TEKTOK
Episode 778

Resiliency is a critical business attribute that is not just about surviving but actually thriving in a world filled with unexpected disruptions.

-Karin Bursa

Episode Summary

Resilience has become a priority for many CEOs, BODs, and supply chain leaders as they emerge from the global pandemic and address a multitude of supply chain disruptions. Tune into this episode of TEKTOK to explore Six Strategies to Gain Greater Supply Chain Resilience. Supply chain disruptions are not going away and our businesses will always navigate through uncertainty to serve customers, employees, and shareholders. In this classic TEKTOK episode, host Karin Bursa takes you through strategies to boost resilience, agility, and response.

Episode Transcript

Intro (00:01):

Welcome to TEKTOK Digital Supply Chain Podcast, where we will help you eliminate the noise and focus on the information and inspiration that you need to transform your business, impact supply chain success, and enable you to replace risky inventory with valuable insights. Join your TEKTOK host, Karin Bursa, the 2020 Supply Chain Pro to Know of the Year. With more than 25 years of supply chain and technology expertise and the scars to prove it, Karin has the heart of a teacher and has helped nearly 1,000 customers transform their businesses and tell their success stories. Join the conversation, share your insights, and learn how to harness technology innovations to drive tangible business results. Buckle up, it’s time for TEKTOK, powered by Supply Chain Now.

Karin Bursa (01:14):

All right. Well, welcome Supply Chain movers and shakers. Karin Bursa here, and I am so glad that you’re with me today for TEKTOK, the digital supply chain podcast. We’re going to tackle a topic today about thriving through disruption. And, specifically, leveraging six strategies for greater supply chain resilience. That’s six strategies. These strategies, in fact, are so important that I’m going to break this discussion down into two parts just so you stay with me. We’re going to cover the first three here today in part one. And then, we’ll cover strategies four, five, and six in part two. So, keep in mind, six strategies for greater supply chain resilience, six strategies for greater supply chain resilience. And as always, I want you to message me with your thoughts, your insights, and your recommendations. Be sure to subscribe to TEKTOK wherever you get your podcasts or simply go to supplychainnow.com/programs/tektok, that’s T-E-K-T-O-K, and subscribe. You don’t want to miss a single episode.

Karin Bursa (02:29):

All right. So, let’s get started. The first thing I want you to understand is that your supply chain performance wasn’t designed to work this way. That’s right, your supply chain performance, most likely, was not designed for resilience. In fact, the majority – that’s more than 60 percent of global supply chains – have been designed with one thing in mind. That one thing that is at the core of their design is cost efficiency rather than resiliency or agility. Let me say that to you again, the majority – that is more than 60 percent of global supply chains – have been designed primarily for cost efficiency rather than resiliency or agility. So, this transformation is critical.

 

Karin Bursa (03:33):

So, as supply chain leaders, we need to be nimble. We need to look at our available capacity while also providing superior service, increasing efficiencies, and controlling costs. But don’t lose sight of the fact that we can’t stop thinking about mitigating risk. That’s right, risk is always a factor. But it can be tackled. It can be addressed. So, as you have so often heard me say, we need to replace inventory with information. And that’s what we talk about here on TEKTOK, the digital supply chain podcast, how do we replace risky inventory with valuable insights, valuable information that allow us to run our business with greater resiliency.

 

Karin Bursa (04:30):

So, if you’ve been operating in a cost efficient world and haven’t incorporated agility or resiliency, we’re going to dive in to six strategies that are going to help you get there. Again, today, we’re going to talk about the first three of those six strategies that are going to help you gain greater resilience. So, resilience, you know, we hear this term all the time today in media, on podcasts, in discussions, probably in your boardroom as well. So, what exactly is resiliency?

Karin Bursa (05:05):

Well, resilience is the ability of an organization to absorb and adapt in a changing environment that will still enable it to deliver its products in a wide spectrum of market conditions. Resiliency is a critical business attribute that isn’t just about surviving, but actually thriving in a world that is filled with unexpected disruptions. And that is what we’re going to put some strategies in place for. In the wake of the pandemic and so many other disruptions, supply chain leaders have to balance resilience and efficiency to improve the reliability of their global networks. There’s a lot of talk in this area. A strong supply chain today, in 2021, is not immune or sheltered from disruption, but it is one that is resilient in the face of these disruptions. So, remember your resiliency doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be impacted by market disruptions. But what it means is that, you are going to be able to respond and operate effectively despite these disruptions.

 

Karin Bursa (06:31):

Are you with me? Yes. Yes. I know what you’re thinking right now, resilience comes with increased cost. And you know what? It probably does. As you implement some of these strategies, you will see a shift in your operating costs, but those costs will be countered by the ability to mitigate risk, and to respond, and operate effectively in the face of disruption. And I will tell you that many would argue that the cost of doing nothing may be even more significant. It could even destroy the good work that you and your business have done over the last 20 years to improve supply chain performance. And I’ll tell you that resilience has become a priority for many CEOs, many board of directors, and, yes, each of you as supply chain leaders as you emerge from the global pandemic and you address a multitude of disruptions.

Karin Bursa (07:40):

The supply chains shocks, they occur frequently. And we know that these disruptions are not going away. In fact, given that we are so global in today’s operating world, so global in our suppliers, in our customers, in our ability to produce and distribute that we are likely seeing more disruptions today than we have ever felt in the history of business. So, think about it for just a minute some of these disruptions. There are things like hurricane, tsunamis, volcano eruptions. You can’t do anything about those, but you need to operate your business around them. Then, you have things that are related to business or political spectrum, things like union strikes, port closures, political aspects, and changing tax policies like Brexit, trade disputes, tariff wars, container shortages, wars, financial and economic instability, currency changes. These disruptions are not going away. There is always going to be uncertainty.

Karin Bursa (08:51):

The questions that we need to be asking ourselves is, how accurate our plans are and how quickly can we recalculate and recalibrate to address these needs? If you want to dive in to a couple of these disruptions and think about some tactics that you can use today, check out TEKTOK Episode 599, How To Optimize Contingency Planning and Capacity? It’s a great discussion I had with Jim French and Steve Barber from Transplace. Again, that’s Episode 599, Optimizing Contingency Planning and Capacity In Light of Disruptions. So, check that out.

 

Karin Bursa (09:37):

Okay. Are you ready? Are you ready to talk about the six strategies for greater resiliency? So, you’re all nodding your head right now going, “Yes. Yes. Yes, I understand the world is more global. Yes, we’re more volatile. Yes, those disruptions are coming in a number of forms and fashions. Karin, what do I do about it?” Well, let’s get to it.

Karin Bursa (09:56):

Let’s talk about the first strategy that you can leverage to gain greater resilience for your supply chain. Ready? That first one is, sense and respond to changing market conditions. We know the market conditions are going to change. How do we sense and respond to those changes? It’s not enough to indicate that a disruption has occurred. We’ve got to have a strategy in place. The ability to replan, recalibrate in light of those changes that is going to make our business more resilient. Yes, we live in a perpetually volatile world. Yes, it’s getting more volatile all the time. And long gone are the days when we had predictable demand patterns when I could rely only on my history, my past performance, my seasonal factors to drive an accurate forecast. You can’t do that anymore. Yes, that’s important. It is a part of the process. But I also need to harness new data sources, new market indicators, and be able to ingest those indicators to replan, and to firm up my forecast, and to look at things like inventory deployment, the ability to produce in short order and distribute quickly.

Karin Bursa (11:24):

So, your number one tool, your number one strategy for greater resilience is the ability to sense market changes and respond. I’m going to say that one more time, sense and respond. So, it’s not enough to have visibility. Visibility alone is not going to get you the results you need. It’s what will you do with that visibility. How will you use it to change your supply chain plans and to drive better performance as you satisfy customer needs. Your visibility cannot stop at your proverbial four walls. It’s not just about what’s happening inside your business. This is an outside in view, right? It’s what the market needs. What products does the market want to buy? What problems do they have? How can our business help satisfy those? And, by the way, that is in an unconstrained world. What will the market need? What will it buy? Where? What are those points of demand? And then, I start balancing that against my ability to respond.

 

Karin Bursa (12:39):

And we must get out beyond our four walls in order to really harness new market indicators. Start thinking about your trading partners. Who are your trading partners? Your trading partners are your customers, your suppliers, your co-packers, your co-manufacturers, your 3PL or distribution partners. These are your trading partners that play an important part in bringing products to market. For customers, I’m satisfying customer demand. With suppliers, co-packers, manufacturing, these are my partners that are helping me deliver those products to market. So, yes, I need to sense changes in market conditions and respond. And part of that response may be outside of my proverbial four walls. So, I need the ability to work with that trading partner network to become more resilient and more efficient.

 

Karin Bursa (13:38):

So, let’s talk about some of the shortages that are popping up around the world. Some of them are expected, yes. But some of them are quite surprising. I mean, we’re looking at things like microchips, it’s impacting everything from automobiles to children’s toys. Chicken – yes, I said chicken. So, everything from your ability to have hot chicken wings to putting food on the table at home. Lumber, gas, steel, metals, plastic, chlorine, and even catsup packages. That’s right. I know that sounds silly, but there is real shortages in the area of catsup packets because we’re doing more takeout. We’re not serving bottles of ketchup and condiments on the tables at restaurants anymore. We’re doing single serving sizes. A change in inventory form and function.

 

Karin Bursa (14:29):

Hey, check out TEKTOK Episode 639, that’s 639, The Bounce Back Begins. It was a really interesting conversation Scott Luton and I had with Enrique Alvarez, who many of you know is the host of Logistics with Purpose and the host of Supply Chain Now on Espanol, and Kelly Barner, host of Dial P for Procurement. We tackled these topics under the umbrella of The Bounce Back Begins, so take a listen there. Again, Episode 639. All right.

 

Karin Bursa (15:12):

So, there you have it, strategy number one for gaining greater resilience. What was it one more time? Stay with me. That’s right. Increase your ability to sense and respond to market changes by harnessing new demand and market signals for an unconstrained demand view to then be satisfied, a.k.a. constrained, by your business’s ability to respond to that demand.

 

Karin Bursa (15:43):

Okay. So, strategy number two – I wish I had a drum roll here. Strategy number two for greater resilience is, inventory and capacity network-wide .That’s right, inventory and capacity network-wide. So, if I sense changes in demand, how do I then respond to those changes? Will I do it with inventory or I do it with capacity? And capacity is the ability to produce, store, or move those goods to market. You’re probably thinking, “Geez, Karin. That’s easy for you to say, but it’s really hard to do.” Well, let’s talk about the basics for just a minute.

 

Karin Bursa (16:26):

Greater resilience, inventory and capacity network-wide. If we think about it in the most basic terms, buffer is something that you have when it comes to capacity. That’s production capacity, storage, capacity, distribution capacity, and, oh, by the way, inventory capacity. So, buffer inventory. What’s another word for buffer inventory? That’s right. That’s right. Safety stock. Yes. So, the challenge is that, these buffers can be expensive if they’re not optimized, if they’re not tied to specific business scenarios. In the past, we may have had a really hard time justifying some of these buffers to the C-suite. At the time, that C-suite was really focused in operating in what? Just a cost efficient measure. Today, I guarantee you, that philosophy has changed significantly. And that C-suite now needs to know how to operate with greater resiliency.

Karin Bursa (17:37):

So, leading companies have used buffers in the form of surge capacity. Surge capacity, an opportunity to ramp up production or distribution for new or growth areas in my business. Well, you know what? You can use that network of contract manufacturers and co-packers strategically, not just tactically. It can certainly be part of your surge capabilities, but it can also be part of your day-to-day operating network.

Karin Bursa (18:13):

So, check out TEKTOK Episode 546, where I discuss Three Things That C-Level Executives Need To Know About Sales and Operations Planning and Inventory Optimization. Again, that’s episode 546, where I discuss Three Things C-Level Executives Need To Know About Sales and Operations Planning and Inventory Optimization. It is possible to significantly increase your resiliency while reducing inventory and boosting service. It is. It is. You can do it. Okay.

 

Karin Bursa (18:55):

So, strategy number three, strategy number three for greater resilience is, establishing a multi-sourcing network that is diversified. Multi-sourcing network that is diversified. You can see how these things are coming together, right? Sense and respond. Look at my capacity in areas of production, distribution, and storage. And, now, look at my trading partner network in a way that has eyes towards multi-sourcing and diversification. Okay. So, you hear this in a number of different ways about gaining agility with regional strategies, co-locating production. Instead of offshoring, you may be hearing more and more about nearshoring. So, let’s talk about this for just a minute.

 

Karin Bursa (19:54):

So, in response to the U.S. and China trade wars – so this has been going on for well over two years – many companies had already started to diversify their sourcing and manufacturing basis. So, moving out of China and moving in to other geographies. So, moving out of China, moving into India or Mexico, for example. Well, disruptions to supply chain operations have certainly intensified in the past few years. First, around some of these trade and tariff discussions. Also, around some of the risks that we discussed with natural disasters, tsunamis that have occurred, geopolitical impact. Oh, and by the way, the little thing of having a ship that happen to be disrupting movement across the Suez Canal.

 

Karin Bursa (20:48):

But let’s step back for just a minute and see if we learned from some of these past challenges. If we think back to 2011, there was a major natural disaster that occurred in Japan and Thailand, or that impacted Japan and Thailand, and this disrupted supply chains around the world. So, a natural disaster impacting predominantly Japan and Thailand disrupted supply chains on a global basis. For a period of time, the automotive industry with nearly finished cars could not be shipped because they were missing an often relatively inexpensive component. Now, here we are in 2021, and we are seeing the same thing as a result of the chip shortage in a post-pandemic marketplace, sense and respond. Let’s be sure that we are leveraging a diversified supply chain so that we can move product to market even when disruptions occur.

Karin Bursa (21:59):

So, multi-sourcing is a really powerful strategy that is going to allow you to harness more resiliency and mitigate risks. To craft a multi-sourcing strategy, supply chain leaders have to know their suppliers. You’ve got to work with them. You’ve got to gain visibility. You’ve got to synchronize operations. And that is done through digital supply chain initiatives. Replace inventory with information. Synchronize and trust your trading partners. Share demand needs with them and have them share the visibility of where they are. And producing and delivering high quality products to your business or to your customers. And do not be single sourced. Be sure that you’ve got the ability to surge or source with multiple trading partners.

 

Karin Bursa (22:59):

I talked a little bit just a moment ago about nearshoring. Nearshoring is about bringing manufacturing back closer, nearer to market demand. This is going to allow you to gain speed and control with production partners that are located, so there’s less time required to ship, or import, or export product to the market that it’s serving. So, that could take the shape of regional or local suppliers. That could take the shape of postponement strategies. You must be thinking about your supply chain beyond your four walls. Today, in 2021, your supply chain is really an ecosystem. It is a partnership between trading partners. You need visibility and collaboration so that you can orchestrate what’s happening for your business to satisfy the customers that you serve quickly, with high quality goods, and a more predictable fashion.

 

Karin Bursa (24:07):

And the good news is that, there are supply chain digital solutions that are going to help you. In fact, check out TEKTOK Episode 629 for my recent interview with Jason Tham, the CEO of Nulogy. That’s right, 629. You’re going to hear how Nulogy is helping innovative consumer goods brands, and co-packers, and co-manufacturers, and 3PLs, third-party logistics providers, helping them as a ecosystem, as a network to increase velocity, quality, and resilience.

Karin Bursa (24:48):

And remember, now more than ever, your CEO, your board of directors, your supply chain executives, except the fact that they need to invest to become more resilient and to gain greater agility. And you know what? To protect your business so that you do more than survive. It allows you to thrive. That’s right, thrive. So, there you have it, the first three of six strategies for greater resilience. The first, sense and respond. Harness new data, new market signals, generate an unconstrained demand plan, and then begin to map that to synchronize that on how it will be satisfied by your ability to respond to source, produce, distribute those goods to market.

 

Karin Bursa (25:38):

Strategy number two, inventory and capacity network-wide. Understand and optimize your inventory needs, the inventory form and function, your safety stock policies, look at that across your global network, and insert greater precision around how you satisfy that market demand. We need to start thinking about this from a continuous planning perspective. Strategy number three, multi-sourcing and network diversification. This is going to allow you to gain greater resilience and agility. It will, trust me. You’ll have the ability to introduce new products faster. You’ll be able to respond to market changes with greater agility. And you will be diversifying your business. You will be reducing risk. And you need to connect with those trading partners to get that visibility, to synchronize those operations.

 

Karin Bursa (26:38):

We’ll talk more about some of those strategies in part two of this discussion. Remember, this discussion, six strategies for greater resilience. We’ve just discussed strategies one, two, and three. And I hope that these insights are going to raise your supply chain IQ. And on the topic of raising your supply chain IQ, be sure to check out the wide variety of content that is available to you on supplychainnow.com. And while you’re there, find TEKTOK, that’s T-E-K-T-O-K, and subscribe. You don’t want to miss a single episode. This is Karin Bursa, host of TEKTOK, the digital supply chain podcast, helping you to eliminate the noise and focus on the information and inspiration you need to transform your business and replace risk inventory with valuable insights. We’re going to see you next time on TEKTOK, powered by Supply Chain Now.

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Demo Perez

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Demo Perez started his career in 1997 in the industry by chance when a relative asked him for help for two just weeks putting together an operation for FedEx Express at the Colon Free Zone, an area where he was never been but accepted the challenge. Worked in all roles possible from a truck driver to currier to a sales representative, helped the brand introduction, market share growth and recognition in the Colon Free Zone, at the end of 1999 had the chance to meet and have a chat with Fred Smith ( FedEx CEO), joined another company in 2018 who took over the FedEx operations as Operations and sales manager, in 2004 accepted the challenge from his company to leave the FedEx operations and business to take over the operation and business of DHL Express, his major competitor and rival so couldn’t say no, by changing completely its operation model in the Free Zone. In 2005 started his first entrepreneurial journey by quitting his job and joining two friends to start a Freight Forwarding company. After 8 months was recruited back by his company LSP with the General Manager role with the challenge of growing the company and make it fully capable warehousing 3PL. By 2009 joined CSCMP and WERC and started his journey of learning and growing his international network and high-level learning. In 2012 for the first time joined a local association ( the Panama Maritime Chamber) and worked in the country’s first Logistics Strategy plan, joined and lead other associations ending as president of the Panama Logistics Council in 2017. By finishing his professional mission at LSP with a company that was 8 times the size it was when accepted the role as GM with so many jobs generated and several young professionals coached, having great financial results, took the decision to move forward and start his own business from scratch by the end of 2019. with a friend and colleague co-founded IPL Group a company that started as a boutique 3PL and now is gearing up for the post-Covid era by moving to the big leagues.

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Mary Kate Love

VP, Marketing

Mary Kate Love is currently the VP of marketing at Supply Chain Now focused on brand strategy and audience + revenue growth. Mary Kate’s career is a testament to her versatility and innovative spirit: she has experience in start-ups, venture capital, and building innovation initiatives from the ground up: she previously helped lead the build-out of the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific and before that, MxD (Manufacturing times Digital): the Department of Defense’s digital manufacturing innovation center. Mary Kate has a passion for taking complicated ideas and turning them into reality: she was one of the first team members at MxD and the first team member at the Supply Chain Innovation Center at Georgia-Pacific.

Mary Kate dedicates her extra time to education and mentorship: she was one of the founding Board Members for Women Influence Chicago and led an initiative for a city-wide job shadow day for young women across Chicago tech companies and was previously on the Board of Directors at St. Laurence High School in Chicago, Young Irish Fellowship Board and the UN Committee for Women. Mary Kate is the founder of National Supply Chain Day and enjoys co-hosting podcasts at Supply Chain Now. Mary Kate is from the south side of Chicago, a mom of two baby boys, and an avid 16-inch softball player. She holds a BS in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

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Joshua Miranda

Marketing Specialist

Joshua is a student from Institute of Technology and Higher Education of Monterrey Campus Guadalajara in Communication and Digital Media. His experience ranges from Plug and Play México, DearDoc, and Nissan México creating unique social media marketing campaigns and graphics design. Joshua helps to amplify the voice of supply chain here at Supply Chain Now by assisting in graphic design, content creation, asset logistics, and more.  In his free time he likes to read and write short stories as well as watch movies and television series.

Donna Krache

Director of Communications and Executive Producer

Donna Krache is a former CNN executive producer who has won several awards in journalism and communication, including three Peabodys.  She has 30 years’ experience in broadcast and digital journalism. She led the first production team at CNN to convert its show to a digital platform. She has authored many articles for CNN and other media outlets. She taught digital journalism at Georgia State University and Arizona State University. Krache holds a bachelor’s degree in government from the College of William and Mary and a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction from the University of New Orleans. She is a serious sports fan who loves the Braves. She is president of the Dave Krache Foundation. Named in honor of her late husband, this non-profit pays fees for kids who want to play sports but whose parents are facing economic challenges.

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Vicki White

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Vicki has a long history of rising to challenges and keeping things up and running. First, she supported her family’s multi-million dollar business as controller for 12 years, beginning at the age of 17. Then, she worked as an office manager and controller for a wholesale food broker. But her biggest feat? Serving as the chief executive officer of her household, while her entrepreneur husband travelled the world extensively. She fed, nurtured, chaperoned, and chauffeured three daughters all while running a newsletter publishing business and remaining active in her community as a Stephen’s Minister, Sunday school teacher, school volunteer, licensed realtor and POA Board president (a title she holds to this day). A force to be reckoned with in the office, you might think twice before you meet Vicki on the tennis court! When she’s not keeping the books balanced at Supply Chain Now or playing tennis matches, you can find Vicki spending time with her husband Greg, her 4 fur babies, gardening, cleaning (yes, she loves to clean!) and learning new things.

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Ben Harris

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Ben Harris is the Director of Supply Chain Ecosystem Expansion for the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Ben comes to the Metro Atlanta Chamber after serving as Senior Manager, Market Development for Manhattan Associates. There, Ben was responsible for developing Manhattan’s sales pipeline and overall Americas supply chain marketing strategy. Ben oversaw market positioning, messaging and campaign execution to build awareness and drive new pipeline growth. Prior to joining Manhattan, Ben spent four years with the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Center of Innovation for Logistics where he played a key role in establishing the Center as a go-to industry resource for information, support, partnership building, and investment development. Additionally, he became a key SME for all logistics and supply chain-focused projects. Ben began his career at Page International, Inc. where he drove continuous improvement in complex global supply chain operations for a wide variety of businesses and Fortune 500 companies. An APICS Certified Supply Chain Professional (CSCP), Ben holds an Executive Master’s degree in Business Administration (EMBA) and bachelor’s degree in International Business (BBA) from the Terry College at the University of Georgia.

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Page Siplon

Host, The Freight Insider

Prior to joining TeamOne Logistics, Page Siplon served as the Executive Director of the Georgia Center of Innovation for Logistics, the State’s leading consulting resource for fueling logistics industry growth and global competitiveness. For over a decade, he directly assisted hundreds of companies to overcome challenges and capitalize on opportunities related to the movement of freight. During this time, Siplon was also appointed to concurrently serve the State of Georgia as Director of the larger Centers of Innovation Program, in which he provided executive leadership and vision for all six strategic industry-focused Centers. As a frequently requested keynote speaker, Siplon is called upon to address a range of audiences on unique aspects of technology, workforce, and logistics. This often includes topics of global and domestic logistics trends, supply chain visibility, collaboration, and strategic planning. He has also been quoted as an industry expert in publications such as Forbes, Journal of Commerce, Fortune, NPR, Wall Street Journal, Reuters, American Express, DC Velocity, Area Development Magazine, Site Selection Magazine, Inbound Logistics, Modern Material Handling, and is frequently a live special guest on SiriusXM’s Road Dog Radio Show. Siplon is an active industry participant, recognized by DC Velocity Magazine as a “2012 Logistics Rainmaker” which annually identifies the top-ten logistics professionals in the Nation; and named a “Pro to Know” by Supply & Demand Executive Magazine in 2014. Siplon was also selected by Georgia Trend Magazine as one of the “Top 100 Most Influential Georgians” for 2013, 2014, and 2015. He also serves various industry leadership roles at both the State and Federal level. Governor Nathan Deal nominated Siplon to represent Georgia on a National Supply Chain Competitiveness Advisory Committee, where he was appointed to a two-year term by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce and was then appointed to serve as its vice-chairman. At the State level, he was selected by then-Governor Sonny Perdue to serve as lead consultant on the Commission for New Georgia’s Freight and Logistics Task Force. In this effort, Siplon led a Private Sector Advisory Committee with invited executives from a range of private sector stakeholders including UPS, Coca-Cola, The Home Depot, Delta Airlines, Georgia Pacific, CSX, and Norfolk Southern. Siplon honorably served a combined 12 years in the United States Marine Corps and the United States Air Force. During this time, he led the integration of encryption techniques and deployed cryptographic devices for tactically secure voice and data platforms in critical ground-to-air communication systems. This service included support for all branches of the Department of Defense, multiple federal security agencies, and aiding NASA with multiple Space Shuttle launches. Originally from New York, Siplon received both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in electrical and computer engineering with a focus on digital signal processing from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He earned an associate’s degree in advanced electronic systems from the Air Force College and completed multiple military leadership academies in both the Marines and Air Force. Siplon currently lives in Cumming, Georgia (north of Atlanta), with his wife Jan, and two children Thomas (19) and Lily (15).

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Kristi Porter

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kristi Porter is VP of Sales and Marketing at Vector Global Logistics, a company that is changing the world through supply chain. In her role, she oversees all marketing efforts and supports the sales team in doing what they do best. In addition to this role, she is the Chief Do-Gooder at Signify, which assists nonprofits and social impact companies through copywriting and marketing strategy consulting. She has almost 20 years of professional experience, and loves every opportunity to help people do more good.

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Sofia Rivas Herrera

Host, Supply Chain Now en Espanol

Sofia Rivas Herrera is a Mexican Industrial Engineer from Tecnologico de Monterrey class 2019. Upon graduation, she earned a scholarship to study MIT’s Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management and graduated as one of the Top 3 performers of her class in 2020. She also has a multicultural background due to her international academic experiences at Singapore Management University and Kühne Logistics University in Hamburg. Sofia self-identifies as a Supply Chain enthusiast & ambassador sharing her passion for the field in her daily life.

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Katherine Hintz

Sales and Marketing Coordinator

Katherine is a marketing professional and MBA candidate who strives to unite her love of people with a passion for positive experiences. Having a diverse background, which includes nonprofit work with digital marketing and start-ups, she serves as a leader who helps people live their most creative lives by cultivating community, order, collaboration, and respect. With equal parts creativity and analytics, she brings a unique skill set which fosters refining, problem solving, and connecting organizations with their true vision. In her free time, you can usually find her looking for her cup of coffee, playing with her puppy Charlie, and dreaming of her next road trip.

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Kim Winter

Host, Supply Chain Now

The founder of Logistics Executive Group, Kim Winter delivers 40 years of executive leadership experience spanning Executive Search & Recruitment, Leadership Development, Executive Coaching, Corporate Advisory, Motivational Speaking, Trade Facilitation and across the Supply Chain, Logistics, 3PL, E-commerce, Life Science, Cold Chain, FMCG, Retail, Maritime, Defence, Aviation, Resources, and Industrial sectors. Operating from the company’s global offices, he is a regular contributor of thought leadership to industry and media, is a professional Master of Ceremonies, and is frequently invited to chair international events.

He is a Board member of over a dozen companies throughout APAC, India, and the Middle East, a New Zealand citizen, he holds formal resident status in Australia and the UAE, and is the Australia & New Zealand representative for the UAE Government-owned Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZA), the Middle East’s largest Economic Free Zone.

A triathlete and ex-professional rugby player, Kim is a qualified (IECL Sydney) executive coach and the Founder / Chairman of the successful not for profit humanitarian organization, Oasis Africa (www. oasisafrica.org.au), which has provided freedom from poverty through education to over 8000 mainly orphaned children in East Africa’s slums. Kim holds an MBA and BA from Massey & Victoria Universities (NZ).

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Adrian Purtill

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Adrian Purtill serves as Business Development Manager at Vector Global Logistics, where he consults with importers and exporters in various industries to match their specific shipping requirements with the most effective supply chain solutions. Vector Global Logistics is an asset-free, multi-modal logistics company that provides exceptional sea freight, air freight, truck, rail, general logistic services and consulting for our clients. Our highly trained and professional team is committed to providing creative and effective solutions, always exceeding our customer’s expectations and fostering long-term relationships. With more than 20+ years of experience in both strategy consulting and logistics, Vector Global Logistics is your best choice to proactively minimize costs while having an exceptional service level.

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Kevin Brown

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Kevin Brown is the Director of Business Development for Vector Global Logistics.  He has a dedicated interest in Major Account Management, Enterprise Sales, and Corporate Leadership. He offers 25 years of exceptional experience and superior performance in the sales of Logistics, Supply Chain, and Transportation Management. Kevin is a dynamic, high-impact, sales executive and corporate leader who has consistently exceeded corporate goals. He effectively coordinates multiple resources to solution sell large complex opportunities while focusing on corporate level contacts across the enterprise. His specialties include targeting and securing key accounts by analyzing customer’s current business processes and developing solutions to meet their corporate goals. Connect with Kevin on LinkedIn.

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Jose Miguel Irarrazaval

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Jose Manuel Irarrazaval es parte del equipo de Vector Global Logistics Chile. José Manuel es un gerente experimentado con experiencia en finanzas corporativas, fusiones y adquisiciones, financiamiento y reestructuración, inversión directa y financiera, tanto en Chile como en el exterior. José Manuel tiene su MBA de la Universidad de Pennsylvania- The Wharton School. Conéctese con Jose Manuel en LinkedIn.

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Nick Roemer

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Nick Roemer has had a very diverse and extensive career within design and sales over the last 15 years stretching from China, Dubai, Germany, Holland, UK, and the USA. In the last 5 years, Nick has developed a hawk's eye for sustainable tech and the human-centric marketing and sales procedures that come with it. With his far-reaching and strong network within the logistics industry, Nick has been able to open new avenues and routes to market within major industries in the USA and the UAE. Nick lives by the ethos, “Give more than you take." His professional mission is to make the logistics industry leaner, cleaner and greener.

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Allison Giddens

Host, Logistics with Purpose

Allison Krache Giddens has been with Win-Tech, a veteran-owned small business and aerospace precision machine shop, for 15 years, recently buying the company from her mentor and Win-Tech’s Founder, Dennis Winslow. She and her business partner, John Hudson now serve as Co-Presidents, leading the 33-year old company through the pandemic.

She holds undergraduate degrees in psychology and criminal justice from the University of Georgia, a Masters in Conflict Management from Kennesaw State University, a Masters in Manufacturing from Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Certificate of Finance from the University of Georgia. She also holds certificates in Google Analytics, event planning, and Cybersecurity Risk Management from Harvard online. Allison founded the Georgia Chapter of Women in Manufacturing and currently serves as Treasurer. She serves on the Chattahoochee Technical College Foundation Board as its Secretary, the liveSAFE Resources Board of Directors as Resource Development Co-Chair, and on the Leadership Cobb Alumni Association Board as Membership Chair and is also a member of Cobb Executive Women. She is on the Board for the Cobb Chamber of Commerce’s Northwest Area Councils. Allison runs The Dave Krache Foundation, a non-profit that helps pay sports fees for local kids in need.

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Billy Taylor

Host of Dial P for Procurement

Billy Taylor is a Proven Business Excellence Practitioner and Leadership Guru with over 25 years leading operations for a Fortune 500 company, Goodyear. He is also the CEO of LinkedXL (Excellence), a Business Operating Systems Architecting Firm dedicated to implementing sustainable operating systems that drive sustainable results. Taylor’s achievements in the industry have made him a Next Generational Lean pacesetter with significant contributions.

An American business executive, Taylor has made a name for himself as an innovative and energetic industry professional with an indispensable passion for his craft of operational excellence. His journey started many years ago and has worked with renowned corporations such as The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. (GT) leading multi-site operations. With over 3 decades of service leading North America operations, he is experienced in a deeply rooted process driven approach in customer service, process integrity for sustainability.

A disciple of continuous improvement, Taylor’s love for people inspires commitment to helping others achieve their full potential. He is a dynamic speaker and hosts "The Winning Link," a popular podcast centered on business and leadership excellence with the #1 rated Supply Chain Now Network. As a leadership guru, Taylor has earned several invitations to universities, international conferences, global publications, and the U.S. Army to demonstrate how to achieve and sustain effective results through cultural acceptance and employee ownership. Leveraging the wisdom of his business acumen, strong influence as a speaker and podcaster Taylor is set to release "The Winning Link" book under McGraw Hill publishing in 2022. The book is a how-to manual to help readers understand the management of business interactions while teaching them how to Deine, Align, and Execute Winning in Business.

A servant leader, Taylor, was named by The National Diversity Council as one of the Top 100 Diversity Officers in the country in 2021. He features among Oklahoma's Most Admired CEOs and maintains key leadership roles with the Executive Advisory Board for The Shingo Institute "The Nobel Prize of Operations" and The Association of Manufacturing Excellence (AME); two world-leading organizations for operational excellence, business development, and cultural learning.  He is also an Independent Director for the M-D Building Products Board, a proud American manufacturer of quality products since 1920.

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Lori Sofian

Marketing Coordinator

Lori is currently completing a degree in marketing with an emphasis in digital marketing at the University of Georgia. When she’s not supporting the marketing efforts at Supply Chain Now, you can find her at music festivals – or working toward her dream goal of a fashion career. Lori is involved in many extracurricular activities and appreciates all the learning experiences UGA has brought her.

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Chantel King

Social Media Manager

My name is Chantel King and I am the Social Media Specialist at Supply Chain Now. My job is to make sure our audience is engaged and educated on the abundant amount of information the supply chain industry has to offer.

Social Media and Communications has been my niche ever since I graduated from college at The Academy of Art University in San Francisco. No, I am not a West Coast girl. I was born and raised in New Jersey, but my travel experience goes way beyond the garden state. My true passion is in creating editorial and graphic content that influences others to be great in whatever industry they are in. I’ve done this by working with lifestyle, financial, and editorial companies by providing resources to enhance their businesses.

Another passion of mine is trying new things. Whether it’s food, an activity, or a sport. I would like to say that I am an adventurous Taurus that never shies away from a new quest or challenge.

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Trisha Cordes

Administrative Assistant

Trisha is new to the supply chain industry – but not to podcasting. She’s an experienced podcast manager and virtual assistant who also happens to have 20 years of experience as an elementary school teacher. It’s safe to say, she’s passionate about helping people, and she lives out that passion every day with the Supply Chain Now team, contributing to scheduling and podcast production.

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Clay Phillips

Business Development Manager

Clay is passionate about two things: supply chain and the marketing that goes into it. Recently graduated with a degree in marketing at the University of Georgia, Clay got his start as a journalism major and inaugural member of the Owl’s football team at Kennesaw State University – but quickly saw tremendous opportunity in the Terry College of Business. He’s already putting his education to great use at Supply Chain Now, assisting with everything from sales and brand strategy to media production. Clay has contributed to initiatives such as our leap into video production, the guest blog series, and boosting social media presence, and after nearly two years in Supply Chain Now’s Marketing Department, Clay now heads up partnership and sales initiatives with the help of the rest of the Supply Chain Now sales team.

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Amanda Luton

Vice President, Production

Amanda is a production and marketing veteran and entrepreneur with over 20 years of experience across a variety of industries and organizations including Von Maur, Anthropologie, AmericasMart Atlanta, and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Amanda currently manages, produces, and develops modern digital content for Supply Chain Now and their clients. Amanda has previously served as the VP of Information Systems and Webmaster on the Board of Directors for APICS Savannah, and founded and managed her own successful digital marketing firm, Magnolia Marketing Group. When she’s not leading the Supply Chain Now production team, you can find Amanda in the kitchen, reading, listening to podcasts, or enjoying time with family.

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Constantine Limberakis

Host

Constantine Limberakis is a thought leader in the area of procurement and supply management. He has over 20 years of international experience, playing strategic roles in a wide spectrum of organizations related to analyst advisory, consulting, product marketing, product development, and market research.Throughout his career, he's been passionate about engaging global business leaders and the broader analyst and technology community with strategic content, speaking engagements, podcasts, research, webinars, and industry articles.Constantine holds a BA in History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MBA in Finance & Marketing / Masters in Public & International Affairs from the University of Pittsburgh.

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Mary Kate Soliva

Host, Veteran Voices

Mary Kate Soliva is a veteran of the US Army and cofounder of the Guam Human Rights Initiative. She is currently in the Doctor of Criminal Justice program at Saint Leo University. She is passionate about combating human trafficking and has spent the last decade conducting training for military personnel and the local community.

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Kelly Barner

Host of Dial P for Procurement

Kelly is the Owner and Managing Director of Buyers Meeting Point and MyPurchasingCenter. She has been in procurement since 2003, starting as a practitioner and then as the Associate Director of Consulting at Emptoris. She has covered procurement news, events, publications, solutions, trends, and relevant economics at Buyers Meeting Point since 2009. Kelly is also the General Manager at Art of Procurement and Business Survey Chair for the ISM-New York Report on Business. Kelly has her MBA from Babson College as well as an MS in Library and Information Science from Simmons College and she has co-authored three books: ‘Supply Market Intelligence for Procurement Professionals’, ‘Procurement at a Crossroads’, and ‘Finance Unleashed’.

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Enrique Alvarez

Host of Logistics with Purpose and Supply Chain Now en Español

Enrique serves as Managing Director at Vector Global Logistics and believes we all have a personal responsibility to change the world. He is hard working, relationship minded and pro-active. Enrique trusts that the key to logistics is having a good and responsible team that truly partners with the clients and does whatever is necessary to see them succeed. He is a proud sponsor of Vector’s unique results-based work environment and before venturing into logistics he worked for the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). During his time at BCG, he worked in different industries such as Telecommunications, Energy, Industrial Goods, Building Materials, and Private Banking. His main focus was always on the operations, sales, and supply chain processes, with case focus on, logistics, growth strategy, and cost reduction. Prior to joining BCG, Enrique worked for Grupo Vitro, a Mexican glass manufacturer, for five years holding different positions from sales and logistics manager to supply chain project leader in charge of five warehouses in Colombia.

He has an MBA from The Wharton School of Business and a BS, in Mechanical Engineer from the Technologico de Monterrey in Mexico. Enrique’s passions are soccer and the ocean, and he also enjoys traveling, getting to know new people, and spending time with his wife and two kids, Emma and Enrique.

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Kevin L. Jackson

Host of Digital Transformers

Kevin L. Jackson is a globally recognized Thought Leader, Industry Influencer and Founder/Author of the award winning “Cloud Musings” blog.  He has also been recognized as a “Top 5G Influencer” (Onalytica 2019, Radar 2020), a “Top 50 Global Digital Transformation Thought Leader” (Thinkers 360 2019) and provides strategic consulting and integrated social media services to AT&T, Intel, Broadcom, Ericsson and other leading companies. Mr. Jackson’s commercial experience includes Vice President J.P. Morgan Chase, Worldwide Sales Executive for IBM and SAIC (Engility) Director Cloud Solutions. He has served on teams that have supported digital transformation projects for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the US Intelligence Community.  Kevin’s formal education includes a MS Computer Engineering from Naval Postgraduate School; MA National Security & Strategic Studies from Naval War College; and a BS Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy. Internationally recognizable firms that have sponsored articles authored by him include CiscoMicrosoft, Citrix and IBM.  Books include “Click to Transform” (Leaders Press, 2020), “Architecting Cloud Computing Solutions” (Packt, 2018), and “Practical Cloud Security: A Cross Industry View” (Taylor & Francis, 2016). He also delivers online training through Tulane UniversityO’Reilly MediaLinkedIn Learning, and Pluralsight.  Mr. Jackson retired from the U.S. Navy in 1994, earning specialties in Space Systems EngineeringCarrier Onboard Delivery Logistics and carrier-based Airborne Early Warning and Control. While active, he also served with the National Reconnaissance Office, Operational Support Office, providing tactical support to Navy and Marine Corps forces worldwide.

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Tyler Ward

Director of Sales

Tyler Ward serves as Supply Chain Now's Director of Sales. Born and raised in Mid-Atlantic, Tyler is a proud graduate of Shippensburg University where he earned his degree in Communications. After college, he made his way to the beautiful state of Oregon, where he now lives with his wife and daughter.

With over a decade of experience in sales, Tyler has a proven track record of exceeding targets and leading high-performing teams. He credits his success to his ability to communicate effectively with customers and team members alike, as well as his strategic thinking and problem-solving skills.

When he's not closing deals, you can find Tyler on the links or cheering on his favorite football and basketball teams. He also enjoys spending time with his family, playing pick-up basketball, and traveling back to Ocean City, Maryland, his favorite place!

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Chris Barnes

Principal, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain is Boring

Talk about world-class: Chris is one of the few professionals in the world to hold CPIM-F, CLTD-F and CSCP-F designations from ASCM/APICS. He’s also the APICS coach – and our resident Supply Chain Doctor. When he’s not hosting programs with Supply Chain Now, he’s sharing supply chain knowledge on the APICS Coach Youtube channel or serving as a professional education instructor for the Georgia Tech Supply Chain & Logistic Institute’s Supply Chain Management (SCM) program and University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Center for Professional Education courses.

Chris earned a BS in Industrial Engineering from Bradley University, an MBA with emphasis in Industrial Psychology from the University of West Florida, and is a Doctoral in Supply Chain Management candidate.

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Greg White

Principal & CMO, Supply Chain Now
Host of Supply Chain Now and TECHquila Sunrise

When rapid-growth technology companies, venture capital and private equity firms are looking for advisory, they call Greg – a founder, board director, advisor and catalyst of disruptive B2B technology and supply chain. An insightful visionary, Greg guides founders, investors and leadership teams in creating breakthroughs to gain market exposure and momentum – increasing overall company esteem and valuation.

Greg is a founder himself, creating Blue Ridge Solutions, a Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader in cloud-native supply chain applications, and bringing to market Curo, a field service management solution. He has also held leadership roles with Servigistics (PTC) and E3 Corporation (JDA/Blue Yonder). As a principal and host at Supply Chain Now, Greg helps guide the company’s strategic direction, hosts industry leader discussions, community livestreams, and all in addition to executive producing and hosting his original YouTube channel and podcast, TEChquila Sunrise.

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Scott W. Luton

Founder, CEO, & Host

As the founder and CEO of Supply Chain Now, you might say Scott is the voice of supply chain – but he’s too much of a team player to ever claim such a title. One thing’s for sure: he’s a tried and true supply chain expert. With over 15 years of experience in the end-to-end supply chain, Scott’s insights have appeared in major publications including The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and CNN. He has also been named a top industry influencer by Thinkers360, ISCEA and more.

From 2009-2011, Scott was president of APICS Atlanta, and he continues to lead initiatives that support both the local business community and global industry. A United States Air Force Veteran, Scott has also regularly led efforts to give back to his fellow veteran community since his departure from active duty in 2002.

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