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 – and kicked off the second half of 2023 – by talking about the most recent edition of ‘With That Said,’ the Supply Chain Now LinkedIn newsletter, 22,000 subscribers strong.

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

• The latest developments in the ongoing contract negotiation between UPS and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters

• China’s recent decision to restrict exports of gallium and germanium, minerals that are used in products like semiconductors, solar panels, and missile systems

• The current state of digital supply chain transformation and adoption

• The important role that digital transformation can play in the employee experience

Intro/Outro (00:03):

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

Scott Luton (00:31):

Hey, good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are. It is Scott Lutton and Kevin L. Jackson here with you on Supply Chain. Now, welcome to today’s live stream, Kevin, how are we doing today?

Kevin L. Jackson (00:42):

Hey, are you ready for the second half of 2023? <laugh>? Yes.

Scott Luton (00:49):

Yes. Especially if you ask me that way every single time, my answer’s gonna be yes, Kevin. I love the energy and the enthusiasm and the passion you’re bringing to the show today.

Kevin L. Jackson (00:59):

Yeah, absolutely. I, I, I, I had a, a little bit of caffeine this morning. I’m poor. How much? But <laugh>, I, why don’t you just gotta get it intravenously, you know?

Scott Luton (01:10):

Oh, no doubt. I, I had my 12 cups a day. I’m rear and ready to go. Hey, Kevin, we should note for folks, uh, Greg White is back on assignment. He’s back on assignment. Um, and Kevin, you are back with us as you always are on the second Monday of the month. This

Kevin L. Jackson (01:30):

Is my favorite Monday.

Scott Luton (01:31):

Well, it’s my favorite. It’s one of my favorite Mondays as well, <laugh>, because it’s a special edition of the supply chain buzz. It’s the digital Transformers edition. So, as always, we’re gonna be discussing a variety of news and developments today across global business and with an extra helping of all things technology today since Kevin is here. And, hey, we wanna hear from you. I already see Josh and a few other folks. Maybe that might be Sylvia. Mom is tuned in already. Hey, we want to hear from you throughout the show. We’ll bring your comments in. That’s right. Um, and Kevin, if folks are listening to the podcast replay, you know, which we usually drop a, a week or so later, Hey, you ought to consider joining us live like many of these folks are on LinkedIn or YouTube, or other social media channels of your choosing. We’d love to hear from you. So, Kevin, well,

Kevin L. Jackson (02:21):

Your thing, one thing about that live aspect of it, you know, when you’re live and you can interact with these people from around the world, it’s just so much more fun. I mean, got 10 here in the house. Germany, uh, Wisconsin. That’s another country. <laugh>. Oh,

Scott Luton (02:37):

Kevin, you kinda slid that one in there. Nice.

Kevin L. Jackson (02:40):

<laugh>.

Scott Luton (02:42):

Well then let’s go. So, so, Kevin, I’m with you. It does, it brings a whole different element. So let’s, let’s work downs a few of our faves here. So we’ve got Josh goody with us. He says, good morning from an overcast and refreshing Seattle. So coast to coast here, right? Kevin? Yes. Uh, let’s see here. Mom. Leah Luton is in the house from a rainy Aiken, South Carolina. That’s just down the road. Kevin, you ever been to Aiken, South Carolina?

Kevin L. Jackson (03:05):

I have been to Aiken. That’s a beautiful, nice little town there.

Scott Luton (03:09):

Okay. All right.

Kevin L. Jackson (03:10):

It’s, I’ve never been, I mean, it rain doesn’t do that often than in, uh, Carolina does.

Scott Luton (03:15):

Uh, I don’t know. It, it needs to rain more, I think. I think we’re still on the drought side of things, but, uh, Hey, I’m with Jenny. Jenny says, uh, I want some of Kevin’s energy. Yes. Hello. From <laugh>. Hello. From Freezing Johannesburg. There’s snow. First time since 2012, there’s snow. Wow. And Johannesburg, how about that?

Kevin L. Jackson (03:34):

That is winter, isn’t it? There is wired.

Scott Luton (03:36):

Yep. Right. Jacob, as you mentioned, Jacob is tuned in from Kenya. Yeah, I bet. Jacob. Uh, I bet, uh, let, let me know. Uh, Jacob, is that a hard J or is it, uh, or is it Jacob? But regardless, welcome today, uh, via LinkedIn from Kenya. Christine, you mentioned Kevin. Christine tuned in from the North Woods of Wisconsin. That just sounds peaceful to me.

Kevin L. Jackson (04:00):

Boy, you gotta, they, they got internet in the lost

Scott Luton (04:03):

Woods. Oh, Christine, you can’t let ’em get away with that.

Kevin L. Jackson (04:07):

I mean, no, that, that is a demonstration of the power of digital transformation. That’s right. They had transformed the north woods of Wisconsin.

Scott Luton (04:17):

<laugh>. That is right. Oh, man. Christine, great to have you. Hey, Gino’s back with us. Great to see Gino, Barbara from Nashville, Tennessee. Barbara, welcome, welcome via LinkedIn. Victor is tuned in. Victor, let us know where you’re tuned in from. Jerry’s back with us from Vinings, which is part of Metro Atlanta. Great to see you, Jerry. Brian tuned in from Northern Kentucky. Wonderful, wonderful. Great to see you. And hey, one of our favorites, Kevin t Squared, who holds down the Fort Force on YouTube, is back with us. Good morning folks. Good Monday, folks. He says, bring on the nourishment and insights. So, Kevin, we can’t let any of these folks down.

Kevin L. Jackson (04:53):

No, no, no. You gotta go back a couple of stuff, right? So, who’s, um, who’s there in northern Kentucky? We got a question. Okay. Okay. Are you Louisville or are you electing <laugh>.

Scott Luton (05:04):

Okay, <laugh>. So that is a, let’s see it. So, Brian, that’s your question. So Louisville or Kentucky? Well,

Kevin L. Jackson (05:11):

Lexington. Yeah, Louisville. Or Lexington.

Scott Luton (05:13):

Where, where’s your allegiance lie? So, Brian, let us know. All right. So Kevin, let’s see here. We need to dive in Before we get into, let’s see, I think we got four items, couple news stories, and some we’re gonna tackle. But first, Kevin, let’s offer some resources to our friends from across the globe that all make up the, uh, the greater supply chain. Now, uh, family, let’s do that, huh? And I wanna start with Kevin <inaudible>. We published with that said, it’s our weekly LinkedIn newsletter. It was jam packed with news data, tons of insights from some of our faves across global business, as well as some upcoming events. Kevin, uh, we’re gonna touch on a second. We had a couple of, uh, a couple of your recent works in there Yes. As well. And how about the picture? How about the sunrises? I caught, uh, on Harbor Island Beach in South Carolina. Kevin, how about that?

Kevin L. Jackson (06:02):

You were up back early. You’re supposed to be on vacation. You’re not supposed to get up until the sun is like way up there, <laugh>, or, or, or when you’re out there fishing. Now, if you’re out there fishing, that’s okay.

Scott Luton (06:13):

Well, as Amanda can attest, uh, I am not one for Phish fishing

Kevin L. Jackson (06:18):

<laugh>.

Scott Luton (06:19):

Uh, but it was go, and one of my favorite things to do is get up to a sunrise on the beach. So, also beautiful. Yeah, it, man, it was, it was hot, but it was gorgeous. Folks, check out. With that said, uh, we’ve got over 22,000 subscribers to this newsletter, about 40 editions. So I guess we’re coming up on about our, our one year anniversary. But y’all check that out.

Kevin L. Jackson (06:39):

That’s huge.

Scott Luton (06:40):

Yeah, man, it’s really, it’s been rewarding, uh, as me and the team have put that together. But y’all check that out. And then secondly, Kevin, speaking of resources, we’ve got an upcoming webinar coming up, uh, let’s see, on July 13th, that’s this week, uh, acting on the power of spend visibility. We’re gonna be offering up a roadmap that will lead to big outcomes and results with our friends from Omnia Partners. Kevin, if you can’t see it, you can’t manage it. You can’t use it, you can’t leverage it. You gotta be able to see it, at least, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (07:09):

Yeah. But it’s about watching your money fly out the window. Honestly, <laugh>, what, how depressing is that? At least depressing me, <laugh>. But no, you do have to manage it, or you can, and it’s real. Then we real empowerment. When you understand where your money is gone, if you’re just watching it go out, you have no, you can’t link it to some value that, that you’re, uh, either receiving or delivering to the business organization, then it’s just the waste. That’s, so that’s why that, that, um, webinar could be so power, but so empowering to our anyone that, that, that, that it’s working in business, really.

Scott Luton (07:50):

That’s right. So folks, uh, join us on July 13th. And by the way, uh, big thanks Amanda and Catherine behind the scenes helping to make, uh, production happen. Sh they have been dropping the links to both. With that said, we’ve dropped a link to the Omnia Partners webinar that we just touched on, and, and I’ve got one more resource I want to, I wanna offer up. But before we do that, Kevin, yes. Brian is answering you so far more North. Oh, yes. Uh, so he, he’s just outside of Cincinnati.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:19):

Cincinnati. Oh, wow.

Scott Luton (08:21):

But he does love both Lexington and Louisville <laugh>.

Kevin L. Jackson (08:25):

How about that? That, well, actually, is that closer to Frankfurt? I think. I mean, uh, okay. Well, it’s okay. I’ll let you slide this time. Next time you going. Lemme slide this time.

Scott Luton (08:37):

No

Kevin L. Jackson (08:37):

Geography. Yeah. As long as you’re here for the second Monday, uh, every month. That’s

Scott Luton (08:44):

Right. <laugh>. And, and we promised no geographic, uh, geography quizzes. We promised no geography quizzes. Um, all right. Hey, one more thing I wanna offer up to people, uh, resource wise. So, Kevin, you contributed a guest blog to our friends at VMware. And, you know, a lot of folks may not know that you were a naval aviator on active duty with US Navy back in the day. Um, and so, yes, I want, yeah. So what you did here is you, you kind of took lessons learned from formation flying, like folks like you’re seeing in the Blue Angels right there, and applied it to business, especially like m and a. And I think one of the main messages was, uh, leveraging multi-cloud technology. Tell us more, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (09:25):

Yeah. AB absolutely. You know, um, I was a blue angel just to get this clear <laugh>

Scott Luton (09:31):

<laugh>. You were not a member of the Blue Angels. I gotcha.

Kevin L. Jackson (09:36):

Yeah. Lady. But, um, the, the, the truth is, when you’re flying in formation, you have to, uh, as I say, keep your head on the swivel and watch everything. You have to, um, adjust your power so you don’t go too fast or too slow, right? You gotta watch your altitude as you go up and you go down. But you have to do all of this without looking inside the aircraft. Mm-hmm. Because you’re looking outside the aircraft at your lead, right? Um, because it’s all about your relative position, uh, with your lead. That’s what you’re managing, you know? Um, and, and that’s exactly what you do in business, right? Mm-hmm. You look outside to your competitors, to your partners, to your entire ecosystem. Like your information, you know, are you doing with your ecosystem? Are you going against it? Are you too slow, too fast, too high, too low?

Kevin L. Jackson (10:41):

What adjustments that you, that you have to make inside of the aircraft, just like what adjustments you have to make inside of a business. Mm. And when you’re doing a merger or acquisition, many times, that’s simply so that you can reposition yourself in your ecosystem, in your business ecosystem, just like you may reposition yourself in, in a formation. Mm-hmm. <affirmative>. So I’ve doing this, uh, this series with VMware. Cause VMware has, um, uh, technology where they actually, uh, manage a lot of the virtual infrastructure. Uh, uh, many, uh, cloud service providers, um, and organizations today are using more than one, uh, cloud service provider. Mm. That, you know, uh, they, they can use three or four, uh, wow. Sometimes many more cloud service providers. So this is a multi-cloud environment. So, just sort of a, a play on words. You know, I, I used to fly and, you know, uh, saw all the pilots. So, so now with the amware, I’m acting as the multi-cloud technology pilot. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (11:59):

Well, hey,

Kevin L. Jackson (12:00):

Mware.

Scott Luton (12:00):

Hey, with all that going on, we’ve gotta make sure we maintain really strong control towers, right? Air traffic control towers, right? Yes. Yes. Um, I love the backdrop, and we’re gonna have to dive in deeper there. Um, but I love, I, I enjoyed the read, and folks, y’all check that out. We dropped a link to that in the, the, the chat there. Hey, I wanna recognize a few of the folks really quick before we get to the first story about U P s and what’s going on there. Let’s see here. Chandra, shucker, ch uh, Chandra Schreker. I, uh, let’s see here. Chandra, can you tell us? Yeah, I’ll tell ya. <laugh>, Chandra Schreker, uh, I, I think I’ve got that right. If I don’t, please let us know. Of course. But regardless, welcome, welcome, welcome. He, uh, heals from India. Uh, he’s here via LinkedIn. So welcome to you. Great to have you here. And hey, Natalie’s back with us. Natalie, great to see you. She says she’s traveling other places this summer, and we’ll have to miss the Carolina beaches and those beautiful sunrise and sunsets. How about that?

Kevin L. Jackson (12:57):

Well, wherever she’s going, I’m sure, to the sunrise and the sunset. So I

Scott Luton (13:02):

Sure hope there is one, or we’re all gonna find out. Some we’re in trouble, right? Yes. Um, <laugh>. All right. So Kevin, we gotta get into, so we got four, at least four things to dive into here today. Gotta

Kevin L. Jackson (13:13):

Go outta work. We gotta work now or have so much

Scott Luton (13:16):

One. Gotta get to work, gotta get to work. <laugh> folks, we would love to, uh, we’d love to get your take as we work our way through each of these stories and, and, uh, reads. So I wanna start with probably the, uh, at least here in the States, one of the most dominant, uh, supply chain news stories. And that is what’s going on with u p s in the International brotherhood of Teamsters right now, Kevin, as has been reported on constantly for several weeks now, a labor contract impasse, has some thinking, some that a strike is right around the corner. Now, as this supply chain dive article reports here, one of the major holdups and negotiations, uh, is pay for part-time employees. Now, that gap between the two sides on the, uh, on the other side of the table yeah. Is supposedly six to seven bucks an hour is the gap between the two sides, right? If an agreement is not reached in the next few weeks, some 340,000 teamsters are preparing to go on strike on August 1st. So the clock is ticking. Now, I’m gonna go on record to say, Kevin, this is just my, take my opinion. See what? I just don’t see all parties letting a strike happen. U p s carries about 6% of the gross domestic product in the US across its network in 2022. Kevin, this figure, hang on. Your socks, hang on. Your socks. All I’m gonna say y’all.

Kevin L. Jackson (14:34):

Alright,

Scott Luton (14:35):

<laugh> ups

Scott Luton (14:39):

Up PS carried on average, 20.8 million packages, wow. A day in the States last year. The last u p s strike was in 1997. And of course, the whole world, the whole universe has changed dramatically since then. The Biden administration hasn’t gotten involved yet as they want to give, of course, collective bargaining and negotiations. Um, uh, a chance. But I just don’t see all parties, including the government allowing a crippling, a crippling strike to take place. So, Kevin would love to know your thoughts here as we talk about u p s and Teamsters and their negotiations.

Kevin L. Jackson (15:15):

Well, well, first of all, uh, society has changed dramatically since, uh, 97, right? We have, um, completely transformed the way we buy from being physical, going to physical stores, to drawing everything online. I mean, that, that, uh, brown truck was in front of my house at least four times a week, <laugh>, right? <inaudible>. Um, and, uh, uh, this is, is really a threat to, um, our economy as, as we recover. Um, and we, I’m, I’m sure we haven’t forgotten, uh, the pain that we went through Mm. Uh, with, uh, supply chain issues, uh, just a, just a short year ago, right? So, um, and I, I really don’t think neither u p s or the teachers want to, to, to do this. Um, they’re gonna find a way. Um, I can understand both sides, but I believe they will work to find a way to, to avoid it, cuz it’s just, there’s, there’s no value in it, right? To make this about, to make this happen.

Scott Luton (16:29):

Oh, and it would be really bad news. We’re, we’re already seeing, uh, groups like FedEx communicate to the market, uh, kind of the, the contingency plans and how they’ll approach it and all that stuff. But let’s face it, uh, there is no, uh, a hundred percent backup plan where <laugh> strike takes place, and then everything keeps moving through. Alternative means this would be a major, major disruption. Yeah. And, and given where we are right now, Kevin, and to your, I think you touched on kind of as everything took place during the pandemic and, and we realized some, some falsehoods and some of the industry thinking out there, and, and, and, um, uh, I just don’t think, I don’t think at this juncture, you know, 1997 was a lot different in 2023. And based on everything else that’s going on in the world right now and how we’re, we’re thankfully through the pandemic and post pandemic and had those lessons, those painful lessons learned, I just don’t see a strike being allowed to happen. You know, Kevin, kind of, uh, not exactly similarly, but, you know, the, the railroad strike, uh, was, was, was avert reported on for months, and disaster was averted. So, you know, Kevin, I think, I think we’re gonna find a, a similar outcome here. Would you agree

Kevin L. Jackson (17:45):

<inaudible>, D H O is licking good, Charles <laugh>? Yeah. Maybe all the brown trucks that turn yellow

Scott Luton (17:51):

<laugh>. We’ll see how it plays out. But look what Jerry says. Jerry says, in this labor environment, which is a challenging one. Yeah, let’s be honest. If you’re gonna go, if you’re going to strike, this is the time to do it. As what Jerry says, labor is in a strong position. Good point, Jared. Yeah, good point. Okay. So Kevin, that’s just the first story we’re getting to today. We’re gonna keep our finger on the pulse, of course, and see what, uh, we’ve got about three weeks, three weeks before the August 1st one

Kevin L. Jackson (18:21):

Time. You know, they don’t really get down. And Joe like, what, very, very, you some dollars.

Scott Luton (18:26):

Well, yeah, we’ve talked about that before too, but yeah, three weeks feels like an eternity, uh, right now. Um, alright, so moving right along. I wanna share this second story. I wish, I wish with this second story, we could, um, maybe revert back to making things easier for our supply chain, uh, brethren out there across the globes. But in our second story, our friends at the Wall Street Journal reported on the development that shouldn’t surprise anyone. China announced a decision last week to clamp down on the export of two minerals that are used in a wide variety of critical products around the world to include semiconductors, solar panels, even missile systems. Last week, China announced it’d be restricting the export of the minerals, gallium and germanium. I think I got both of those things right. Light, it is largely seen as a response to the us.

Scott Luton (19:16):

Uh, its, uh, US has moved last October to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor chips through a variety of different ways. Now, as we’ve discussed Kevin, on this show and lots of other shows, time and time again, China dominates. The mineral industry dominates about two thirds of the world’s lithium and cobalt supply is at least processed in China. It’s the source for about 60% of the world’s aluminum, 80% of Polysilicon, which is used in solar panels and rare earth minerals. Well, it accounts for at least the refining of about 90% of the world’s supply. 90, yeah. US government and many other aligned countries are working on diversifying the sourcing for all of these minerals and minerals. But, you know, these global supply chains, of course, aren’t gonna be built overnight. It’ll take years. Regulat. I mean, just, just the regulation side. You’re trying to streamline, you know, much less all the technical expertise. Uh, but it’s no secret as China is looking to leverage, uh, what it has in the present situation. Uh, so Kevin would love to know your thoughts here on this, uh, on this move by China.

Kevin L. Jackson (20:28):

Well, you know, nothing in the world, um, has more, uh, effect on supply chain than the geopolitics and the geopolitics that’s going on right now and, uh, be between the great countries, um, is uh, very, very fragile. Uh, and just over the past two weeks, I guess we’ve had the Secretary of State, uh, from the us uh, visit China, which I guess didn’t go too well just before that. Uh, uh, the president advising called Ing dictator, that that wasn’t anything <laugh> then, uh, s and the, uh, uh, secretary Treasury went well, just last week. Right? I don’t, I don’t think things, uh, were well with, with, with that. But you also gotta remember that China right now is going through a, uh, tremendous financial upheaval. Mm. Um, cause the, their real estate bubble is just blew up. Um, they have so much, uh, um, so many apartments and, and, and buildings, uh, that, uh, that are not people are living in. Right? Right. Um, the, uh, the supply is like 300% of the, uh, demand. And this isn’t China. Right. How can you, how can you have not enough, you know, not enough people to fill the, the, uh, <laugh> the apartments and, uh, housing in, in c China. It’s really weird.

Scott Luton (22:09):

To your point, Kevin, I was reading over the weekend, uh, to what the point, main point you’re making is that, uh, the financial challenges to, uh, inside the country, you know, cause information coming out can be very limited at times. Yeah. But they’re really under-reported that there are some dire components of the Chinese economy that, you know, could be, um, be reaching a, a boiling over point. So we’ll see.

Kevin L. Jackson (22:34):

Yeah. They need this trade, right? Mm-hmm. They need this trade. Um, there’s, uh, unemployment in, in China is going pretty bad. They, they still haven’t recovered from, from Covid. I mean, right after, when the, when the rest of the world was trying to come back, they went into a hard lockdown. So, you know, this is, I believe this is more geopolitical

Scott Luton (23:01):

Okay.

Kevin L. Jackson (23:02):

Than anything else. But, um, you know, yes. And, and China, you know what? Say, um, this, uh, cooperation. Yeah. <laugh>,

Scott Luton (23:17):

You know, it is an interesting point. That is a very interesting point. Because despite the tit for tat trade war and, and geopolitical, uh, gamesmanship that’s taking place, let’s face it, to your point, they, they got their economies. They, they gotta have each other, right? Yeah. It’s very interesting dichotomy. Uh, but hey, regardless, uh, it would be interesting to see how this move, what will be the next corresponding move, Kevin? Cuz you know, there’s one coming, there’s one, there’s many coming. We’re just

Kevin L. Jackson (23:48):

Ponds.

Scott Luton (23:48):

That’s right. <laugh>. That is right. All right. So Kevin, we’re gonna move right along. Are you good? Yes, sir. All right. So quick blurb, folks. Uh, so you know, Kevin and I both just shared on the front end, uh, a variety of resources and events and, uh, and, and a lot more insider information I’ll call it. So if you don’t wanna miss any of that information, any of those opportunities, any of those tools, uh, resources, those that live programming, hey, we both wanna encourage you to join the now community. And we’re dropping a link to that. You can sign up and, uh, we’re reaching out just about daily to make sure folks are aware of all the great resources out there, Kevin, to try to make life a little bit easier on our supply, on our really, our global business community. That’s what we’re after, right, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (24:36):

I mean, in today’s world, you have to know what’s happening now. Uh, <laugh>. And that’s what we’re providing. We’re, you know, it’s so dynamic, so wearable, and it’s global. That’s right. And it’s much broader than just supply chain. I mean, supply chain affects everything, which means everything affects supply chain. So That’s right. Walk wide. You really need to understand track business now.

Scott Luton (25:05):

That’s right. So join, join, join. We got the link here. Y’all can, uh, use this. It’s a very easy signup form ’em too. Uh, by design, we didn’t wanna ask you for 27 things. This is very simple. It’ll take 27 seconds. Um, hey, Kevin, before we move to the next story, uh, this, uh, we’re just, you know, talking about China, Josh says, yeah, hey, they’re also having labor issues. Wonder if the flip side is there building a reserve of those minerals while making a political statement against the US and building a reserve. Hey, it seems like two birds, one stone scenario. Kevin could be

Kevin L. Jackson (25:39):

One. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, the Chinese are smart. They’re, they’re trying to, they’re gonna keep playing, um, uh, ban the field. Um, this is a, this is a major driver in everything. You That’s right. In New World.

Scott Luton (25:53):

And you know, Kevin, as you know as well, China, um, big picture thinkers. Right? Big picture. They’re not looking around.

Kevin L. Jackson (25:59):

Yeah. They have a long view of things.

Scott Luton (26:02):

That’s right. That’s right.

Kevin L. Jackson (26:03):

This is wild. This is why you didn’t let Gray come to the show today, <laugh>.

Scott Luton (26:09):

No, not at all.

Kevin L. Jackson (26:14):

Yeah. Yeah. I’ll, I’ll too smart. Regular listeners know what I’m talking about,

Scott Luton (26:18):

<laugh>. So I gotta I gotta just go ahead and let that cat out of the bag. So what Kevin’s having a little fun with is, uh, Greg makes, and, and, uh, Greg, if you’re listening, we miss you, of course. But Greg makes no bones about his view on, uh, the Communist Party in China and what they do, and always makes for some interesting conversations. So yeah, Kevin, that was not part of my plan, I promise. That’s, um, T squared says, Hey, cooperation equals connect and develop kinda like a Proctor and Gamble, um, situation. That also reminds me his, uh, t t squared, his comment, uh, there was a lot of waves over the weekend, Kevin, about Elon Musk, or it might have been Friday, where he, he made, and I didn’t read the story and I didn’t, so I didn’t see it from Elon Musk, but something about, um, socialist value, some kind of commitment, if I read that right, to socialist values or something. Did you see anything about that, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (27:14):

So, uh, Mr. Musk has, um, quieter, um, viewpoint, uh, that at times sort of, uh, contradicts what you would expect, uh, someone of someone that, um, supports their typical values in, in the United States. Yes. So, um, so I, I, I did see that. Um, I also understand that, uh, he’s kind of upset at the competition that met her, is ringing up, I guess, a direct clone of, of Twitter

Scott Luton (27:53):

Right? Threads, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (27:54):

Yeah. Threads, absolutely. And it, it, it has become the fastest growing social media, uh, platform ever, because they’re basically taking, they’re, they’re making it really easy for Instagram. If you don’t know, no, meta owns Instagram, meta owns WhatsApp, meta owns Facebook <laugh>. And they’re really making it easy for people on any of those platforms to get a, a thread account. Um, and the, uh, uh, the users of the meta platforms. Yeah. Uh, you know, uh, much larger, uh, than the, the, the Twitter, uh, platform. So, uh, they could be in, in trouble and, and, you know, it’s not a secret, right? That many Twitter uses, uh, very unhappy with what’s been happening on that platform,

Scott Luton (28:56):

Right? It is, it is. <laugh>, it’s fascinating. Business schools will be studying these social media wars, uh, down the road, I’m sure a lot. Uh, but who knows? We’ll see how this threads thing, I’ve, I’ve seen mixed reviews so far. Yeah. But also, I read a report this morning and that they’ve approached, uh, a million user or a hundred million users already on threads That’s strong. Yes. Uh, for lack of a better phrase. And that’s like in just a handful of days, Kevin, I think that’s, uh, what, three or four or five days or something like that? A hundred million users? Yes. So who knows if it could be better with Meta Kevin, who knows

Kevin L. Jackson (29:31):

<laugh> Well, I mean, Twitter only has about, well, only has about 230 Southern users. Ok. So 50%, uh, Twitter in just, just a few days.

Scott Luton (29:43):

Wow. Okay. All right. Well, who knows? Uh, and, and thank you for very eloquently addressing. I know that was, uh, uh, kind of a, a right turn. We hadn’t planned on, um, addressing Elon Musk’s, uh, comments in the last few days. So Kevin, I think you put it very eloquent as you always do. So thank you for that. And as Catherine says, yeah, threads is growing very quickly. And Catherine, big thanks, you and Amanda, behind the scenes helping to make, uh, production happen.

Kevin L. Jackson (30:11):

Great. <inaudible>, that could be a, um, a good question, honor. Uh, this is the value of being here live. Okay. Would you consider leaving Twitter for threads? Oh, why don’t we ask a live

Scott Luton (30:27):

Audience? So, hey, that’s a great idea, Kevin. I, I don’t know if we have polling. I don’t think we have polling on this platform, but let’s just do it informally. So, to all the folks that may be listening, you may be in the comments. You, you may, if you’re a big, let’s preface this by saying, Hey, if you’re a current regular Twitter user, do you plan on leaving Twitter and moving the threads, or do you plan on using both?

Kevin L. Jackson (30:52):

Yeah.

Scott Luton (30:53):

Right. Let us know. Give us your feedback. Um, all right, so Kevin, we gotta keep moving here. And where I wanna go next, uh, with, um, a planned item, unlike, uh, Elon’s ELs, where lit

Kevin L. Jackson (31:06):

Yes. <laugh>

Scott Luton (31:08):

Planning. Imagine that. Uh, here I want to talk about this great read from our friends at Supply Chain Management review on this important topic, critical topic Yes. Of evaluating success of changes across your supply chain. Kevin, tell us more.

Kevin L. Jackson (31:24):

Well, you know, uh, we’ve already talked about the way that supply chains are evolving, uh, quickly. They’re evolving their processes and their systems because they, they have to be, they have to, um, embrace, uh, digital, uh, so organizations investing more and more time and resources to under undertake these time management, uh, projects, uh, that the, uh, graphic you, you show there. Um, talk about, uh, the stage that organizations are in with respect to the adoption of digital transformation. And, uh, you know, there’s always a 2% <laugh>.

Scott Luton (32:07):

Yeah. What Kevin, what in the world? So folks, just to, uh, if I can interject for one second here. So this, this figure we’re showing from the article from Supply Chain Management Review, it’s, uh, the current state of adoption of digital transformation and supply chain, right? And you’ve got different categories from the 16% that say, that say, fully implemented and adopted with continuous improvement. So that’s the best of the best of 16%, all the way down to the 2% Kevin called out, which that bucket was not undergoing or planning a digital transformation. Kevin, who makes up that 2%? Who makes up that 2%?

Kevin L. Jackson (32:45):

It must be the caveman, Fred,

Scott Luton (32:47):

Fred Flintstone, Fred and Wilma Flintstone. That’s right.

Kevin L. Jackson (32:51):

Right? All the people that just already planned to go out of business, because that’s where they’re going. <laugh>,

Scott Luton (32:59):

Get this, uh, supply chain analysis. Is that, is that like the 2%, uh, the one out of 10 dentists that don’t recommend sensitized toothpaste? I guess so. I guess so, uh, Kevin, thank you for letting me interject. But tell us more about, uh, um, managing, but also evaluating successful change in supply chain.

Kevin L. Jackson (33:20):

Well, okay. So let’s talk about the 98% <laugh>, right? So what do they do when, when they do, uh, digitally transform the organization where the top component or implementing digital transformation is upgrading or actually implementing e R P systems across their organization? This is like 44% of the, um, uh, respondents shared. That’s what they’re doing, right? Number two is advanced analytics. No, it’s all about visibility. Visibility is important, and you can get that from the e R P system, but you have to, data is not enough. You actually have to get insights from that data. And the advanced analytics takes that data and provides insights so that you can do actionable, take, uh, actionable actions, right? That’s probably not a good term. Actionable options, <laugh>, but, uh, relevant actions, yes. To enhance, uh, your digital, uh, uh, your supply chain process. And number three is artificial intelligence and cognitive, uh, computing.

Kevin L. Jackson (34:35):

So using the computer to actually understand or let the computer tell you what this data is showing you. Uh, so, uh, that’s like 33. A third of the respondents are actually using artificial intelligence on this data. Um, but one of the most important aspects of it, you know, you, you, you can’t, uh, improve anything. You, you don’t measure it. So people really are measuring their digital transformation, right? And when, when it comes to measurement, it’s not just of one domain. They’re measuring it from a technical point of view that they’re measuring the amount, the value that this digital transformation is delivering. And they’re also measuring, uh, how humans are reacting, behavioral measurements, um, of the digital transformation. So, uh, from the, the measurements, 51% of the respondents are actually measuring the key project milestones. And you can, right? That’s important. So you can know, you know, if you are actually, uh, going down the track for, uh, digital transformation, the number two technical measurement is speed of execution, execution, uh, as far as value, how valuable is this?

Kevin L. Jackson (36:11):

Uh, a 51% are actually measuring the value via employee feedback. What do the humans say <laugh> about, right? Digital transformation and 46 on measuring employee satisfaction. So a lot of the value from digital transformation is really supporting the humans. And third, the third way of measuring behavioral measurements. Uh, they’re measuring how fast these digital digitalization improvements are being adopted or used. Uh, and 32% of the, uh, respondents are doing that. And readiness is, uh, comes in number two as one of the measures for digital transformation. So what this says is that 98% of all businesses are doing digital transformation, right? And really watching, they’re really measuring it, and they’re, they’re getting value. This is important.

Scott Luton (37:16):

Uh, absolutely. Uh, especially because not only, and we’re gonna touch on this here, uh, momentarily, not only do customers expect it, suppliers expect it, and clearly employees and team members, especially a top talent expected. So Kevin, uh, a lot of good stuff there. Um, and I <laugh> the 2%. I can’t get to that 2% <laugh>. Um, but I should point out, I wanna make sure everyone understands. So supply chain management, uh, supply chain management review published this research that was led by the a p qc. That’s what Kevin was referring to there. And you know, how to measure success. I think one of the critical, um, overarching questions that that whole ar the whole, all that research and the article really points to is getting business leaders to deliberately lean into the que the key question of, Hey, how are we gonna measure success? Yes, on all projects, big and small, all points in between. Critical question for business leaders to ask of any project. And again, I wanna call out two things there that, Kevin, you touched on as you were sharing all the research. Yes, according to that AP qc, C A P Q C, try to say that five times fast. <laugh>

Kevin L. Jackson (38:29):

You time, you’re having a workout today,

Scott Luton (38:31):

<laugh>, man, it’s just not cooperating. Uh, the top two measures you used by organizations, and Kevin touched on this key project milestones, are we making them right? We did. And employee feedback, right? Those are, those are where, that’s the majority are using those two top measures for, Hey, how are we handling change and are we handling it successfully? So a lot of good stuff there, Kevin. Um, all right, before we move on to the, the final item, I wanna go back cause we got some feedback from a few folks, Kevin on Oh,

Kevin L. Jackson (39:04):

Listening. Yeah,

Scott Luton (39:05):

That’s right. Listened to us. So Catherine, I wanna start with her. She says that she hasn’t used Twitter in years, but she hopped on threads very quickly. And Catherine says she loves seeing brands interact in short form, approachable ways. I agree with you. Uh, let’s see here. Now, Jerry brings up an interesting point. Jerry says, given how meta manipulated information on Facebook, I assume they will be doing the same thing on threads. So, no, Jerry says, I will not be joining. All right. So I guess it’s important for us to throw out there, Kevin, obligatory disclaimer. Uh, the views of all of our commenters <laugh> aren’t necessarily the positions of the host and supply chain. Now, I’m just messing with you, Jerry, but that’s good, Kevin.

Kevin L. Jackson (39:49):

So I, I appreciate your statement. I agree with your statement, but I do you think Twitter isn’t manipulating the data also? I mean, this is part of the basic foundational business model of all, uh, social media platforms. Yes. Is leverage that data to improve, uh, the bottom line for shareholders. I mean, be honest, it is a business. Doesn’t matter if you’re on Twitter or Threads or, you know, uh, what they call fire signal <laugh>, whoever’s running that platform, right? Well, is going to manipulate the band.

Scott Luton (40:36):

Uh, let’s see here. And Jerry says, good point, Kevin. Let’s see. I love that. I love, uh, how we can, we can have different views and different opinions and, uh, so good stuff there, Jerry. Um, let’s see here. Yeah, just

Kevin L. Jackson (40:49):

The highlight, if you’re looking at this on their, you know, on demand send, you couldn’t do this on demand, right? You gotta be here a lot.

Scott Luton (40:56):

That’s right. That is right. <laugh>. And then speaking to that point. So Dr. Obama, I think I’ve, I got that right. Welcome, glad you’re here via LinkedIn. She’s asking about the difference between the two. Um, I’ll see if there’s, maybe the team can, can drop a link, uh, of, of, of an article kind of contrasting, comparing the two. Uh, but I have not jumped on threads yet, so I can only offer some perspective through some third parties. I don’t wanna do that here. So we’ll see if we can’t find a resource for you. Um, speaking of resources, Kevin, what’s up? Speaking of resources, Stephanie asked, Hey, where can we find the now link? Stephanie, thank you for asking. Uh, we were gonna drop that link in the chat, so it’s really easy for you to join. I think we’ve got it. Uh, let’s see here. I’ve got it right here.

Kevin L. Jackson (41:40):

Reminder, we’re on the case.

Scott Luton (41:42):

That’s right. That is right. And we’ll drop it again. And that should be one click away from joining the now community. Thanks for that. Uh, question, Stephanie. And let’s see here. Gerardo. Gerardo, great to see you here. Thanks for sharing the chart. Supply Chain management review is a great source of information for supply chain enthusiasts. Thank you, Gerardo. Man, that is Gerardo has got five certifications. Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (42:08):

Yes, man.

Scott Luton (42:09):

Uh, you look at, I

Kevin L. Jackson (42:10):

Have aling my elbow right here. Could you

Scott Luton (42:13):

Me, <laugh>? He’s, he’s, he’s basically a PhD in global business. Oh,

Kevin L. Jackson (42:17):

That’s m Id not md I’m sorry. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (42:20):

Hey, Gerardo. Uh, welcome. And man, that is some serious credentials. Great to have you today. Yes. All right. So Kevin, we are moving right along, and we’ve got one more article that we want to hit here today. I’m gonna bring up this graphic. I love this graphic. It reminds me of, uh, super Mario Brothers or something, huh?

Kevin L. Jackson (42:38):

<laugh>.

Scott Luton (42:39):

Um, all right, so Kevin, yes. Interesting article here from our friends at C S C and P. Uh, meme tiro. I think I got that right. Well, they write on how digital transformation can unlock entirely new levels of employee satisfaction. Kevin, this is right up your alley. Tell us more. Yeah,

Kevin L. Jackson (42:58):

Absolutely. So, technology is not replacing human newsflash. Newsflash was still here, <laugh> <laugh>. It’s enabling humans to spend time, meaning the very best versions of themselves, like me. Right? Over the weekend, I was sitting in my screen house sleeping <laugh>, and being the best version of myself on 4th of July. Uh, but what’s more important to know is that individuals are really embracing digital optimization in their own personal life. Mm. Okay. Uh, they’re already living digitally optimized and enhanced lives. Uh, when’s the last time you’ve been on Amazon? Okay. How about your medical records? Uh, right. How about requirements? Um, you get all of that at a touch as an, uh, at the touch of an app. That isn’t a question. How many apps <laugh> do you have on your smartphone?

Scott Luton (44:03):

Well, Kevin got a quick comment there. Yeah. Everybody and their brother and their sister, if you wanna go get a gumball out of a gum gumball machine, if they still have those, they want you to download a nap, right? It’s crazy. I miss the days of good old fashioned, just simple transactions. Whatever. I, I don’t have to

Kevin L. Jackson (44:22):

Sign up for anything. Do you have a penny <laugh>?

Scott Luton (44:26):

Right?

Kevin L. Jackson (44:28):

So in fact, um, as of 2020, and that’s a few years ago, there were 5.2 billion smartphone users in the world. Mm-hmm. Right? Um, at 66% of the global population that, that are, had a adopted digital, uh, all looking to digitally optimize their lives, and, uh, two thirds of the world are, are, have some type of connected device, right. That they’re using. And over half 54% of the respondents to the survey have three or more different cloud services, right? We’re just talking about social media, believe it or not. That is a cloud service. Uh, what about your email that you use on your smartphone that’s a cloud service. What about music that you’re listening to that’s a cloud service. What about Netflix that you look at? That’s a cloud service, right? Okay. Um, but you know, once again, when they’re, they’re all the subscriptions, right? How many subscriptions do you have?

Kevin L. Jackson (45:40):

<laugh>, you know, but 44% of the server respondents say that they have saved money with these cloud services. Right? Okay. And on, that’s in their personal lives on the professional lives. 46 of supply chain professionals say that by implementing cloud-based services, yeah. Uh, they have been able to collaborate better in the workplace. And that’s problems that they have in their business solve twice as quickly as without, uh, digital optimization. So this means that it really boosts the morale, uh, in an organization, and it has a multiplying effect on worker productivity, right? Because not only does the technology make the job faster and easier, but employees are faster and can take additional workload. Yay. You know what the martyr, uh, because they are more motivated. So, you know, that’s those 2%, like I said before, they just going out the business, they’ve ol go outta their business.

Scott Luton (46:58):

Uh, you know, I, I’ve heard it say, uh, let’s see, NJ Schumacher when I was in Cape Town. Mm-hmm. Put it bluntly, evolve or die is what NJ evolve or Die said. Um, so the, the whole, Kevin has been walking us through this read from our friends at CS cmp, uh, entitled Digital Transformation Unlocks New Levels of Employee Satisfaction. So y’all checked that out. We got a link to that in the chat. Kevin, I wanna, I wanna add a couple more things, which I bet we’re gonna be kindred spirits around. Okay. Uh, hey, burnout and stress levels across not just global supply chain, but global business Yeah. Are extremely high. So I, I liked what you were implying there is how can we as business leaders make life easier for our people, especially by leveraging the right technology at the right time? It’s a critical question because our team members, by and large, I mean, over what, 99% they want to be successful and do big things.

Scott Luton (47:57):

Yes. Right? So how do we empower them? That is the billion dollar, the trillion dollar question. Also, Kevin, and, uh, who was it? Maybe Jerry was pointing out. Yeah. I think Jerry was pointing out this workforce environment, this challenging workforce environment rent. Well, dude, if you want to hire top talent, Kevin, I don’t know why I just dropped him the dude there, but I did. So let’s just strike, strike that. Uh, but if you wanna hire top talent in this tough hiring market, hey, that top talent often wants to be part of teams that are super users of modern technology. No faxes, right? Rolodexes, no dial up modems or other relics of years gone by. Kevin, if you want Yeah. If you wanna, if you wanna make it easier for your current team to succeed and you want to add to your current team with the heavy hitters out there, you gotta lean into digital transformation. Right?

Kevin L. Jackson (48:50):

Right. Absolutely. <laugh>, I just like, I mean, we were, uh, talking, uh, before the show today, um, about, uh, some company, uh, that refused to have attachments on their email, talk about anti technology, <laugh>, anti digital transformation. That’s what I’m talking about. How can you move forward if you can’t have attachments on your email, <laugh>.

Scott Luton (49:15):

That’s right. I’m with you. I’m with you. And hey, Gerardo, uh, I love this here, Gerard. And I don’t know if I said this, I think I said it’s a pre-show. I might’ve said it here a minute ago, but yeah, like Gerardo says, this does remind me of the Mario Brothers <laugh> as well, right? Uh, talk about your digital transformation. Um, okay. So Kevin, a lot of good stuff there. Gerardo also said, lemme see if I can share his other comment. This might fill up screen a little bit. So I’m gonna read, I’m just gonna read this. So talking about automation, Gerardo says, the 2023 Gartner top supply chain webinar mentioned that Amazon has highly advanced planning activities, almost 95% managed by AI and machine learning. Actually, this is Gerardo still talking. Actually, I took note of it and was very surprised. This level of AI appears to be more likely in the future and not a current capability. Very impressive. And explain explains why they’re on the master’s list. Yeah.

Kevin L. Jackson (50:11):

I wanna, um, disagree with, uh, Gerardo and litigate there.

Scott Luton (50:16):

Okay.

Kevin L. Jackson (50:16):

Because it is a current capability, uh, you know, a hundred percent of the, uh, top 10 companies in the world leveraging AI in their operations, in their real time operations today. Okay? So, um, if you’re not looking at artificial intelligence, uh, uh, you’re way behind, right? Uh, if you’re looking at using it, you’re a little bit behind <laugh>. What, what, what

Scott Luton (50:48):

That always reminds me of superstitious, and I’m just a little stitious when you said it like

Kevin L. Jackson (50:53):

That, Kevin.

Scott Luton (50:55):

Um, well, and I wanna just add to that a, a little a wrinkle. Um, you know, speaking of Gardner, when Mike Griswold was with us, when was the last appearances, Kevin, uh, he mentioned that more and more in this era, your customers are gonna be machines. Yeah. You know, that, that, that is a fascinating and very accurate, uh, statement. I got a lot of response from our audiences there.

Kevin L. Jackson (51:20):

How many, I have a, um, a car that’s connected to the internet

Scott Luton (51:25):

Most now, I would imagine, right?

Kevin L. Jackson (51:27):

Isn’t that a machine that, you know, different service providers have to provide? You have to make it easy for the car, right? They bring music. Um, general Motors in fact is sort of rebranded itself. It’s trying to rebrand itself as a mobile environment. It’s not about the vehicle, it’s about the environment inside the, the vehicle. Mm-hmm. So that is a, a industry where services are actually servicing the machine.

Scott Luton (52:02):

Right. Excellent point. Um, alright folks, man, we have run, run the gamut here today. Kevin,

Kevin L. Jackson (52:08):

What was Clock? Hey, slow up. Uh, Maner, um, uh, clock was going through

Scott Luton (52:13):

<laugh>. Lot of great comments and, uh, perspective from our, the smartest audience in all the world. And that is our, our, our fam here. Um, okay. Kevin, before we go, uh, I wanna make sure we touch on one of the latest shows that we released on Digital Transformers with the one and only Sally Eve Stronger Together, elevate and Network Security. Tell us what, what are your favorite parts of this, this conversation here?

Kevin L. Jackson (52:41):

Well, actually my favorite part was Sally <laugh>. But other than that, I mean, she is so smart. Uh, we had this great conversation. It was sort of a, a, uh, look back, uh, on the four days that we spent together in San Francisco during the R s A security, uh, event. Uh, we did, we did two live streams a day together, uh, for those four days, just sort of observing what was happening during the event, highlighting all the activities, uh, and how it was really, uh, showcased how when, when it comes to cybersecurity, we’re all stronger together, we work together and collaborate on, on that. And more important is how important the network is in supporting business and the secure network in supporting business. So I wanna, I wanna thank at D Business. Mm-hmm. Uh, one of our major sponsors, uh, for giving us the opportunity, uh, to, uh, participate in R S A and really take, take some time out and, uh, uh, download or or view, uh, the Stronger Together elevating network security, my video podcasts, uh, with Sally and

Scott Luton (54:05):

I, it’s a good one. I’ll tell you it’s a good one. Uh, beyond the expertise exchanged the energy between the two of y’all. Uh, lots of chemistry there. Uh, the other thing I want to add, two, two thoughts. Um, first off, especially when you’re talking to, uh, a global supply chain audience that’s stronger together, phraseology is so critical. Yes. Cause as we all know, it’s not just about protecting our organization. The whole ecosystem’s gotta be secure. Right. And the second thing I want to point out, Kevin, is congrats to you and the digital Transf Transformers team. That’s episode 60. That is a, that is an accomplishment. You know, a lot of folks don’t realize, Kevin, uh, a lot of folks don’t realize that are out there. You know, there’s, there’s, depending on who you get your numbers from, yeah, there’s some around 3 million podcasts out there and growing every day. Um, but most overwhelming majority of the podcasts out there don’t have more than 12 episodes. Cause it’s challenge, it’s so challenging to consistently put good content out, you know, build an audience and, and certainly make a living

Kevin L. Jackson (55:08):

<laugh>. Well, look, we’re, we have made it to 60 because of our audience and there there’re continued interaction. So thank you, thank you very much for all the support that you’re, you’ve provided, um, over the short, I guess longer than a couple of years. Wow. Yeah. <laugh>. So, thank you. Thank you. And you know, you know, just like on television, you’re always striving, they’re striving to get 100 so they can go into syndication where <laugh> where we’re stopping for 100 now. Thank you. Uh, we’ll highlight,

Scott Luton (55:43):

Hey, this pace is right around the corner. Cause uh, as you put it, uh, the audience and of course great partners, like at and t as, uh, uh, one of the big sponsors, especially for y’all’s, uh, reporting there from the Rs a conference. So good stuff there. Um, okay. Kevin? Yes. So in last minute here, let’s make sure folks know how to connect with you. How they, they can be part of, of all the cool stuff you’ve got going on. How can folks reach out and connect with you, Kevin?

Kevin L. Jackson (56:08):

Well, you doing always find me on digital Transformers. Uh, we, uh, and we, we release a new episode the, uh, last Monday of every month. And, but if you can’t wait till last Monday, the second Monday, revenue might be right here,

Scott Luton (56:25):

Right here,

Kevin L. Jackson (56:27):

<laugh> on the bottom and, uh, on

Scott Luton (56:29):

The supply chain box

Kevin L. Jackson (56:30):

By launch, yes, on supply chain bottles, but also LinkedIn, Kevin L. Jackson on LinkedIn or on Twitter. And, uh, I don’t have the threads handle yet. <laugh>.

Scott Luton (56:41):

It’s coming. It is coming. But hey, uh, Kevin, it’s always a pleasure. Really enjoy our conversations here today. Well,

Kevin L. Jackson (56:48):

Thank you. I enjoyed this as well. This was

Scott Luton (56:51):

Fine. It, it was Greg,

Kevin L. Jackson (56:52):

Greg missed out

Scott Luton (56:54):

<laugh>. He did. But hey, he’ll be back. Uh, stay tuned folks. Next Monday, let’s see, July 17th. Unbelievable. That’s gonna be next Monday. We’re already, we’ll be in mid-July. Uh, but on behalf of our entire team here, thanks for showing up. Cause Kevin’s right, it’s all about y’all out there that tune in, whether in our live programming or our podcast programming or social or you name it. Really appreciate all the perspective dropped here on us via the chat. Uh, Kevin, big thanks to you. Big thanks to Catherine, Amanda, and all the folks behind the scenes. But folks, whatever you do on this Monday, right, every sunrise we talked on the front end about Sunrise is I love a good sunrise, Kevin. Yes. And one of the reasons I do is because it presents new opportunities, right? Every single day you have choices you can make, right? And one of the choices that we encourage you to make here is take something, take this, take a moment of brilliance Kevin had or our audience members had, and take it and put it into action deeds, not words. Right? And on that note, on behalf of our entire team, Scott Luton, challenging you to do good, to give forward and to be the change you’ll see next time right back here at Supply Chain now. Thanks everybody.

Intro/Outro (58:03):

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.