh>. It’s so true.

Kevin L. Jackson (47:33):

Yeah. But the U C I D can be used to verify documents and keep track of changes, um, and use digital signatures, uh, to, um, to keep that in line. Yep. Wonder So

Scott Luton (47:49):

Folks, That’s right. Folks in our audience that may be entrepreneurs, uh, in the supply chain, tech space, or really just any end to end global supply chain community. Yep. Uh, check out that deal box in particular, which may be able to help your, uh, due diligence, uh, components of your fundraising. Uh, and we’ve already dropped a link. Y’all can check out the on demand, uh, webinar there from our friends at tns, uh, that Kevin and I are talking about. So check that out. Um, okay. So one of the last things I wanted share here today, Kevin, is, um, let’s see if I can pull this up here. So this is over the weekend. We published, I think this is our seventh edition of, with that said <laugh>, it’s our LinkedIn newsletter. Well, um, I do too, when I tell you we don’t leave too much unsaid around here, do we? Kevin <laugh>. I

Kevin L. Jackson (48:43):

Know, even when you’re supposed to.

Scott Luton (48:46):

That’s right. But I’m, I’m sharing this graphic here and, uh, we may can drop the link in a chat. I’m, I’m surprised in our production team with this, But we had, we had a couple minutes, this goes out once a week and we have almost 16,000 subscribers right at it where it looks like we’re, uh, uh, 72 away from 16,000 but’s really growth. No kidding. And, and basically seven weeks time. Yeah. So this past weekend we focused on, one of the things we touched on Kevin, was, uh, Delta Airlines, because the day this published was basically the birthday of the first CEO of Delta Airlines. I’m gonna share just two quick things here that I didn’t know. Um, number one, um, when I, Well, I’ve always thought that Delta, like the company name Yeah. Really referred to, um, the delta between their service levels and, and other anyone

Kevin L. Jackson (49:41):

Else’s

Scott Luton (49:42):

Uhhuh. But it’s not, It, it actually, uh, their roots initially, uh, they were formed in Georgia, the predecessors of Delta. They moved a company to Louisiana and served the Mississippi Delta area. Oh, hence the name.

Kevin L. Jackson (49:56):

That’s the name. Okay.

Scott Luton (49:59):

Uh, and then one of the two bits I picked up, um, is had there, had there not been the bowl weavel, uh, epidemic, uh, back in the twenties that really decimated, uh, Southeastern farms mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, and it grew a crop dusting aviation company to one, you know, they, they ended up having about 18 aircraft and what at the time was the world’s largest private fleet of aircraft, Huh? Well, it was all focused on eradicating the bowl weevil. So had the bowl weevil not had, had that epidemic not, uh, taken place. The company that, um, that would eventually grow into, you know, Delta Airlines, a second largest, uh, airlines company in the world, that might not have happened. So I guess in some weird way, uh, I guess we gotta give a, a high five to the bowl weevil for creating, <laugh> for creating one of the world’s large airlines. Right? That

Kevin L. Jackson (50:54):

Was probably one of the first great examples of transformation of a company really transforming themselves from killing bow weevils to flying us around the world.

Scott Luton (51:06):

Isn’t that crazy? <laugh>? It’s so funny how history works there. But all of that said, with that said, y’all check out our newsletter. Um, you’ll find it on the supply chain now company page on our LinkedIn profile. It should be easy way to kind of opt in and subscribe. We publish it right now every Saturday morning, we’re still kind of tweaking the cadence and timeframes, but, uh, if there’s content, any content ideas you have that you’d like to see in that kind of more casual viewing, hey, let us know. We’d love to take your suggestions.

Kevin L. Jackson (51:36):

Yeah. You know, Greg really, um, lets it out, lets it hang out there. I, I would say it lets his hair out there, but you know,

Scott Luton (51:47):

Kevin, we gotta give a shout. You know, I’m bad about this. We should give a shout out to Greg. Uh, Greg White, who is, uh, traveling, I believe his Kansas City Chiefs are taking on. Um, well, they’re playing tonight on Monday Night Football. So, uh, uh, Kevin

Kevin L. Jackson (52:03):

Land’s lost against Titans. Really? Yeah. We’re in a rebuilding fra phase, obviously <laugh>.

Scott Luton (52:13):

That’s never fun. That is never fun. Well, Jenny, Jenny says, I learned my something new today about Delta Airlines. Hey, my, me and you both, I’ll tell ya. Uh, it, it’s fascinating when you go back to kind of peeling the layers of the onion back about some of the largest companies and brands around that you think you know about. And then you uncover some, some interesting, uh, elements to their story. Um, okay. So Kevin, yes. As we wrap here on the supply chain buzz, we’ve dropped all the links to the stories that you and I have chatted through here today. Uh, looks like our team dropped the link to, with that said, the LinkedIn newsletter we started about two months ago. So y’all check that out. Um, Kevin, uh, we’ve got the upcoming episode with Digital Transformers and IBM team coming up on October 24th. That will be interesting. Where can folks go and how can they connect with you and all the cool things? You’re up to, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (53:07):

Well actually connect to me right here on the bus, <laugh> the third Monday of every month. Although, like I said, this, this month, I’m on the 10th, the 17th. Um, and then we drop the next episode with IBM on Digital Transformers, uh, on the 24th. But as always, I’m on a supply chain now.com. You can catch me on, uh, Twitter, uh, and on, uh, Facebook and LinkedIn and Instagram. So, uh, I’m everywhere. I’m everywhere. <laugh>,

Scott Luton (53:46):

It’s a, a shorter list of where folks can’t find <laugh> one, Kevin L. Jackson. Hey, uh, I really appreciate, um, you filling in today, uh, for, uh, Greg White. Always a pleasure collaborating. I can’t fill

Kevin L. Jackson (54:00):

Shoes, but I’ll try.

Scott Luton (54:02):

Well, I just said collaborating. It’s not collaborating. It’s co-creating co. Kevin

Kevin L. Jackson (54:07):

Cocreating. Yes.

Scott Luton (54:09):

All right. I gotta, I gotta learn that, uh, and swap out those words for, for good. But Kevin, thank you very much here today. Well,

Kevin L. Jackson (54:16):

Thank you, sir. Thank you. I really enjoyed being with you.

Scott Luton (54:20):

Well, so don’t go anywhere just yet. I wanna thank our production team. Uh, I tell you, they their own, um, um, they’re ready to go today. They were kind of, I bet they were kind of reading our minds where we were going. So thank y’all for dropping those resources. Chantel, Amanda, Catherine, you name it. Uh, big thanks to all the folks, uh, in the cheap seats, uh, sharing comments here today. I know we couldn’t get to all of them, but really appreciate that. Hey, y’all, check out the newsletter. Make sure you check out Digital Transformers wherever you get your podcast, as well as supply chain now, uh, where we publish it, Spot Chain out Monday through Friday, you’ll find something new in your, your, um, podcast inbox, But whatever you do, Hey, on behalf of Kevin, our entire supply chain now team, Scott Luton challenged you here on, on National Indigenous Day. Hey, let’s lift up and celebrate folks from all walks of life that have contributed to where we are here today. Um, but Scott Ludin challenging you to do good, to give forward, and to be the changes needed On that note, next time, right back here at Apache now. Thanks everybody.

Kevin L. Jackson (55:19):

See here.

Intro/Outro (55:20):

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,