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, and it featured hosts Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson. They opened the conversation by talking about the ever-increasing number of Phishing attempts… with UPS and Amazon, two large supply chain providers, topping the list as the most impersonated companies on the Internet.

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

• Transformation research from the American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) finding that while 91 percent of inventory management respondents are digitizing their data and processes, only 31 percent are using predictive analytics and only 26 percent are using AI

• Opportunities to leverage data and analytics via ‘Supply Chain 4.0’ – by optimizing operations, reducing manual errors, even leveraging automation

• The dynamic pendulum that swings between nearshoring, onshoring, and offshoring, and the challenge associated with trying to optimize on a moving target

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 (00:32):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are, Scott Luton and Kevin L. Jackson here with you on Supply Chain. Now, welcome to today’s livestream, Kevin, how you doing?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:42):

Hey, good morning, Scott. I am doing well. It hit 80 degrees here in A D M V over the weekend. Really?

Scott Luton (00:50):

80 degrees. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:51):

<laugh>. So it’s summer. I’m declaring it. Summer

Scott Luton (00:56):

<laugh>. Maybe it be here before you know it. <laugh>. So, D M V, what does that acronym stand for? What is that?

Kevin L. Jackson (01:02):

Dc, Maryland, and Virginia. You’re clearly not in the know. Ah, DMV is where it’s at, man.

Scott Luton (01:09):

<laugh>, that’s why. Well, that’s why I plug in with you so I can be more in the know. Every second Monday of each month, it is the Digital Transformers edition of the Supply Chain Buzz, how highly popular supply chain buzz here on supply chain. Now, every Monday at 12 and an Eastern time, we dive into some of the leading global business stories, supply chain stories, technology stories, you name it, across the globe. Kevin,

Kevin L. Jackson (01:32):

And I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m, uh, I really apologize. Yeah, I know. I bounced the check for this week’s, um, show. But I, I’ll, I’ll, I’ll make it good. <laugh> good. It’s hard to get on this. It’s hard to get on this show.

Scott Luton (01:45):

<laugh>. We, we know, uh, Vicky will be chasing you down. You, you, I wanna protect your legs. Cause she, she’ll break them. But no, Kevin, great to have you. As always. I love these shows. Uh, I love, uh, your good work, uh, your thought leadership, all the moving and shake. Thanks if you do, uh, to help others, um, you know, stay up not only in the know when it comes to all things technology, but better yet, how to take action and do something about, uh, this digital transformation age. That’s important, right, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (02:12):

Oh, yeah. It, it is critical. I mean, if you are not leveraging, uh, uh, data to improve your services to your customers and clients, they, it visibility into your supply chain, um, you are not going to be in business for long. And that’s what digital transformation is all about. About understanding the data. Leveraging the data, and, and taking action and making decisions based upon that data so that you can attain your business code.

Scott Luton (02:42):

That’s right. That is right. So folks, we’re gonna be, uh, diving into a variety of news and developments across the globe here today with an extra helping, I’ll call it, of all things technology. And, hey, <laugh>, beyond hearing from Kevin, uh, myself and Kevin, wanna hear from you as well. We’re gonna say hello to a few folks that are tuned in from across the globe momentarily. But Kevin, before we get going, go ahead. Let’s share a couple of other, uh, uh, programming opportunities for folk that folks have out there, uh, across our global community tomorrow. Yep. April 11th. We’re diving into the very hot topic. Hot topic of supply chain planning, man. Talk about change and improvement in any particular space. Planning’s been where it’s at for, for years. Now. We’re gonna talk about with Michael Conley at, uh, with CCH h Cheick with Walters kclu. How to go beyond Far beyond s o p in 2023. That’s, uh, tomorrow. Mm-hmm. <affirmative> April 11th at 12 New Eastern Time. And then Kevin Ke you got a busy week. Cause Wednesday, April 12th, you’ve got two of our faves, uh, Dr. Sally Eves and, and Helen, you, what are y’all getting together and talking about on Wednesday?

Kevin L. Jackson (03:48):

Yes, absolutely. This is, uh, sponsored by at and t Business. We’re going to talk about cybersecurity and network modernization. You know, I, I mentioned the fact that it’s really critical for you to understand your data so you can make, um, uh, at the decisions, uh, to support your services and your customers and clients. But that data requires a solid network, a solid and secure network. And that’s modernization, you know, leveraging wide area networking technologies, uh, uh, virtual private networks. You have to protect yourself against the benevolent actors out there in the world. And that’s really what network modernization is all about. And, uh, Sally Eves and Helen and you, I tell you, they are at the top of the game when, when it comes to cybersecurity. And I’m gonna, I’m gonna sit back with my notepad and, and take notes,

Scott Luton (04:51):

<laugh>. Well, don’t check out that event on Wednesday. Um, this Wednesday, April 12th at 12 noon. And we’re gonna drop link, uh, to check that. In fact, we already have, you can check out that LinkedIn live via this link here. Just click on it and, uh, you’ll be a part of that event. Um, Kevin, speaking of, yeah. And we’re gonna got one more quick program note that we’re gonna say hello to a few folks. But speaking of those bad actors out there, you mentioned just over the weekend, um, I got, you know, folks are are latching onto anything we know and trust, you know, in email. Yeah. And elsewhere over the weekend, uh, I was sent a DocuSign and everything about it looked real, right? Everything did. Uh, but I, I, I hit up a couple folks internally, only folks that, that, uh, I used DocuSign with. None of ’em knew about it. And then right away I knew it was yet another very advanced Phish <laugh>, everything they had. Yeah. Even the long code reference code. It’s, uh, I tell you, you got a really double, double, uh, double check for you click these days, huh?

Kevin L. Jackson (05:53):

Yeah. One, one of the things, um, I mean, I’m, I’m a, a consultant. I have a huge company of, of one, right? <laugh>. And I keep getting these emails about like, you know, GC Global Net hr, I need you to fill out this form. Oh my gosh. Uh, GC Gnet is, uh, changing its policies. And in order for you to get your check next week, you have to click here <laugh> and everything. It’s so amazing how much I don’t know about what I’m doing. <laugh>,

Scott Luton (06:26):

They’re trying everything these days. They’re

Kevin L. Jackson (06:28):

Trying everything. They try

Scott Luton (06:29):

Everything. Um, but folks take, take heed, take caution. Uh, cuz you never know that thing you trust you’ve been using for years. You never know when that might be compromised. So, uh, use this

Kevin L. Jackson (06:39):

One, one thing I I read also that the most impersonated companies on the internet are u p s and Amazon. Yeah. And it’s all about deliveries and supply chain, right? Yeah,

Scott Luton (06:56):

That’s right. We all, hey, we all, it, it, they know, they know that those are, there’s a, a particular short list of things we really care about. Uhhuh, <affirmative> paychecks, as you mentioned, <laugh>, where our stuff is, you know, as we talk about here a lot. And folks, you gotta, you gotta be, uh, slow to act sometimes. Yeah. Um, alright, so that’s, that’s our public service announcement here today. I wanna share one more thing, uh, when it comes to other resources. So if you haven’t signed up yet, uh, join in your almost 21,000 friends across the globe that, uh, get our, with that said, weekly LinkedIn newsletter. And Kevin, over the weekend, we shared a note around, um, resources and events and whatnot, but we also talked about business leaders out there seeking that single source of truth, right? And we used, uh, um, a little example of Ponce de Leon who’s always looking for the, um, the, uh, fountain of Youth, right? Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. And so we took a lighter moment and, and really, uh, took an opportunity to talk about how vital and, and how important it is that, uh, businesses are able to find and implement and utilize and optimize that single source of truth. Tens of billions of dollars are being wasted each year by how, uh, all of us misuse information or don’t have the information we need. And man, it’s a big opportunity. You were gonna say, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (08:13):

Yeah, yeah. I’m, I’m gonna have to, uh, uh, call Greg on the carpet on that. Cause there’s something I, I just don’t agree with. Right? Right. I don’t believe in the fallacy of a single source of truth. Right.

Scott Luton (08:29):

Okay. Alright.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:29):

I think it’s, I think it’s critical to look at all sources of information and balance the source with the information. What’s its credibility, right? Or has it been good in the past? Is it relevant to you? Um, and you have to be smart. I think it’s, there’s, there’s a mistake if you rely on a single source of truth, cause Yep. It may be wrong. Mm-hmm. But if you, if you

Scott Luton (08:59):

Hedge your

Kevin L. Jackson (08:59):

Bets a bit to mul, hedge your bets, right? You, you listen to multiple sources and they should reinforce the right decision, okay? Uh, and those sources that don’t reinforce the right decision, you know, you gotta put the stank eye on it, right? <laugh> <laugh>.

Scott Luton (09:21):

Alright, Kevin, you can’t make me laugh today. This pollen,

Kevin L. Jackson (09:24):

You gotta me down. I understand you’re,

Scott Luton (09:25):

Uh, um,

Kevin L. Jackson (09:27):

Fighting Mother Nature over there.

Scott Luton (09:28):

That’s right. That stank, uh, put that stank on things. That’s, so we’re having to set up a discussion around what you said, kidding aside. So we’ll do that, Greg. Of course. Greg White, the one only is on assignment here today as we, uh, tackle the digital Transformers edition. We’ll have ’em back soon, and we’ll dive into that. Um, okay, let’s share a couple comments from all the folks. We’ve got a bunch of folks tuning in here today. There are, they’re already dropping some knowledge. I’m gonna start with this little supply chain now, not later us kind of runs me of the, uh, the Now and Ladies Candy. I like that back as a kid, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (09:56):

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, you know, I like tho No, no, no. Go back to Thom Cat. Okay. You know, you all right? You’re right. Okay. You’re right about that jacket. I love this jacket. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you, man. Recognize the goat.

Scott Luton (10:09):

Tomcat is making our day for sure. Good stuff, Dan. Well,

Kevin L. Jackson (10:13):

The name like Tomcat, I mean, F 14. What? That’s the best plane ever. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (10:19):

So look at this. So going back to, uh, threats we’re all getting, you know, Dana got two texts, like, like, uh, the, the Phish attempts, like we were talking about just yesterday, right? T squared, great to have you holds down the Fort Force on YouTube. Due diligence cannot be ignored. I’m with you there. Uh, John, welcome in. John says, Scott, the best way to verify the sender from a DocuSign standpoint as legit is to see who the underlying sender is. That’ll always validate the reel from the Froster is good point there, John.

Kevin L. Jackson (10:48):

Always, um, hover, uh, over the link before you click, then you can see where really going to, unfortunately, you know, you can’t do that. It was very difficult to do that on a smartphone. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, right? You can’t kind of hover on a smartphone That’s right. Like a mouse.

Scott Luton (11:07):

Yes. Then they need to be able to gauge where our eyes are looking and then have that thing pop up before we make a click. We’ll see then maybe next generation, uh, and I almost said iPhone, but I’m not gonna breathe iPhone in in this conversation, Kevin. Cause that brings up other things. Uh, kidding side to to, to all of our listeners out there, to tuned in. Our team had a, a really interesting iPhone versus, um, versus all the smartphones discussion on a team call one day. So we’ll have to revisit that. You’re can

Kevin L. Jackson (11:35):

Say Android, you can

Scott Luton (11:37):

Say it.

Kevin L. Jackson (11:37):

Never go. It’ll come out your mouth.

Scott Luton (11:39):

Okay. <laugh> <laugh>, uh, Leah Luton from Aiken, South Carolina, uh, aka a mom. Hey, mom. Uh, hello. On this beautiful Monday, Scott and Kevin. You are right. Hello. It’s gorgeous out there. Um, hey Walid, he wants to come on the show. He is checking the marketing budget now. Hey, Wale, get back to us. Uh, great to have you here today, regardless. D from, is that Maba? Maba, North Carolina, Kevin

Kevin L. Jackson (12:04):

Maba? Well, I’ve never heard. I’ve never been there. Where are you? Near what? Well, what city, uh, uh, are you near

Scott Luton (12:10):

D Let us know, but great to have you here via LinkedIn. Uh, Manav is tuned in from India. Great to see you here via LinkedIn. Hey, he helmet Helmut. Uh, Heiner is tuned in. Heut, really enjoy your content you put out there, uh, via LinkedIn and elsewhere. Great to see you here. Uh, Manali, uh, via LinkedIn. Says, hello, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (12:32):

Hello

Scott Luton (12:33):

<laugh>. And, uh, Waad tuned in via LinkedIn watching from Canada. Great to see here

Kevin L. Jackson (12:40):

Today. Oh, Canada.

Scott Luton (12:41):

Oh, Canada. That’s right. Um, alright, so Kevin, by the way, uh, Justin, great to see you. Uh, hey, at and t business offers active armor that assists in preventing unwarranted threats. How about that little pitch? Hey, in the comments, Justin, good to see you. And Gino, great to see you here via North Alabama. I hope this finds you well, Gino. Okay, Kevin, we gotta get to work. You ready? Work.

Kevin L. Jackson (13:05):

Oh, you said the wrong word there. Another man. Four letter word

Scott Luton (13:09):

<laugh>. Well, you know what? This will be the best work we do all week.

Kevin L. Jackson (13:13):

Let’s do us, let’s do this. So

Scott Luton (13:15):

I wanna pull up our first article here today. So, Kevin, pardon? As we get into our first article, we’re starting with this recent Forbes piece by Steve Banker. And folks, if you’re not tracking reading, following Steve Banker, he, he’s a, um, a, a great, uh, I call an industry analyst, what have you. He, he writes in Forbes, but we’re gonna be diving into this piece where he’s sharing some results from a recent digital transformation focused survey Yeah. Conducted by the American Productivity and Quality Center, AP qc. Kevin, tell us more.

Kevin L. Jackson (13:48):

Well, first of all, if you’ve never heard of the A P Q C, you really should because they provide benchmarks across every industry in a lot of different, um, business processes. And in this particular, uh, report, uh, they were looking at digital transformation in logistics. Um, and what they found is that, uh, most of the respondents are actually in the midpoint, uh, when it comes to digital transformation, uh, initiatives. Uh, and this is the supply chain areas of inventory management, transportation, uh, warehouse equipment and facility management. Um, but these, you know, respondents were on a low end when it comes to compliance and safety, which is a, a red flag. Like 91% of the inventory management respondents are really digitizing their data and processes. I mean, that’s a huge number, but only 31% are actually using predictive analytics. And only 26% are using artificial intelligence.

Kevin L. Jackson (15:02):

Wow. So they’re getting the data, but they’re not actually implementing the processes using the technology to, to implement it so they can actually make decisions based on that data. In transportation, 92% on digitizing data and processes, but only 31% are using predictive analytics. Um, and, uh, in, but in compliance and safety, yeah. Neither one third, 33% do not have any digital transformation initiatives in place. Okay. Only about a third of them have digitized their data and processes in that particular business process. And very, very few are using artificial intelligence, uh, or predictive analytics to optimize the use of the digitized data. Look, it doesn’t do any good if you have the data and you don’t use it to make decisions. Come on guys.

Scott Luton (16:05):

Right. Cause it’s, it’s usually really expensive to get the data. And if you gotta invest all the money and then not do anything, uh, that’s always been a knock on big data for years. Kevin, what I also liked, uh, and, and going back, you shared some, I think some really surprising factoids and statistics there. Uh, sounds like there’s massive opportunities across, uh, the, um, industry, as there always is. I wanna point out the folks, and we dropped link to this article via Forbes here, you can check it out for yourself. Um, included in the article is a great white paper that Steve Banker and his organization did on 25 leading organizations when it comes to digital transformation. And what are some of the, the common elements that make up their journey. And Kevin, one of them, and y’all check it out, read it for yourself. One of them, one of the common themes that emerged as they, as they, they interviewed leadership with these top 25 big, really big companies, is a big element of their successful digital transformation. That approach was finding, basically finding something technology approach, aspect that’s working, and then finding a way to scale it across enterprise, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (17:13):

Yep. Yep.

Scott Luton (17:14):

You know, Kevin, love to get your thoughts here. Cause when you hear the phrase digital transformation and everything, folks kind of define it, it can be kind of overwhelming, especially as you have a big global organization. But that key learning from that research piece of finding something that works and scale it, that really can be that simple, right, Kevin? Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (17:32):

Yeah. First of all, digital transformation has actually nothing to do with technology. Okay? I mean, you can use technology and technology services, but it all starts with the organizational’s business goals. Once you, you identify the business goals, and this applies across the entire organization, then you identify the metrics and the associated data that, that represents where you are on the journey to the, to, to maximize the metrics that actually return. Yep. You, to tho those goals now, and, you know, and the, the data, like we were talking about, people are getting data, but they’re not linking that data to actual decisions. So there’s, there’s no value. But if you, if you start with the goal right, then it will naturally, uh, be able to expand across the entire organization. And, and that’s what, that’s, that’s what’s important.

Scott Luton (18:41):

Yep. That’s right. And getting leaders and team members across the organization to think that way, that’s a big part of successful digital transformation as well. Um, okay. Kevin, good stuff, man. You, uh, came out of the gate <laugh> with a grand slam, and we got two more articles and a lot more conversation to get through. I wanna bring D back up here. So D says that, uh, it’s pronounced with a short, a ebon, maybe 30 minutes west of Raleigh and 30 minutes east of Greensboro. Um, speaking of, uh, Kevin, the Gate city of Greensboro, have you been, have you been to, have you been to Greensboro?

Kevin L. Jackson (19:15):

Yes, I have. Uh, my, uh, wife’s, um, uh, family has, uh, a lot of people down in, in Greensboro and actually flew to the Greensboro airport, took my, um, my, uh, uh, mother-in-law and, uh, her mother to go down to a family event down there. So, uh, yes, I’ve, I’ve, I’ve been to Greensboro, you know, there was actually, I actually went there. Wasn’t there a, um, total eclipse? Uh, that’s where I went to go see a total eclipse a few years ago also.

Scott Luton (19:52):

Well, um, I’m not familiar with that, but, uh, we did just hit, uh, visit Greensboro last week on our way up to DC with the family. Hmm. And we stopped, stopped into the International Civil Rights Center and museum. And if you’re visiting Greensboro, check that out. Uh, very, um, it’s intriguing and, um, very educational to learn and be able to get your kids to, to look back and learn through a lot of what is on, uh, exhibit in, in a variety of different vehicles at that, uh, at, at that museum and center. So y’all check that out. Um, okay. So jumping back, Kevin from geography Yeah. And history into, I wanna share Casey Jenkins, uh, comment here. Casey says, uh, I think the reason that utilization rate is so low, low data-driven decisions Yeah. That she’s talking about is because they don’t understand their internal and external processes or the technology enough. So they’re not, they don’t know the processes or the technology enough to know how to take the output and apply it for optimization, especially in complex chains. Kevin, that seems to be on the target to me.

Kevin L. Jackson (20:58):

Absolutely. And, and that’s because they didn’t start with understanding their actual business processes. So it, it’s, it’s scary because that means they started collecting data, not knowing why they were collecting the data. Mm-hmm. So they can’t use it, you know? Right. <laugh>, they don’t know how to use it. And you, you, you’re right, Casey, you’re

Scott Luton (21:19):

Right. Yep. And that goes back to your point, Kevin, of, of, you know, it’s, it’s as much of a people initiative, as is anything technology getting everyone, all of us, all the team, the organization aligned around what we’re trying to do. So that’s a good point. And Casey, great to have you join us there via LinkedIn.

Kevin L. Jackson (21:33):

Yeah, thank you, Casey. Great, great observation.

Scott Luton (21:36):

That’s right. All right. So, d I’ll tell you, D is on the money. Me, me, me, me, North Carolina. Me.

Scott Luton (21:42):

We’re gonna get this right, eventually. D and I’m so glad tha thanks for your help. We hate to get any name drawn here. <laugh>. Uh, all right. So Kevin, we’re gonna dive into our second story here today. And I wanna bring this graphic up. So here we’re talking supply chain, or maybe more supply chain 3.0 via this recent blog from our friends at Neurosis. Now, I like, um, it’s a good read, but my favorite part of this read is a wide variety of examples of digital transformation in supply chain that it offers. So what’s your take, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (22:14):

Well, first when I saw a neurosis, I was taking neurotic, and I said, do I wanna read about an article for <laugh>? No <laugh>. But anyway, they gave some great information though, <laugh>,

Scott Luton (22:26):

But it really is good stuff.

Kevin L. Jackson (22:28):

<laugh> this start off is that supply chain 4.0 is really a significant shift in how a business manage their supply chain operations and the technology services that are being used, uh, really focused on digital transformation. For instance, the, the internet of things, uh, that supports supply chains by providing real time visibility and insight, uh, into the movement of goods and services. So if you have a business goal of delivering quicker so that you can satisfy your, um, your customer’s needs and desires, clearly, internet of things with data from internet of things, devices would help you, uh, business process automation, that that’s a key driver of supply chain transformation. Because businesses can reduce errors, save time, and increase productivity, uh, by, you know, taking these repetitive and manual tasks and giving them to robots. Okay, I want a robot doing critical tasks because they will do it right.

Kevin L. Jackson (23:44):

And you, you won’t have the error that’s inherent with, with using humans. Yeah. Um, data analytics, right? Using artificial intelligence with data analytics, businesses can identify patterns and trends in their supply chain data. And this enables them to make more informed decisions and optimize their operations. Going back to the very first article mm-hmm. <affirmative>, they’re collecting all this data, but they’re not analyzing the data. So you can see the trends. So like, you know, it is just a waste of money just collecting data. Yes. Um, blockchain distributed ledger system, right? That provides a secure and tamper-proof record of all transactions and activities, uh, across the supply chain. And when you think about transaction, don’t be, don’t limit yourself to, um, you know, financial transactions, right? Information, transactions, who has information and who gives that information to what party? How do you receive information? What party provides information that’s critical to your business processes. Um, and finally, cloud computing, my favorite, uh, of a transform supply chains by enabling businesses to store and access data and applications o over the internet rather than on local servers, servers or, or computers. That gives you the ability to access your data and make decisions and act on your data from anywhere. And, and in today’s world where you need to be able to work from anywhere, including work from home, uh, cloud computing, uh, platforms are

Scott Luton (25:37):

Critical. Yeah. So, a ton of good stuff, folks. And we dropped, um, the link to this article here, there, uh, from our friends at Neurosis. And as Kevin says, has nothing to do with your psychology <laugh>, it’s all technology, and then some, I’ll check that out. And Kevin, one of the things that pointed out mm-hmm. <affirmative> is, uh, realtime location systems. A K A R T L S. Yeah. Maybe that can just help us solve the ongoing trillion dollar question is where’s, where’s my stuff at? Where’s

Kevin L. Jackson (26:07):

My stuff, where’s my stuff

Scott Luton (26:08):

At <laugh>, where my stuff at? Yeah. Um, good stuff there. Uh, all right. So I want to, before we hit, we’ve got a quick announcement, then we got one more, uh, a third article. I’ll take a little sidebar here. Kevin, we’re gonna put on our and Ebert hat. You remember that show from the eighties and Ebert? Yeah. Right? I loved how simple the, the reviews, it was two thumbs up. It was one thumb up, or it was like zero or both two thumbs down, basically. And then they offer their commentary. But I want you shared pre-show, uh, you watched, I think over the weekend, the sequel to the world record setting, you know, avatar when it first came out. Yeah. I think it, it still holds a record, if I’m mistaken, one of the biggest films of all time. Now. You watched the sequel and we’re talking all this technology. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (26:49):

The way, the way of the water.

Scott Luton (26:52):

Okay. So to level set, were you a big fan of the first version?

Kevin L. Jackson (26:56):

I loved the first one. All right. Two thumbs up. I loved the, yeah. Two thumbs up on the first one.

Scott Luton (27:01):

So you had high expectations this weekend, and you sat down with your Diet Coke and Popcorn, uh, to sit down and watch the sequel. Tell us, what’s your review of the sequel?

Kevin L. Jackson (27:11):

First of all, I never waste a good Coke by doing diet. It’s always <laugh>, always the real Coke. But on the sequel, I wanna have to give it, uh, one up and one down. Okay. Okay. I love the technology day, uh, expanded its use. Um, the special effects were, were really good. Uh, if you haven’t seen it, um, I’m not going to, you know, you know, spoil it. Spoil

Scott Luton (27:38):

It. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (27:39):

Yeah. I’m not gonna spoil it, but it, it’s really good. But I tell you from, for me, the storyline was weak. Okay. Okay. They, they, they put a lot of money into technology, and I’m a tech guy. Right. But the storyline, they just sort of, yeah. It seemed like something that they, you know, just recycled from an old movie somewhere. Okay. <laugh>

Scott Luton (28:03):

Folks, uh, you heard it here, uh, right. Uh, Kevin gave, I love your, your mixed one thumb up, one thumb down <laugh>. Y’all check out the Avatar sequel and let us know what you think. Uh, and if you believe, like, Kevin, that the, the technology, uh, uh, imagining is the best part of the film, let us know. I’d love to know. Um, okay, Kevin, moving right along. I wanna, uh, share, you know, we’ve been supporting this, uh, leveraging logistics for Ukraine. Yep. Initiative, sadly. Um, cause it has to exist for over a year now. Right. And I gotta tell y’all, as we, as we, hopefully we, we make your ears bleed about this because we, we believe it to our Bones Vector Global Logistics and the great work that Maureen and Christie and Enrique and, uh, Astrid and the whole team is doing there to do good.

Scott Luton (28:51):

Uh, thus far it’s resulted in, I gotta update my numbers, but over 600,000 pounds of a humanitarian aid has made it to Ukraine and Poland and elsewhere to families in need. And it’s all driven by monthly meetings, monthly planning sessions, and of course, the generosity of, um, really global industry. So many different Yeah. Organizations have contributed. So if you wanna join us and just learn, you don’t have to give, you don’t have to say anything. You can just go and observe, uh, Tuesday, May 9th at 11:00 AM Eastern Time is the next planning session that drives us thing, uh, 11:00 AM Eastern Time. We’d love to have you join in and, uh, and, and, and learn more about, you know, how we can work together to help so many in need. Kevin, your thoughts here around, um, this program and the need out there?

Kevin L. Jackson (29:36):

Well, you know, um, it’s a, it’s a horrible thing that has happened, but we can support the, the need, uh, make it easier, um, by providing the things that, that they need, you know? Right. Know, where’s your stuff, right? So we’re getting the things that they need that they can’t get, I have access to, and, and getting it to them. And it’s not just in the Ukraine, but, uh, a lot of people have been displaced and they’re in Poland or Romania or here in the, in, in the States. So, um, and like you said, sadly we’ve been doing this for over a year. Um, but, uh, let’s, let’s keep supporting and, uh, and we’ll get through this together.

Scott Luton (30:22):

That’s right. That’s right. So, jump in where you can, again, you don’t have to give to show up these meetings. You don’t have to say anything, share anything, answer any questions. You can literally just show up and observe may take it all in. So, um, okay. So that’s May 9th. Um, and we’ve gotten a link to that here. So we’re one, you’re one click away from learning more about that and, and signing up for that meeting. Okay, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (30:45):

Yes, sir.

Scott Luton (30:46):

Now on a much, much lighter note, Gino really enjoyed the, uh, avatar part two. Okay. So we’re gonna have to, we’re gonna have to have a little, little, um, film review session with you and him. We’re comparing contrast, uh, your review of, uh, of that movie

Kevin L. Jackson (31:02):

<laugh>. So, you know, it was, it, I didn’t say two thumbs down. Okay. I mean, uh, it was, it was, you know, it was a good movie, <laugh>. So

Scott Luton (31:11):

The, so that was in, let’s see here. The original came out in 2009, so that was that, that sequel was ago. 14 years in the making. Yeah. How

Kevin L. Jackson (31:21):

About that? It could have spent more time on the, on the storyline then.

Scott Luton (31:25):

Ah, okay. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (31:28):

All right. So from Avatar in Hollywood, back to global supply chain, one of our favorite and, and technology, one of our, our a couple of our favorite, uh, industry topics, uh, we’ll talk. Yep. Nearshoring, Kevin Nearshoring. Now that, that word, uh, is not the first time our incredibly smart audience has heard it. We ha all all have heard that, right. Dozens, hundreds of times. Right. Um, and also not just in the last year or two, I mean, near Nearshoring and offshoring that they’ve been trends and it’s been all very cyclical for, for decades now, right? Longer now. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so in this article, Christopher Kent Opine and this article via Supply and Demand Chain Executive, that Nearshoring can accelerate resilience through digital transformation. So, Kevin, tell us more.

Kevin L. Jackson (32:16):

So, you know, nearshoring and offshoring and onshoring, this is a different points of the pendulum. Okay. And that’s one of the big problems, uh, is that the pendulum keeps moving. The optimum point for the pendulum also keeps moving. This is a dynamic thing, all right? But, so it’s really a, a pivotal, pivotal time for all of us to reimagine how we manufacture goods mm-hmm. <affirmative>, and by embracing industry 4.0, uh, and digital technologies, because that’s how we can actually keep eye eye on the pendulum and, and move as necessary. We need to become more agile and resilient. Uh, so nearshoring and reshoring are viable supply chain strategies for many critical industries. But don’t forget, for some aspects, offshoring is good as well. So, so smart regional manufacturing is, is coming in as a very important component for when that pendulum is in the middle, you use near showing to move closer to customers and suppliers, uh, within the regional market, because it has lots of of benefits, like being more responsive, uh, to the customers and real faster to market, uh, retooling for the digital age.

Kevin L. Jackson (33:50):

Okay. We talked about data. That data tells you which option is, is best. And in a, in an enabled a 4.0 enabled, uh, fa facility or factory, you can leverage advanced robotics to move products to, from and around production warehouses and loading areas. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, and, and, and finally you can have resilience in your supply chain through digital transformation. Okay. Businesses and governments were really <laugh> unpleasantly surprised by the fragility of supply chains during the pandemic. I mean, and recent geopolitical aspects is really focusing strategic, uh, priorities on ensuring unhindered access to critical components and materials. We talked a bit about the fact that Ukraine was like the number one, uh, supplier of automobile harnesses electrical harnesses, right. Worldwide. Okay. And how that affected the entire automobile industry. So this has really led, uh, companies and countries to embrace reshoring and nearshoring of strategic elements in their supply chains. Yeah. So, you know, it’s, these are tools that you can use. It’s a dynamic world. Data gives you that visibility and insight into the dynamic nature of that world. So yes, you have to collect that data, but if you don’t take the next step of leveraging machine learning, artificial intelligence, so that you can visualize the patterns in that data, then you can’t make the decisions that are needed outta unnecessary to track that pendulum as it goes back and forth right near Shing Onshoring, you know, offshoring. You need that.

Scott Luton (36:01):

Well said. And, uh, that’s a good way of looking at it. It’s not, um, you know, while there’s, there’s a lot more near Shing going on right now, uh, pendulum, who knows when it goes back the other way. There’s a lot of offshoring going on still right now. Yeah. I think, I think one of the, the important things here is, uh, for supply chain leaders to, um, that they are considering is the equation isn’t just, well, it’s still important. Total lending cost, total cost will always be important. But man, if anything has taught us the value of really understanding all sorts of risk and mitigating what could happen. You know, that you, you mentioned the, um, the har the, uh, automotive right harness out of Ukraine. Um, of course, lots of companies are looking for ways of maybe moving their production from some port of chi, uh, some part of China elsewhere. Vietnam’s been fair share of, of a lot of that. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>, uh, Mexico and Latin America here. Yeah. In our hemisphere, our vibrant opportunities are across that region. Uh, in the past, um, Turkey for apparel has been a hot nearshoring market. I mean, it, it, um, supply cleaners have to holistically as they are holistically Yeah. Examine the overall equation, of course, with the big usual suspects being costs and other, but man risk, thankfully, is being viewed, um, on a much more even terms basis than perhaps in years past. Kevin, your final thought here.

Kevin L. Jackson (37:30):

Yeah. So this is a multifaceted issue, right? And I’m gonna go back to Don Kaho. There is, there is no single source of truth in solving this issue, right? <laugh>, you have to look at risk, you gotta look at cost, you gotta look at distance, you gotta look

Scott Luton (37:51):

Talent, your

Kevin L. Jackson (37:52):

Cu energy, but you gotta look at talent, you know, lots of different sources of truth about a lot of different things that you have to, you know, not necessarily balance, uh, because each, um, aspect may not be equivalent to another aspect. Yeah. But you, you have to leverage the most important human brain <laugh> into a room to to, to settle this. It’s, it’s, artificial intelligence is not gonna sell it. Machine learning is not gonna sell it. It’s going to be a human That’s right. That, that makes the decision.

Scott Luton (38:32):

Yeah. It’s really interesting. I, it came up, this came up, um, on a LinkedIn exchange, um, wow. Uh, a week or two ago, you know, the site selection activities that go on, especially with wow, with greenfield sites. It, uh, we should all really celebrate a lot of the work that goes into that. A lot more just over the, over, um, the last few days, there’s a big, um, solar cell plant that was, was the latest plant being announced here in Georgia where we live. Perfect. The vice president of the United States was here, uh, in the state taking part in that big announcement. And, and, uh, Georgia has won three or four mega sites in the last eight months or so. Right. With, with that one, uh, Rivian, which is a big plant with Yeah. Rivian 6,000 jobs or something. It is supposedly in the work

Kevin L. Jackson (39:21):

They’re going after Tesla, they’re going after Tesla, aren’t

Scott Luton (39:24):

They? And but the site selection of, of how these companies and really these, this cross-functional teams from these ecosystems that, um, have a vested interest in finding the best, the best site globally. It’s a science and a art that we should really, uh, put a spotlight more on. Cause it, it is a fascinating component of global industry and, and what you just said, Kevin, of how you got a holistically, you know, access to energy, talent, technology, raw materials, um, the logistics infrastructure, just to name a few of all the tax breaks, of course, which, uh, generate a lot of, uh, debate out there, uh, across, uh, across our communities. All kinds of things we have to weigh as we determine, um, you know, where the, the, the best markets for a, b, c manufacturing or whatever. Yeah,

Kevin L. Jackson (40:15):

Absolutely.

Scott Luton (40:16):

Is the good, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (40:17):

Yep, yep. Absolutely multifaceted. And, you know, you, you need 18. Yes. I mean, that team meets data. So, um, and that’s digital transformation at its time. That’s right. Support the humans.

Scott Luton (40:30):

If

Kevin L. Jackson (40:31):

<laugh> don’t let the humans die,

Scott Luton (40:33):

If global supply chain was cookie monster, data would be cookies, uh, here in this era, <laugh> endless appetite. Right?

Kevin L. Jackson (40:41):

I like that. I like

Scott Luton (40:42):

That. But, but the point you’ve made a couple times now is not that, did you get the data? It’s what are you doing with the right data Uhhuh? Um, alright, I’ll share a couple comments here. Uh, let’s see. Casey, risk management is key and it has to be included in supply chain management these days. Reactionary measures are clearly not gonna cut it anymore when risk is presented. Has to be for proactive risk management in order to remain agile. Casey, your on fire today. Kevin. I

Kevin L. Jackson (41:11):

Love Casey. Where’s she gonna be on the show?

Scott Luton (41:13):

<laugh>. I’ll tell you what, as excellent perspective, uh, especially being proactive cause everybody’s after that organizational agility these days. Um, let, and, and maybe, uh, Catherine and Amanda can let me know who this is. Great job, gentlemen. Humans, this LinkedIn user says humans are still the most important factor in getting through supply chain issues. You would agree with that, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (41:35):

Absolutely. Two thumbs up,

Scott Luton (41:37):

Two thumbs up. <laugh>, two thumb. And, you know, I might would argue, um, I love that that person put supply chain issues there, but I put, I I think it’s greater than that. Um, oh yeah. It’s really business. You know, it, it is tough. I’m not sure if a bot or an ai, um, uh, platform, you know, when we talk about truly problem solving, you know, small problems, really big complex problems, and there’s always, uh, a hu the human factor is so important when it comes to solving issues across global, global business, uh, in 2023. Right? Uh,

Kevin L. Jackson (42:10):

Yeah. I think robots can only give recommendations. Okay. <laugh>, they, they should not be relied upon to make the decision because there’s like, once again, there’s so many factors and there are factors that the robot just may not see or can’t see. Okay. Right. So, um, it’s, it’s, it’s important. The human is critical.

Scott Luton (42:33):

That’s right. Okay. So we have a few more minutes here before we call today. Yeah, the pollen has got me down. I could barely make it through. Uh, I’m, I’m so glad I hadn’t had the coughing fit yet, Kevin. Cause you make me laugh all the time.

Kevin L. Jackson (42:46):

<laugh>. Well, I’m wonder, well, I know you’re trying to hold stuff back, but, uh, do you mind if, do you mind if I go off on a tangent for a second?

Scott Luton (42:52):

Please Go off on a tangent. We encourage tangents here,

Kevin L. Jackson (42:56):

<laugh>. Cause I know nobody else might know. Probably anybody knows that you are a space nerd, man. So I know for a fact, okay. You are waiting for the SpaceX orbital launch this week. Starships going not to the moon, but, uh, around the earth at least <laugh>,

Scott Luton (43:20):

You know, um, it is a fascinating time to be a space nerd, uh, for yeah, so many different big macro level trends, and then the unique, uh, developments that you point out there, Kevin, um, yeah, the James Webb Space Telescope. Uhhuh <affirmative> is just, I mean, they’re scratching the surface of the impact that’s gonna have and ch and fundamentally changing our organization. And of course, as we’ve talked about here before and a minute ago, I think I pressed the wrong button when it comes to muting versus the iso shot <laugh>. So, Catherine, Catherine and Amanda might have been laughing, but, um,

Kevin L. Jackson (43:54):

Say that’s the problem with loud right. <laugh>, right? That’s right. No, when you edit that and post <laugh> Thank you

Scott Luton (44:00):

<laugh> privatization, you know, it, it, it, it, it’s really interesting where we’re going. You know, you of course have spent time at nasa, uh, with the what mission? Um,

Kevin L. Jackson (44:09):

Yeah. It was a new horizon. Mission too. New horizon. Yeah.

Scott Luton (44:14):

Um, it’s fascinating to see how the, uh, multi-tiered relationships are working between the private sector of when it comes to all things space and the government sector for sure. Cause I, I’m a big believer that it, it, it takes both, right? It takes both. It’ll be interesting to see how NASA continues to evolve. But it, it’s, uh, Kevin, I mean, you, you, I mean, I’m, I’m just a space nerd. You’ve done, you’ve been a part of these missions. What do you, uh, and what’s your take of where we are now and what’s ahead?

Kevin L. Jackson (44:42):

Well, the most important thing that’s happening right now is the power of entrepreneurship that’s taken over in the space industry. It’s not just big government. And that means that they’re, they can take more risk. And when you take more risks, when you look at the, the possibilities and you strive for that, those possibilities, then you get accelerated evolution of the industry. And that’s what’s happening in the space industry today. And that’s good for us all. So, I, I’m, I’m happy. I’m happy. Plus I am, you know, it’s, it, it’s, it’s good for, it’s, it’s, it’s good for society. Um, it, it’s, and it’s good for our future. I mean, earth is not gonna be here forever.

Scott Luton (45:36):

Yeah, that’s true. And you know, you should go check out folks, uh, Google, um, you know, impact NASA has had, uh, just in our day-to-day living, there’s so many different innovations that have come out of, uh, the various aspects of the space program that, that, that aren’t celebrated. See, y’all check that out and,

Kevin L. Jackson (45:54):

Uh, yeah. Why do you know what I celebrate every day? What’s

Scott Luton (45:57):

That?

Kevin L. Jackson (45:57):

The microwave. So I can get Yeah. <laugh> eat fast.

Scott Luton (46:03):

<laugh> eat fast too. That’s right.

Kevin L. Jackson (46:05):

<laugh>.

Scott Luton (46:06):

Let’s see here. Aan, I wanna bring this up. So, so, and you know, all this goes back to supply chain. You, yo you, some of our listeners may be thinking, what are they doing talking about space? Well, folks, that’s where we’re going next to be able to realize the art of the possible and, and put humans on Mars or e for that matter, just back to the moon, Kevin. Yeah. It’s gonna take all sorts of supply chain management, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (46:30):

So White gang. Yeah. Okay. We talk about supply chain management. Okay. A critical aspect of supply chain that we’ve already talked about is data. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. Okay. Now, how do you get data about the supply chain? It’s by the satellites that are orbiting the earth that can collect data from sensors from that internet of things. That’s tracking. Where’s my stuff? <laugh>,

Scott Luton (47:00):

Right? <laugh>. That’s

Kevin L. Jackson (47:02):

Right. Okay. So the space industry is critical to getting that data, disseminating that data so that the humans can actually look at it and make decisions. And that’s getting even more and more and more important in all aspects of business as space, the space infrastructure is building out to. Um, and we’re gonna be getting all of our, uh, raw materials from the asteroids. Yes. Right? Um, <laugh>.

Scott Luton (47:31):

That’s right. So, and he’s only halfway kidding. I mean, that, that really, there’s a wide variety of business plans, highly technical business plans for trying to do just that out there, Kevin. Right?

Kevin L. Jackson (47:41):

Right. And that there’s going to be a space hotel launched in, uh, uh, less than 10 years. Right? So, so, and space tourism is already an industry.

Scott Luton (47:52):

You know, it, it’ll be the Kevin L. Jackson intergalactic, uh, <laugh> Hotel and Resorts. I can see it now. Um, but all of that aside, it is a fascinating time to solve and, and look at, uh, breakthrough innovation. Yeah. Innovative breakthroughs on, in global supply chain. And then of course, what’s to come in universal supply chain. It is, it’s gonna be mind blowing. And Kevin, you, you mentioned all the whole satellite network. I was reading something, uh, last week about just how dense that has become and, and, you know, satellites are continuously being added. So, yeah. Uh, we got our, we’re gonna have some work cut out, uh, to make sure we’re, our air traffic control, our satellite traffic control is safe, uh, for all parties. Um, Kevin, I’d be remiss if I didn’t ask you about this as we’re starting to wind down before. I do wanna, I wanna share Aans point here, great to have you here via LinkedIn and on collaboration is key in supply chain, where external partners, like carrier suppliers, customers, and the internal team can chat or collaborate in one platform. Anand, excellent point, excellent point, and critical to modern day supply chain, right? Modern day global supply chain. Yes. Um, Kevin, digital Transformers continues to kick button Yes. Take names, right? Uh, yes. Had a variety of big interviews that have resonated across the globe. Share one of your favorite recent interviews, or maybe one, one of your favorite ones coming up, your thoughts.

Kevin L. Jackson (49:17):

Well, well, first of all, we just started a huge series, uh, with, uh, s a p where we’re going. We’re talking about how, um, uh, s a p what critical role s a p is, uh, playing with respect to digital transformation across all, all industries. Uh, and just as a shoutout, I’m going to be at, uh, Sapphire, um, next, next month, yeah. At the middle of May. Um, and I’ll be interviewing some of, uh, SAP’s, uh, clients and customers that are leveraging data being provided via S four Hana to make these supply chain and e r p decisions. And we just launched the, uh, release, the, the first of this interview series, Leonardo. He is gonna from Beyond Technologies, talking about digital transformation in E R P. So, um, check that out on Digital Transformers,

Scott Luton (50:26):

And you can get, get that folks wherever you get your podcast from. You can also check it out on YouTube. Um, Kevin, how would you invite folks to connect with you? Yeah,

Kevin L. Jackson (50:36):

So LinkedIn, we’re on Facebook. Uh, we just started, uh, posting on TikTok. Man, you gonna say, oh, you gonna let the, Hey, this a global community. <laugh>. Where’s, where’s Greg? Look over my shoulder. <laugh>

Scott Luton (50:55):

Man. Wait, uh, Kevin, y’all, y’all check out Digital Transformers, uh, connect with Kevin L. Jackson everywhere, including Tech Talk. And Kevin, I’m gonna give you your last word here on the buzz before I sign off. What would you challenge people to do?

Kevin L. Jackson (51:10):

So I think it’s really important for people to think about the importance of humans and use the data that you collect, connect you connect humans to the data that you collect via machine learning and artificial intelligence. All right. So gotta take that key step when it comes to digital transformation.

Scott Luton (51:33):

That’s right. Be a digital transformer like Kevin L. Jackson. Absolutely. That’s right. Hey folks, hopefully enjoyed today’s supply chain buzz. Thanks for all the great comments and questions. I know we couldn’t ca uh, capture everything, but whatever you do, on behalf of Kevin and Katherine and the man old team here at Supply Chain now, Scott Luton challenging you to do good to you forward and to be the change that’s needed. And see you next time. Right back here at Supply Chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (52:01):

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.