Art of Supply: Recent Episodes
Kelly Barner, Art of Procurement
Art of Supply, hosted by Kelly Barner, draws inspiration from news headlines and expert interviews to bring you insightful coverage of today’s complex supply chains.
“Digital empathy is the ability to humanize customer behaviors, preferences, and aspirations through the connection between human-centered data, insights, and the meaningful customer engagement powered by those insights.” - Brian Solis, Forbes Contributor
Despite the fact that AI and automation seem to dominate business discussions, we haven’t stopped talking about relationships and soft skills. As the work environment and working conditions become increasingly digital, what sort of role does that carve out for empathy?
While sympathy politely expresses appropriate concern, empathy feels with you. It is a shared experience, allowing emotions to become ‘contagious’ in a way. That may be a natural response in our personal lives, but what does empathy look like in the context of digital innovation and disruption?
In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner considers empathy in the digital world:
- Why digital empathy may be the missing ingredient in a leading customer experience
- Embedding empathetic practices and success factors into digital transformation journeys
- How empathy and human connections - when leveraged right - can serve as a source of unbeatable competitive advantage.
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“Folks from Dell to HP to Nike to Hasbro to Sony to Apple to Google to Goldman, they're all looking back at India and saying, let's go double down, triple down and build a presence here.” - Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index
Most companies are obsessed with moving their supply chains out of and away from China - whether it is for regulatory, risk, or human rights-related reasons. That obsession is so strong, that in some cases, they are willing to embrace an “ABC strategy” as you will hear from this week’s guest: anywhere but China.
Samir Kapadia is a managing principal at Vogel Group, a lobbying and trade organization based in Washington, D.C. In 2019 and in 2020, he was ranked the number one tariff exemption lobbyist in Washington D.C.. Samir is also the founder and CEO of a B2B marketplace called India Index, which helps U.S. companies source from India, so he is uniquely qualified and also entirely willing to be honest about the opportunities and challenges of looking to India as an alternative to China.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner takes the opportunity to ask Samir for his professional opinion on:
- Why China looms so large over global supply chains
- The mindset and culture that play into corporate decisions about where to source internationally, and when to make a change
- Reasons India deserves serious consideration as an alternative to China as well as what companies should be aware of before they make new plans
Links:
- Samir Kapadia on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“The way we were running distribution, the processes we were using, it wasn’t a matter of, ‘Well, just incrementally improve what you’ve got.’ “We needed to rethink, take a step back and say, ‘Are we really set up the way we need to be set up?’” - Marcia Brey, VP of Logistics for GE Appliances (via the WSJ)
GE Appliances recently made news for a series of planned investments in their supply chain. As interesting as their efforts are today, they are the next step in an ongoing series of advancements and adjustments… and advancements and adjustments.
Now owned by Haier, a Shanghai-based company, GE Appliances has been on both sides of the outsourcing - reshoring divide. As they respond to macro conditions and competitive pressures, their supply chain is what connects production with customers, and the top line with the bottom, regardless of continual change.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner addresses three key questions about their operation:
- Is GE Appliances really (successfully) reshoring manufacturing?
- How is the Department of Transportation’s FLOW program helping them manage potential supply chain disruptions?
- What role do metrics play in how they manage high stakes decisions about labor and inventory?
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Procurement and supply chain professionals rely upon competitive market dynamics. After all, competition drives innovation, cost savings, efficiency, and - profit.
Anything that changes the dynamics around the benefits associated with disclosed innovation has the potential to alter how companies invest, how much of that information they make public, and, ultimately, the value and diversity of solutions available to consumers of all kinds.
In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes back Wen Xie. Wen is a Washington D.C-based patent attorney who is tuned into how changing policies and regulations alter the value proposition associated with the patent process, one that exists to benefit the general public in exchange for certain protections.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Wen discuss:
- The basic premise behind the current U.S. patent system
- Pending changes to how the government gets involved in patents they invested to support
- How changes in cost and associated protections may affect how and when companies invest in patents
Links:
- Wen Xie on LinkedIn
- Guarding Private Incentive to Innovate featuring Patent Attorney Wen Xie
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” - Norman Vincent Peale
The Art of Supply podcast regularly covers topics that come with a bit of discomfort: allegations of child labor and greenwashing, the role of government regulations in bringing about change, and China, and absolutely anything to do with China.
It isn’t possible to talk about topics like these without getting feedback, and that feedback often takes the form of criticism.
In this episode, Kelly Barner takes a break from the usual coverage of news stories and expert interviews to talk about criticism, and how its inevitability shapes her content and makes it better.
Listen to this week’s episode of Art of Supply to hear about:
- The Art of Supply content creation process
- The differences between welcome criticism and the criticism we intentionally avoid
- Our philosophy on receiving criticism
- And why covering these complex topics is so important that it is worth the risk
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
There are a lot of preconceived notions about the barriers preventing electrified road freight from becoming mainstream. It is seen as too difficult, expensive, complicated, inefficient, and more.
Most of those perceptions are based on the approaches to electrified trucking that have been tried so far. Perhaps by taking a different approach we can advance the transition away from diesel.
In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner speaks with Ian Rust, the Founder and CEO at Revoy, a company looking to make electric-powered freight transport possible and affordable at scale. Rather than doing a one-for-one trade from diesel-powered to electric, he recommends being more flexible, more innovative, and more creative.
Listen to their conversation to hear:
- Why we need to accept trucking as a foundational part of freight, and introduce changes with care
- The common objections Ian hears to the idea of electric trucking and his response to them
- Where and how regulations can support the transition from diesel to electric, and when private industry should be allowed to do what they do best
Links:
- Ian Rust on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Companies and consumers regularly rely on product descriptions to decide whether or not to make a purchase and to determine the right price for that product.
In the case of seafood, those descriptions and tiers create choices for consumers, but they also provide a built in incentive for fraud at scale. Any time someone is willing to pay a higher margin for a premium product, someone else is willing to turn that into an opportunity for profit.
The problem is so widespread, that estimates suggest between 20 and 40 percent of all seafood sold in the United States is mislabeled.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers some stinky problems in the seafood supply chain:
- The most common sources of fish fraud
- How technology is being used to combat widespread deception and ensure consumer safety
- Lessons from the seafood supply chain that we can apply in other industries
Special thanks to Joseph Barner for his help in making this episode possible.
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“Every time I don't have a delivery truck stop in front of your house, 800 grams of CO2 is never created.” - Mike Robinson, Head of Retail Solutions and a Founding Member at The Eighth Notch (T8N)
The ecommerce boom of the last few years has led to new business models and consumer experiences, but it has also added to the number of packages being delivered each day. Does the number of packages correlate to the number of items ordered? No, it does not.
Placing an online order for 7 items of clothing from one company could result in 1 package, or 2, or 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. More packages means more tracking for the consumer, more risk of porch pirates, more doorbell rings, more packages sitting out in the rain. It also increases the number of delivery trucks on our streets, the emissions from those trucks, and the amount of packing material.
In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner interviews someone who is willing to propose a solution.
Mike Robinson is Head of Retail Solutions and a Founding Member at The Eighth Notch (T8N). He has deep retail experience including time at Macy’s and as an advisor to The Gap. Now he is attacking the chaos of retail fulfillment.
Listen to this episode to hear Mike explain:
- Why retail fulfillment is currently so fragmented
- The range of benefits associated with synchronizing the post-checkout customer experience
- Changes in thinking and customer conditioning that will need to take place before these benefits can be realized
Links:
- Mike Robinson on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On June 26th, The Wall Street Journal reported that FedEx plans to spin off their freight division - and the most interesting part is why.
FedEx Freight is the less-than-truckload (LTL) division of the company. It is the most profitable division, with a recent operating margin over 20 percent, compared to 11.8 percent for FedEx Ground and 2 percent for FedEx Express.
The company has realized that the division is so successful it will generate more shareholder value on its own. With estimated valuations between $30 and 50 Billion, it is too big to be bought, but too small of a division of FedEx to stay. Pending an internal review scheduled to be complete later this year, FedEx Freight is likely to have a future as a standalone company.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers this story in the larger context of supply chain operations, investment, and profitability:
- Providing an overview of the current LTL landscape
- Comparing FedEx Freight’s performance with UPS Freight, which the company spun off in 2021
- Considering what this move may mean for the supply chain as a whole and for procurement professionals tasked with managing LTL spend
Links:
- FedEx Ground’s Contractor Woes
- Case Dismissed: Spencer Patton Prevails Over FedEx
- Reading FedEx Ground the RICO Act
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
According to reporting in the New York Times, about 20 million containers travel through the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach California annually. Those containers are full of goods that need to travel to warehouses, stores, and consumer homes by truck and rail.
Unfortunately, a growing percentage of those goods never arrive, thanks to a sharp uptick in cargo theft. As Supply Chain Brain has reported, U.S. cargo thefts were up 9 percent year-over-year in 2023, with an additional increase at the end of the year.
The increase in rail cargo theft has significantly impacted Union Pacific and their customers, leaving literal debris fields around their tracks in the Los Angeles area.
In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner covers the complexity and loss stemming from rampant rail container theft:
- Why trains leaving Los Angeles and Long Beach are particular targets for theft
- How Union Pacific is (and is not) attempting to stem the losses
- Why divisions between public and private security are creating an opening that thieves are eager to exploit
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Section 321 of the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930 contains a small provision known as ‘de minimis.’
From a Latin phrase meaning “the law does not concern itself with trifles,” this provision has become a major concern for retailers, shippers, and regulators.
De minimis is supposed to simplify shipping so that packages under $800 can be sent to U.S. consumers from overseas without distracting U.S. Customs and Border Patrol from their core mission. With the rise in global ecommerce, however, this provision - or loophole - is proving to be far more than a trifle’s worth of trouble.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers:
- The history of the de minimis provision, including how it was intended to be used and how it is being used today
- Two foreign-based retailers that are pumping hundreds of millions of packages a year into the U.S. under the provision - and a third major U.S. retailer that looks poised to join them
- Ongoing efforts to stem the tide and increase oversight, including which organizations are advocating for de minimis reform and which are against making changes
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“You can't just come with ideas. You’ve got to show that you're going to be on the journey with them.” - Adrian Ristow, Executive Director of Project Last Mile
“Coca-Cola Project Last Mile is held within the practitioners of my craft to be the flagship model of what good looks like in terms of public-private partnerships.” - David Canarutto, Private Sector Relationship Manager at The Global Fund
For over a decade, one public-private partnership has worked to make lifesaving medicines available in the most remote parts of Africa. Known as Project Last Mile, this collaboration includes the efforts and resources of organizations like The Global Fund, USAID, and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
And it all started with a cold Coca-Cola.
In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes Adrian Ristow, Executive Director of Project Last Mile and Project Director for The Coca-Cola Company, and David Canarutto, Private Sector Relationship Manager at The Global Fund, to talk about what makes this partnership so successful.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Adrian and David talk about:
- What set Project Last Mile up for sustained success, especially in the earliest phase of the effort
- The importance of flexibility, effective communications, and a healthy relationship with failure
- How the members of this partnership are standing on their past accomplishments to chase their common objectives into the future
Links:
- Adrian Ristow on LinkedIn
- David Canarutto on LinkedIn
- Coca-Cola’s Project Last Mile
- Coke's Supply Chain Is the Real Thing
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
About 15 years ago, someone noticed that while you could buy a cold Coca-Cola in the most remote corners of Africa, lifesaving medicines that require cold chain logistics were nowhere to be found.
A group approached the company and asked, will you teach us how you manage your supply chain in rural Africa so we can apply those learnings to healthcare?
Coca-Cola not only said yes, they threw their full support behind the effort that would come to be known as Project Last Mile. The public-private partnership was so impressive and effective that it became the subject of episode 90.
But that wasn’t to be the end of the story. Project Last Mile heard the episode and contacted Art of Supply and made their leadership team available for an interview.
Next week’s episode of Art of Supply will be Kelly Barner’s interview with Adrian Ristow, Executive Director of Project Last Mile and Project Director for The Coca-Cola Company, and David Canarutto, Private Sector Relationship Manager at The Global Fund, one of Project Last Mile’s most important partners.
This week, we revisit the original episode in appreciation of the effort that has been made to date, the remarkable benefits it has generated, and the power of Coca-Cola’s decision to say yes.
Links:
- Coke’s Supply Chain is the Real Thing
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Red Lobster, the largest seafood chain in the United States, declared bankruptcy on May 19, 2024. As of the filing, they had 551 locations operating in 44 states, but underperforming locations have already started to close.
What brought about the bankruptcy of the restaurant chain that rapper Flavor Flav describes as “one of America's greatest dining dynasties”? It wasn’t all-you-can-eat shrimp, as some have suggested, but it may very well have been endless real estate costs.
In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner walks a mile in Red Lobster’s shoes:
- Tracing their rise as an innovative dining concept, the first restaurant to advertise on national television
- Evaluating the impact that a ‘sale leaseback’ of their real estate had on the chain’s long term profitability
- Questioning the rationale of being owned by their largest seafood supplier, and all of the complications that accompanied this circular relationship
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On May 25, the Federal Trade Commission announced their consent for the planned acquisition of Pioneer Natural Resources by ExxonMobil. It was the largest shale oil and gas merger ever planned.
The consent may not have been a surprise, but one of the conditions was: that former Pioneer Natural Resources CEO Scott Sheffield was prohibited from taking a planned seat on ExxonMobil’s board and accused of colluding with other industry players to increase consumer prices and maximize company profits.
Articles began to appear in the media that described the condition, which ExxonMobil did agree to, as “unprecedented,” “unusual,” and even “a smear campaign.”
Is Scott Sheffield a colluding villain or a scapegoat of big oil and the federal government?
In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner brings together details about:
- The structure of the oil market, including U.S. producers as well as OPEC and OPEC+
- The case against Scott Sheffield, as made by the FTC and media outlets that side with them
- The case made in his defense, some in his own words and some from industry onlookers and commentators as well as other media outlets
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, or UFLPA, took effect in June of 2022 to protect an ethnically Turkish, predominantly Muslim minority that lives in the Xinjiang autonomous region of China.
The Uyghurs have been the subject of forced labor claims and investigations - truly the stuff of supply chain nightmares. If companies try to import anything connected to Xinjiang into the United States, they must prove conclusively that it did not involve forced labor.
But what if the Uyghurs are moved out of Xinjiang? What does that do to enforcement of the law?
In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner looks into the simultaneously expanding and dissolving front line in the war against Uyghur forced labor:
- How worker relocation is making it harder for U.S. Customs to enforce the UFLPA
- Why the specifics of the law may have provided the blueprints for defying it
- What business leaders and supply chain decision makers will have to grapple with if they want to achieve the intended objectives of this law
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Intent v. Effect of Uyghur Forced Labor Regulation
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On April 30th, 2024, the U.S. Senate Committee on Armed Services, Subcommittee on Personnel, held a hearing about the Department Of Defense’s efforts to ensure service members would have access to safe, high-quality pharmaceuticals.
One of the panelists invited to testify was Victor Suarez, a retired Colonel from the United States Army. He worked for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before becoming the Lead Vaccine Program Manager for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine during Operation Warp Speed (2020-2021). Today he is the Founder and Principal Growth Partner at Blu Zone Bioscience & Supply Chain Solutions, LLC.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner welcomes Victor to share his frank point of view on why today’s pharmaceutical supply chains are under strain:
- Why facilitating the market entry of generic drugs in 1984 led to the scarcity we face today
- The surprising challenge (and importance) of defining “Made in the U.S.A.”
- The solution he sees as the most likely to succeed, especially given the reasonable investment associated with it
Links:
- Senate Hearing to Receive Testimony on the Department of Defense’s Efforts to Ensure Servicemembers’ Access to Safe, High-Quality Pharmaceuticals
- Victor Suarez on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Pharmaceutical supply chains are never far from news headlines. Regular drug shortages affect our families, friends, and neighbors when they can’t access their chemotherapy treatments, ADHD medication, and pain medication - just to name a few.
In 2023, Americans spent over $600 Billion on prescription drugs. That’s more than ever before — and more than any other country in the world. 90 percent of the prescriptions are for generic drugs, although they represent only 20 percent of spending.
Pharmaceutical supply chains are complex, highly regulated, global, and associated with HUGE profit margins - but not for all medicines, and the R&D costs are just as astronomical as the profits.
In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner attempts to distill one of the most complex supply chains in the world down to some very familiar dynamics:
- Profitability, supply chain resilience, and negotiating leverage
- The differences between brand name and generic drug profit margins
- Production issues that exist thanks to global producers, consolidated negotiators like GPOs and wholesalers, and the exacerbating role of insurance companies
- And what a few groups - including well known Shark Tank investor Mark Cuban - are trying to do about it
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Some corporations have chosen to wade into socially sensitive waters over the last few years and others have been pushed in from behind. The adoption of a social mission or set of causes at the company level does not guarantee ‘trickle down’ benefits to individual employees.
The right to free speech is one of the most valued privileges granted in the United States. But it has limitations - something 50 (now former) Google employees discovered the hard way last month.
In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner explores the legality of employee speech and social activism in corporate America:
- What happened at Google to bring this topic to the forefront?
- What legal protections do private sector employees have?
- What next steps - including legal proceedings - do the terminated Googlers have in mind… and how likely are they to work?
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“The first casualty of war is truth—the second is empathy. Empathy has to call for backup. The backup is in the form of radical empathy.”
-Lou Agosta, Assistant Professor of Medical Education at Ross Medical University at Saint Anthony Hospital
We have a difficult six months ahead of us. A contentious presidential election looms in the U.S., the world continues to be war-torn, and companies find themselves mired in social topics that threaten to win over one half of consumers or stakeholders while alienating the other half.
Could consciously practiced empathy make the difference between community success and fragmented failure? Perhaps.
Dr. Helen Riess is the Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Director of Empathy Research and Training in Psychotherapy Research group in the Department of Psychiatry at Mass General Hospital. She is also the author of a book called The Empathy Effect.
She has studied not just the power of empathy, but also the ability to monitor it neuroscientifically. Dr Riess may have found proof of something that many leaders believe… empathy is not a soft skill after all.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner focuses on empathy as a business strategy:
- A review of Dr. Riess’ findings and what they teach us about the physical experience of empathy
- How empathy can not only be learned and improved over time, it can also be lost or diminished
- How an expanded understanding of empathy can affect our performance at work - and in life, too
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On April 9th, Rene Haas, CEO of Arm Holdings, a British semiconductor and software design company came out and made a statement about data center energy consumption that most people would find shocking.
He said, “by the end of the decade, AI data centers could consume as much as 20% to 25% of U.S. power requirements. Today that’s probably 4% or less.”
Everyone wants to talk about AI, but this reality is something we don’t discuss nearly enough. AI may be the greatest unrecognized threat to the environment today, because AI is an energy hog.
Example: It requires nearly 10 times as much energy to do an Internet search in ChatGPT as using Google. Are the added benefits or the improved experience worth it? What about at scale?
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner takes an honest look at the very real problem of AI-driven energy consumption:
- Why AI requires so much energy to operate
- Projections for the growth of AI usage and therefore AI energy consumption
- How the use of AI should change given today’s sensibilities about sustainability
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“We know what matters to our employees, and we know what matters to our customers, and we know where the leadership view is. That alignment means that you make progress more easily because you’re focused on stuff that matters and that people care about.” - Gareth Hughes is the Business Services and ESG Director for Whistl
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, as they say, what is the road to sustainability paved with? Put another way - if the road you are journeying down is lined with little more than good intentions, how can you be sure you’re traveling in the right direction?
This week’s episode of Art of Supply is the monthly interview, and it features a guest that both knows where he is headed and is armed with more than good intentions.
Gareth Hughes is the Business Services and ESG Director for Whistl, a UK based e-commerce and logistics business. They provide business mail services and eFulfillment services. His current responsibilities include procurement, property, facilities, fleet, and delivering ESG impact.
In this conversation, Kelly Barner invites Gareth to speak candidly about how he has taken his passion for ESG and turned it into a successful and fully operational program:
- Why pressure from customers to increase sustainability shouldn’t become passthrough pressure put on suppliers
- The need for all ESG-related projects to have an appropriate level of materiality
- How pushback can keep everyone on plan and even help companies outperform expectations
Links:
- Gareth Hughes on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Heavy-duty trucks include tractor-trailers, ambulances, garbage trucks, and school buses. All of these are now on an official timeline for reduced emissions, in alignment with a new Federal mandate.
Manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles must reduce their overall emissions by mandated percentages according to model year, starting with their 2028 models and extending through 2032.
When the rules were released on March 29th, we heard the usual responses from the usual cast of characters. Environmental advocacy groups love it, and trucking industry associations say it is ridiculous. But will it work?
In this week’s episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner investigates the details of the new rules to better understand:
- The requirements, operational challenges, and worthy effort to reduce fleet emissions
- What manufacturers of heavy duty trucks are being asked to do by when
- Concerns beyond the usual noise that will have to be overcome before we can reduce the emissions output of the supply chain
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
80 percent of all ship-to-shore (S2S) cranes at ports in the United States - and 75 percent of all S2S cranes in the world - are made by just one company: ZPMC.
Short for Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited, ZPMC is a Chinese state-owned manufacturing and engineering firm. It was founded in 1992 and quickly grew to become the largest S2S crane manufacturer in the world.
U.S.-China relations have been on shaky footing in recent times, making concerns about these cranes, and the critical role they play in major ports, a top priority in both the private and public sectors.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks at the high stakes associated with port security and why cranes are at the center of everyone’s attention:
- Why the Biden Administration is concerned by the risk posed by these cranes
- The data management and decision-making patterns that allowed ZPMC to assume a dominant position globally
- What may be next… in terms of security and also in terms of new sources of supply
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On February 28, 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued JBS, the largest meat company in the world, for civil fraud. James is accusing the company of ‘greenwashing’ or making statements to sound more environmentally friendly than they truly are.
In 2021, JBS made a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2040. James says this statement is “unsubstantiated” and “unachievable” without reducing production, and that their marketing campaigns “in effect, provide environmentally conscious consumers with a ‘license’ to eat beef.”
What earned JBS the unwanted attention of the Attorney General’s office in New York? The company has plans to be listed on the New York Stock Exchange before the end of the year - and a vocal chorus has risen up to oppose the move.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks at this case in the context of the overall corporate sustainability movement:
- Reviewing the details of the complaint filed by Attorney General Letitia James
- Considering relevant legislation and rulings that she and her team will have to overcome
- And highlighting the impact that all of this may have on the push to get large companies to become more environmentally responsible
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“China’s supply chain has gone through significant, transformative changes in the last five years. For executives or engineers, designers or buyers, who have not been here since before COVID, they’re going to see a completely different China.” - Jeffrey Goldstein, Founder & President of Onward Global
It is impossible to discuss global supply chains without being hyper aware of the role of China. Whether it is their access to critical raw materials, specialization in certain production processes, or labor advantages, relocating supply chains to other parts of the world is harder than it sounds.
Even companies looking to embrace a China +1 strategy have found that few +1s are ready to come online as quickly as industries need.
Jeffrey Goldstein is the Founder & President of Onward Global. Based in Shanghai, he and his team serve as the ‘boots on the ground’ for companies around the world that are sourcing in China, helping them overcome cultural and strategic obstacles to value.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner welcomes Jeffrey to share his first hand perspective on doing business with Chinese suppliers today:
- Where he has seen the most change in supply chains since COVID’s impact began to wind down
- Generational workforce trends that may be more global than they first appear
- Why suppliers in China are so hard to replace - and why they may be even harder to compete with
- Realities that any company looking to move their sourcing out of China or diversify their sources should be aware of
Links:
- Jeffrey Goldstein on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Boots on the Ground in Shanghai, China feat. Jeffrey Goldstein, President of ONWARD Global (Dial P for Procurement)
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Suhttp://artofsupply.compply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In October of 2021, Hertz announced that they would purchase 100,000 Tesla Model 3’s for their rental fleet, followed by 175,000 from GM, and 65,000 from Polestar. The move was supposed to help them overcome shortages of conventional cars, lend the recently ex-bankrupt company a ‘cool factor,’ and lean on the sustainability trend to drive revenue.
Instead, it backfired. On April 1, 2024, Hertz will get their fifth CEO in four years. How could this strategy, one that seemed to be in alignment with corporate and consumer sentiment, go so wrong?
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks at the series of events that have made it hard for a series of CEOs to lead the company successfully:
- The economic conditions that gave Hertz more trouble than competitors like Avis and Enterprise
- The choices they made in response to those conditions and how they may have tipped their hand
- Early signs that heavy investment in EVs may not have been the way out Hertz was looking for
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
The global off-price apparel and home fashion market is estimated to be worth $900 Billion. While retailers like Macy’s and Bed Bath & Beyond faltered or fell over the last few years, the chains owned by TJX - notably TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods - have thrived.
TJX has seized the opportunity to snatch up excess brand name inventory and sell it at a discount over the last few years, but their growth is not a COVID-related fluke. The foundation for their success was laid decades ago, and continues thanks to investments in talented buyers, strong supplier relationships, and company culture that wisely puts profits above pride.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner goes on a treasure hunt much like the TJX shopping experience to discover:
- How TJX operates and why it has positioned them for success in an economy that has been difficult for other retailers
- The competitive advantage represented by their approach to buying and the 1,300 person team that carries it out
- Why TJX’s success is likely to last regardless of what happens with the economy
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In early February, news hit that there was a problem with the new Major League Baseball uniforms. Redesigned by Nike and made by Fanatics, the new uniforms were unveiled with tremendous fanfare. They were designed to be more comfortable, cooler, and better at moisture wicking.
Unfortunately, one man’s breathable is another man’s translucent.
Pictures started to appear on social media that revealed far more than anyone would want. The LEAST of the players’ concerns was that tucked in jerseys were visible through the pants.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the supply chain relationships and issues at play in this year’s MLB uniform debacle:
- Three problems with the uniforms: fabric, fit, and design
- The string of business relationships required produce the uniforms and put them into play
- Potential ulterior motives for the players’ negative reactions
- The lessons everyone can learn from this embarrassing situation
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…” - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910
The last four years of supply chain challenges have taken a toll. People are exhausted, stressed, and scarred. Unlike many areas of life that have gone back to ‘normal,’ supply chains continue to be batted about by geopolitical strife, the economy, and literal attacks.
The result of all that pressure? A generation of brilliant supply chain professionals ready for anything the future might throw at them, says David Moran, a 25-year supply chain executive with experience working for companies like Procter and Gamble, Diageo, and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
In this week’s Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes David to share his perspective on the unique opportunity to have survived supply chain work since 2020:
- The operational differences between supply chain teams that were empowered to set their own priorities and teams that were handed their priorities by the business
- The power and value of the ‘scars’ earned by supply chain teams over the last few years (and how they should treat them)
- Why instinctively being able to decide what is important and what is not will be the greatest skill these professionals carry with them into the future
Links:
- David Moran on LinkedIn
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“Wisdom is given equally to everybody. The point is whether one can exercise it.” - Taiichi Ohno, The “Ten Precepts”
The supply chain profession has recently run the gauntlet of existential challenges. Is it possible that - given enough time - they could return to the old ways?
There have recently been a number of news stories about retailers returning to just-in-time inventory management. If that is the case, and supply chains are returning to pre-pandemic practices with minimal changes, then we may be setting ourselves up to forget… and fall prey to the same failures once again.
In this week’s Art of Supply, Kelly Barner starts by looking back at just how ‘out’ just-in-time inventory management was:
- Remembering the supply chain aftershocks of 2020, 2021, and 2022
- Looking at the principled roots of just-in-time inventory management that originally allowed it to gain success
- And thinking seriously about what we need to do to return to just-in-time inventory management, should that be the right answer, in a responsible way
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On February 2, 2024, news broke on one of the court cases we’ve been following for a while.
In May of 2023, two of the companies owned by Byron Allen, a black businessman and producer, sued McDonald’s for $100 Million in California for fraud and false promise. The suit claimed the company lied when it said it was going to spend more money with black-owned media companies.
California Superior Court Judge Mel Red Recana dismissed the case against McDonald’s and ordered Allen to pay their legal fees. But if you know anything about Byron Allen, you know that this is not over - not by a longshot.
In this week’s episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner reviews the implications of this ruling:
- The background and differences between the multiple legal actions Byron Allen’s companies have brought against McDonald’s
- Why the case was dismissed and what the parties have now said about each other in its wake
- Questioning the actual objectives to determine what Byron Allen is really after, and whether that makes this a step forward or a step back
Links:
- The Downside of Supplier Diversity at McDonald’s
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In today’s digital age, jokes are often made at technology’s expense. Computers don’t like switching from one virtual meeting platform to another. Sometimes webinar platforms insist upon seeing someone’s earbuds as a microphone rather than as a speaker. And why does software always need to update when we are already 5 minutes late for a meeting?
Digital gremlins have become the tie that binds, and we are all conditioned to be patient, recognizing that nothing - least of all software - is perfect.
But what if the problems with software go beyond minor inconvenience and actually disrupt people’s lives and livelihoods? What if the software creates a problem that operators are legally blamed for? What if the software provider aids in the process of convicting them rather than owning up to the bugs in their own product?
If this sounds crazy, you’re not alone. You’re also probably based outside the UK where this exact story has been playing out in the news and in the courts.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the UK Post Office scandal:
- Based on Horizon, accounting and inventory management software designed by Fujitsu
- The human toll that has resulted from issues in the software not being addressed head on
- And the one thing that seems to be oddly missing in this case: brand damage
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On January 5th, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 left Portland, Oregon en route to Ontario, California. Just minutes into the flight, the Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door plug, creating a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft.
Fortunately, all 171 passengers and six crew members were safe, largely because the plane had only reached 16,000 feet, minimizing the amount of cabin decompression that took place. It also helped that no one was sitting in front of the plug, which was put in place to cover a spot that otherwise would have been an extra emergency exit
Once the shock wore off, the questions began. How did this happen? Whose fault was it? And how can we prevent it from happening again?
The answer to all three questions involves the supply chain: one specific supplier and a model of outsourcing that is common in the aerospace industry.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner considers the specific issues at play in this situation as well as in the industry as a whole:
- The facts about the plane leading up to the accident
- The weaknesses that (over?) reliance on outsourcing has created in aircraft manufacturing
- The role of oversight and inspection given what’s at stake from a public safety standpoint
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In 2013, then-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos predicted that drone deliveries would be a reality in five years. More than 10 years later, they are still largely in the pilot phase, but a drone final mile is becoming a reality fast for some parts of the company.
As the FAA reduces restrictions on drone deliveries in places like the Dallas-Fort Worth metropolitan area, they are kicking off a race to make drone deliveries realistic, affordable, and available to consumers, bringing small items to consumers in 30 minutes or less. Companies like Amazon and Walmart are now locked in a race to incorporate drones in their consumer delivery supply chain.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner looks at the current state of innovation and experimentation in drone final mile delivery:
- How notable retailers and small parcel delivery companies are putting drone delivery into practice
- The different partnership and investment models currently in place
- The number one roadblock preventing this futuristic delivery method from achieving scale
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In June 2023, Sharat Ganapati, an Assistant Professor of International Economics at Georgetown University and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and Woan Foong Wong, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Oregon, wrote a research paper that was published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives.
Titled How Far Goods Travel: Global Transport and Supply Chains from 1965-2020, the paper takes a new look at global transportation. Unlike traditional trade metrics, which often fail to reflect the role of distance, they examine transportation usage worldwide by weight and value as well as distance.
In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner takes on the rewarding challenge of digesting the key findings expressed in this highly relevant academic paper:
- How transport use has changed since 1965
- How transport costs have changed
- What the combination of the two, and other associated factors, mean for the future of supply chain efficiency and resilience
Links:
- Read: How Far Goods Travel: Global Transport and Supply Chains from 1965–2020
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
On New Year’s Eve, weeks of rising tension in the Red Sea reached a boiling point.
Houthi militants tried to board the Maersk Hangzhou just one day after hitting the vessel with a missile. The ship’s crew sent out a distress signal that was picked up by the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely, which sent helicopters to support the on-ship-security team.
Three Houthi ships were destroyed and ten assailants were killed, according to the Houthi military’s own report. The crew of the Hangzhou is safe and there were no indications of fire resulting from the missile strike.
That skirmish marked a new level of escalation in a string of missile strikes and drone attacks that have plagued commercial vessels traveling through the Red Sea since November.
In this week’s episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner provides a supply chain point of view on a story that has been featured above the fold for weeks:
- An overview of the trouble that has been raging in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, targeting commercial vessels in particular
- Why being able to travel safely through this body of water is particularly critical to the efficiency of global supply chains
- And what the crews on these ships are dealing with as they attempt to do their jobs, moving goods to their intended destination
Links:
- Watch: Houthi Rebels Seize Israeli-Linked Cargo Ship in Red Sea (WSJ)
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Effective today, Dial P for Procurement is the Art of Supply.
Rather than being a change in content, this rebrand brings the name and brand identity of the show into alignment with the content we have already been creating.
Building on the strength of the category-leading Art of Procurement podcast, Art of Supply will focus on supply chain topics and news stories while advocating for the impact all supply management professionals can have on companies, industries, the environment, and people everywhere.
Art of Supply will continue to provide in-depth researched coverage of trending supply chain news stories, and we will welcome thought leaders, executives, and newsmakers to the show to share their point of view in their own words.
In this episode, Kelly Barner will provide a series of updates to start the new year:
- The larger context of the rebrand and what it means for the focus and form of our content
- Relevant news headlines that came (and in some cases, went) during the holidays, that supply chain professionals will want to know about
- An overview of the top news story listeners can expect to hear covered in more depth next week
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Art of Supply LinkedIn newsletter
- Art of Supply on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Looking all the way back to the beginning of the year has a way of putting everything into perspective. The individual and cumulative impact of all of the events that took place in 2023 can not be understated: from legal action, to labor unions, to geopolitics.
In this episode, Kelly Barner reviews the stories and topics covered on Dial P for Procurement this year - following the lead of the listening audience.
She goes back to the beginning of the year to see which three Dial P for Procurement episodes had the greatest number of downloads and reveals which of the ‘honorable mention’ episodes topics the procurement social media community voted for as most representative of the general business tone in 2023.
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
- Listen to Dial P for Procurement on Art of Procurement
- Dial P for Procurement on Apple Podcasts
- Dial P for Procurement on Spotify
- Dial P for Procurement on Google Podcasts
Episodes and newsletters referenced:
- The Power and Danger of Asking Good Questions
- Socrates: Ignorant Influencer or Disruptive Thinker?
- A GAAP in Judgement at Kraft Heinz
- I’ll Gladly Pay You Tuesday for a Hamburger Today
- Loss Aversion Theory and the Collapse of SVB
- We are Hardwired to Avoid Loss More than Risk
- Case Dismissed: Spencer Patton Prevails Over FedEx
- The Fine Line Between Free Speech and Commercial Speech
- Reading FedEx Ground the RICO Act
- Is there a supply chain mafia?
With all the recent buzz about electric vehicles (EVs), not to mention the push towards sustainability and emissions reduction, it was only going to be a matter of time before electric Class 8 trucks entered the scene.
Class 8s are classic semis or tractor trailers, so they are not just part of the supply chain, they have supply chains themselves. There are a number of companies in the space, some with familiar names and some that are startups. Commercial electric trucking has been in the news recently, and not for entirely good reasons.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner covers two recent news stories and an emerging business model:
- The recent bankruptcy of Volta, a Swedish electric truck startup, and the supplier relationship that caused it
- This week’s breaking news about former Nikola Founder Trevor Milton being sentenced to four years in prison for defrauding investors in his company
- The new Trucks-as-a-Service business model that has sprung up to bring electric fleets within reach of more companies
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, is usually associated with organized crime. It was used in 1992 to bring down the Gambino Crime family and sentence John Gotti to life in prison.
But there is no supply chain mafia, right? A recently filed legal complaint will ask and hopefully answer that very question…
On December 8th, it was disclosed that PYNQ Logistics Services had filed a lawsuit against FedEx Ground, claiming FedEx engaged in a deliberate effort to defraud them in their role as a FedEx Ground independent service provider. They claim that FedEx acted in violation of the RICO Act, that FedEx Ground’s actions are part of an ongoing criminal organization.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner shares what she has been able to gather so far from the complaint document and a handful of news stories:
- Who is PYNQ Logistics Services?
- What are they alleging FedEx Ground did?
- What paths forward are available for everyone involved?
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
- Case Dismissed: Spencer Patton Prevails Over FedEx
- Where are they now?
The People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Southeast Asia is the second-largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world. The ready-made garment sector employs 4.4 million workers, and 65 percent of them are women. 84 percent of the country’s exports are from this one sector.
The garment workers get a pay raise every five years, and the last five have not been particularly kind - with the impact of the pandemic, increased food and food and fuel prices thanks to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and soaring inflation: 9.5% overall and over 12.5% on food alone.
In late October, the workers decided they had had enough - and they pushed back in a forceful and destructive fashion. Tens of thousands of workers went on strike, factories were burned or damaged, and four people lost their lives. The country has reached an uneasy peace, but how long can it last?
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, I’ll walk you through this particular global supply chain in order to:
- Better understand the ready-made garment industry and where Bangladesh fits into the mix
- Look at the economics, including cost pressures that are rising thanks to global competition and increased automation
- Consider what notable retail brands are doing (and not doing) to support the workers in Bangladesh
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“Did you ever think we'd be talking this much about supply chains?” - President Biden
On Monday, November 27, 2023, President Biden announced the creation of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience. The event was big news for the administration and for supply chain professionals. Almost 30 new actions focused on strengthening economically important and national security-critical supply chains were rolled out.
But the devil is always in the details. And if we are going to figure out what this announcement means for private sector professionals, we have to look past the official statements and think about what we know.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner digs into the details of this week’s supply chain news to consider:
- The Biden Administration’s relationship with supply chain, dating back to the Executive Order on America’s Supply Chains issued on February 21, 2021
- The news that was (and was not) made at Monday’s event
- The good, bad, and unknown about these developments for America's most strategic supply chains
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
The stories we cover on Dial P for Procurement are pulled from the headlines, but some have more ‘legs’ than others. Just because a story, person, or company slides down in the feed, we can’t stop following it.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks back at the people who played large roles in three past episodes to find out the answer to one common question: where are they now?
- What happened with the company that sued McDonald’s over their supplier diversity program?
- What about those guys who allowed 53 people to die in the back of a truck in Texas?
- And what became of the FedEx contractor that stood, almost completely alone, against the legal might of a supply chain giant?
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
- The Downside of Supplier Diversity at McDonald’s
- Heavy Traffic and Human Trafficking at the U.S. Border
- FedEx Ground’s Contractor Woes
- Case Dismissed: Spencer Patton Prevails Over FedEx
Convoy was a digital freight brokerage founded by former Amazon executives to digitally revolutionize a high-transaction, low-profit space. Investors included Bill Gates, former Vice President Al Gore, Bono and The Edge from U2, the investment arm of Google parent Alphabet, and Jeff Bezos.
Convoy was launched in 2015, reached a $3.8 Billion valuation in early 2022, and was gone less than 18 months later. What was Convoy’s cause of death? As you might have guessed, there was more than one.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner performs a supply chain post-mortem, led by a brief retelling of Convoy’s rise and fall:
- Tracing the company’s early successes, thanks in part to well-pedigreed executives and A-list investors
- Studying what Convoy was trying to achieve, and how difficult that task turned out to be
- Looking closely at the reasons this company failed, providing a real opportunity for the rest of us to learn by looking in the rearview mirror
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
According to the National Retail Federation, 43 percent of people started doing their holiday shopping in October, leading the NRF to predict a year-over-year holiday spending increase of 3 to 4 percent.
58 percent of shoppers will buy online, and all of those gifts have to be packed and shipped… probably via small parcel channels. And yet, final mile carriers like FedEx and UPS are bracing for a weaker than usual holiday shopping season.
In this week’s Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks at the numbers and dynamics at play in the complex small parcel market:
- Current pricing and peak season surcharge plans from the major carriers
- The market forces and pressures keeping them on their toes
- What anyone tasked with responsibility for a small parcel contract should take away from current conditions
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“Coke is everywhere. In fact, when I travel to the developing world, Coke feels ubiquitous. [...] If we can understand what makes something like Coca-Cola ubiquitous, we can apply those lessons then for the public good.” -Melinda Gates
In Africa, nearly half of people lack access to critical medicines. The continent covers 11.7 million square miles and is divided into 54 different countries. Physical infrastructure is a huge problem, meaning that the roads themselves serve as roadblocks for critical medicines and supplies that need to reach rural locations.
Coca-Cola, on the other hand, has mastered the fine art of logistics. Wendy Manning, their former VP of Customer Logistics, once said the company is able to deliver a drink from a factory to a local store within 48 hours.
Is Coca-Cola’s supply chain expertise the answer to Africa’s logistics challenges? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation thought so.
In this week’s Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner tells the story of Coca-Cola’s Project Last Mile, a public-private partnership that is improving healthcare supply chains in Africa:
- The challenges of final mile delivery in Africa and how they affect the effectiveness of healthcare on a local level
- Success stories that include improvements in inventory tracking, cold chain, route optimization - and even savings!
- How this project is evolving to meet the healthcare challenges of the post-pandemic world
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In 2012, LEGO made a commitment to make all of their bricks out of sustainable materials by 2030, just in time for the company’s 100th anniversary. As Tim Guy Brooks, LEGO’s head of environmental responsibility said, “We can’t say we inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow if we’re ruining the planet.”
The company has been willing to invest and experiment, but a solution continues to elude them. Corn-based bricks were too soft and wheat-based ones didn’t look right. Bricks made from other materials proved too hard to pull apart or lost their grip, known as “clutch power” in the LEGO community.
Partnerships with companies across industries have failed to generate viable options, and all the while LEGO has been dogged by criticism from environmental groups like Greenpeace and advocates for food production.
Will LEGO achieve their sustainability objectives?
In this week’s Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner traces LEGO’s push towards plant-based materials as a way of studying the challenges of finding a way even when there is a will:
- How their current sustainability efforts serve as a continuation of the history and overall philosophy of the company
- What LEGO has achieved to date, and what options have been eliminated as viable possibilities along the way
- The criticism and negative publicity the company has received, and how it has increased their already elevated sense of urgency
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
The last two years have brought us many news stories about labor unions throwing their weight around.
First there was the fear that the railway workers unions would stop freight in the lead up to Christmas, then we watched as the Teamsters negotiated with Yellow and UPS, managing to avoid a strike in both cases, the United Auto Workers union is now actively on strike, and Kaiser Permanente’s workers have a tentative deal on the table for ratification by their members in the largest healthcare labor movement in history.
So why did the writers union strike take so long to resolve and why is the screen actors guild still on strike?
The Hollywood labor strikes are a classic multi-party negotiation. In these scenarios, it is much harder for each party to get what they want, anticipate the other party’s motivations and objectives, or try to outmaneuver them.
In this week’s Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner draws negotiations lessons from news stories about the Hollywood strikes:
- Who the parties in this negotiation are, whether they are officially at the negotiating table or pulling the strings from backstage
- Why the changing economics of the entertainment industry are raising the stakes for everyone involved
- How to recognize the dynamics of a multi-party negotiation are currently complicating matters for the studios and actors’ guild
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
In early September, J.M. Smucker announced that they had struck a deal to acquire Hostess, the 130 year old maker of treats like Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, Zingers, and Voortman cookies.
Smucker agreed to pay $5.6 Billion including $900 Million in debt for the company. Most people felt the deal was overpriced, and Smucker’s stock fell 7 percent, but the two executive teams had done their homework, and they are convinced that the potential synergies between the two organizations are well worth it.
Smucker’s has mastered the grocery retail space while Hostess is a convenience store superstar, and both companies have invested in data and supply chain transformation.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner demonstrates why synergy may be a source of value for Smucker’s and Hostess, and not just a consulting buzzword:
- The complementary nature of their product distribution channels and where they meet consumers - grocery stores v. convenience stores
- What Hostess can teach Smucker’s about product shelf life, and how that can save money in distribution
- Why Smucker’s slow but steady growth rate may provide the stability that the Hostess team needs
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” ― Benjamin Franklin
Banned Book Week was started in 1982 to call attention to censorship and intellectual freedom. In 2023, it runs from October 1-7, culminating with Let Freedom Read day on Saturday the 7th.
This week and the many events that will fill it may be driven by librarians, but the premise behind it is one that every adult should be able to embrace. Nobody should tell you what information you can read, because no one has the right to tell you what to think.
That is as true in procurement and supply chain today as it should have been when Galileo found himself under house arrest for daring to suggest that the earth rotates around the sun.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner applies the mission and intent of Banned Books Week to the tough conversations that need to take place in procurement and the supply chain today:
- Why staying silent out of fear makes thorny business problems impossible to solve
- The importance of intellectual curiosity to innovation and problem solving
- Why the greatest soft skill of all may be discussing a sensitive topic with someone who thinks differently than you do
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
Google is currently being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Not since they went after Microsoft in 1994 has there been such a major antitrust trial with such widespread implications - and never before has U.S. antitrust law been so tested.
While it is not illegal to have a monopoly, it is illegal to stifle competition in order to keep one.
Google must now prove that it is the quality of their search product - not their statistically dominant position - that earns them widespread use, while the Federal government must demonstrate that Google has engaged in wilfully anticompetitive conduct.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks at the details and competitive expectations playing out live in a Washington D.C. courtroom:
- Providing a high level overview of the ongoing antitrust trial against Google
- Contextualizing Google’s actions and the DOJ’s legal position using Michael Porter’s Five Forces model
- Understanding the bar set by the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890 for both sides in this court case
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
- Subscribe to This Week in Procurement
After years of pandemic-fueled spikes in demand for chocolate and salty snacks, Hershey’s supply chain hit the wall.
During The Hershey Company’s second quarter earnings call on July 28, 2022, CEO Michele Buck warned investors that the company “will not be able to fully meet consumer demand" for Halloween candy. Ingredients were in short supply, and with production lines shared by regular and seasonal merchandise, the company had some tough decisions to make.
Despite their best efforts, Hershey did fail to meet demand last year - much to the dismay of chocolate-lovers everywhere.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks at the efforts Hershey has made as they fight back from last year’s challenges:
- The external factors that contributed to the supply crunch last fall
- How they owned their response to those factors by making internal changes
- The role that production line optimization and strategic co-manufacturing decisions will play this year
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
News stories have a way of going from the front page to the scrap heap, and even the spotlight focused on the supply chain over the past few years couldn’t prevent it from happening altogether.
One specific element of supply chain - cold chain logistics - recently resurfaced in coverage of the costs and challenges surrounding transport of Ozempic and Wegovy, different brand names for the same prescription injection. Cold chain is a modern marvel, but while it is impressive and critical, it is also expensive and it is hitting manufacturer Novo Nordisk in the wallet.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner takes this opportunity to shine a light back on cold chain logistics:
- How it was developed and how supply chains expanded from cold storage to cold chain
- The many applications and innovations that allow cold chain to enrich our lives, whether we are watching it with baited breath or not
- The next level considerations supply chain professionals need to consider when managing or contracting for cold chain storage and delivery
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
“You can’t unscramble eggs.” – J.P. Morgan
There are few companies in the United States as storied and historic as U.S. Steel.
Dating all the way back to the Gilded Age, U.S. Steel was formed in 1901 when J.P. Morgan financed the merger of Andrew Carnegie’s Federal Steel and National Steel, into one behemoth. The resulting company is the now second largest steel company in the United States and the eighth largest in the world.
U.S. Steel has survived industrialization, two world wars, and the modern era of global supply chains. Now however, their future is anything but certain. And there are multiple factors converging to bring them to their knees.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks at the complicated set of pressures being faced by U.S. Steel:
- The current status of the company and what led them to start entertaining buyout offers
- The role of the federal government in the steel industry, given its national security significance and constant pressure from China
- The undeniable impact of organized labor in yet another major news story
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
In the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, he writes about the flywheel effect, a prosperous cycle of work and change that eventually picks up speed and builds its own momentum. Anyone that has taken a product to market or started a company has tried to get that virtuous cycle going.
Fewer people talk about the flywheel effect’s evil cousin: the doom loop. Also covered by Collins, the doom loop is what takes down the companies that want to affect positive change but can’t figure out how. He calls it “reaction without understanding.”
If the phrase doom loop sounds familiar, it is because media coverage of the conditions in some of America’s largest cities has been using the term to describe slow but steady societal decay: poverty, crime, lost value, and finally relocation. Many companies are dealing with the effects of this, and the longer it lasts, the larger the challenge becomes.
In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner looks at the doom loop concept from both the public and private sector perspective - because in these large cities, the two most definitely meet:
- How Jim Collins' doom loop is playing out in major cities where, despite the best of intentions, nothing ever seems to improve
- The linkages between social trends and business viability
- The impact these changes are having on companies with locations in those cities, and how they are managing the situation in the short and medium term
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
On July 30th 2023, Yellow Freight announced that they would cease operations after 99 years in business. Chapter 11 bankruptcy followed just one week later.
It took more than one thing to bring about Yellow’s bankruptcy, one of the largest in the history of the trucking industry: poorly integrated acquisitions, a strained relationship with the Federal government, and an ill-timed fight with the Teamsters union.
The more coverage comes out about Yellow’s recent bankruptcy, the more surprising it is that they made it so close to 100 years in business.
In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner looks at Yellow’s past and present for sources of trouble and lessons to learn:
- How the company grew to become so big, creating a number of problems for themselves in the process
- The factors that led directly to their cease in operations - including a high stakes labor negotiation with the Teamsters union
- What to watch for as investors and competitors swoop in to take advantage of the company’s remaining assets
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
“For men like Ford, Firestone, and Edison, whose success in the world had given them access to any thing they might want, these impressions [of the great Smoky Mountains] had a value beyond calculation.” American Journey, p. 276
In 1918, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and naturalist John Burroughs took a long road trip in the eastern United States. They slept under the stars, cooked outside, and made their way through the countryside, meeting people, investigating curiosities, and deepening their friendships as they went.
That story, and the events leading up to and following after it, serve as the focus for American Journey: On the Road with Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, and John Burroughs, a new book by Wes Davis.
In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner shares her impressions from American Journey:
- Just enough of the story of this journey and the friendships formed on it to provide context
- Observations about how business and society have changed in the 105 years since Ford, Firestone, Edison, and Burroughs took to the road
- Inspiration to look at things a little differently by maintaining a balance of innovation and time in nature
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
There is something troubling going on in the ESG movement. Recent news stories on ESG investing, the status of Chief Diversity Officers, and Pride month raise questions about the corporate commitment to such programs.
While ESG is not a new idea - in fact, the corporate social responsibility programs that preceded it date back to the 1970s - there has always been a tension between what companies say about environmental and social issues and what they are able to do.
In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner brings together three stories that touch upon where the ESG movement is right now and raises the question of where it is headed.
- A powerful article titled Your Rainbow Logo Doesn’t Make You an Ally that appeared in the June 2021 edition of the Harvard Business Review
- A recent article from the Wall Street Journal that addresses the current standing of Chief Diversity Officers in corporate America
- Coverage of ESG-related changes going on at BlackRock, based on public statements made by CEO Larry Fink
Links:
- Kelly Barner on LinkedIn
- Dial P for Procurement on AOP
China is one of the most important consumer, industrial, and raw materials markets in the world. They also happen to be a bad actor in terms of environmental practices and human rights. Companies looking to do business in China need to go in with their eyes wide open, prepared to handle a complicated set of decisions and PR maneuvers.
That is the backdrop for a very odd set of circumstances that played out at the 2023 China Automobile Forum in early July. Tesla was one of 16 EV companies - the only non-Chinese manufacturer, in fact - to sign a four point pledge that includes an agreement to adhere to “core socialist values.”
In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner:
- Explains what happened in Shanghai earlier this month, why it happened, and why it only stayed in effect for 48 hours
- Considers the differences between Communism and Socialism and what they mean for companies attempting to do business in China
- Thinks about the geopolitical complexity associated with the significant potential for growth and revenue from Chinese consumers
Skills gaps are a huge and costly problem in the corporate world.
According to Talent Guard, skill gaps currently cost the U.S. economy around $13 billion per month, and Deloitte recently cited an estimated $2.5 trillion total cost over the next decade.
Korn Ferry has projected that by 2030, more than 85 million jobs could go unfilled because there aren’t enough skilled people to take them.
Run those facts against the lagging performance of America’s public schools. Children lost one-third of a school year during the pandemic shutdowns. That figure increases to half a year when you isolate math. The average math score for 13 year olds fell 9 points from 2019 to 2021, the largest drop since the federal government started tracking in 1978.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner makes the case that corporate social responsibility and public education must go hand in hand:
- Kids are falling behind in core areas like math and reading, something that will affect their careers and lifetime earnings, as well as future potential corporate revenues
- Learning loss is disproportionately impacting working class communities and communities of color, erasing the significant gains made in recent decades and jeopardizing future workforce diversity efforts
- There is a staggering number of children who disappeared from the roster during and after school shutdowns, creating a looming challenge for our whole society
Mankind has been on an industrial evolutionary journey since 1760. Starting with the steam engine, we have progressed through hundreds of years of innovation, advancement, and reinvention.
Procurement has been there every step of the way, harnessing the power of new technologies and meeting an ever-growing list of challenges and requirements presented to us by company leadership and industry competition.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner takes listeners on a journey through time and the history of procurement:
- Tracking progress from Industry 1.0 through 5.0, looking at how each stage of development and major world events led to the formation of the next stage
- Examining the evolution of procurement in each stage and imagining what it was like before procurement became a defined and established corporate function
- Considering where we are today - a blend of Industry 3.0, 4.0, and 5.0 - and what may be next
On June 23rd, news broke that the Wagner Group, a private militia operating on behalf of Russia in the war with Ukraine, was staging an armed rebellion against Russia. The world watched and held its breath as one bad guy squared off against another, until - it was over as soon as it started.
It quickly became clear that what was unfolding before our eyes was a supplier relationship gone very, VERY wrong.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner makes the case that:
- An unfavorable contract provided the spark that set the relationship between Wagner and Russia on fire
- Data continues to be a weapon that can be wielded by whoever is using it to make their business case - or justification for rebellion
- Geopolitics is increasingly corporate… whether we look at western company involvement in Russia and Ukraine, or the relationship between the Russian state and a number of private military companies
We have seen many trends come and go over the last few years, and most of them stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Great Resignation, a surge in people voluntarily leaving their jobs starting in the fall of 2020, is likely to be one of the most impactful.
Depending on the numbers you reference, the Great Resignation officially came to an end somewhere between December of 2022 and April of 2023, as the number and rate of resignations returned to pre-pandemic levels.
During that time, the Great Resignation was discussed so frequently, and it had such a large impact on so many people and workplaces, that we would do it - and ourselves - an injustice not to pause and study it before it fades from the list of trending business topics.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks back at the Great Resignation from a number of perspectives:
- What it was, and why it happened
- Whether being part of it was a good idea
- The aftermath being experienced in workplaces and by managers
- The lessons learned and changes ushered in that may be with us for some time
Agility Robotics recently released the latest version of their humanoid warehouse robot: Digit.
Digit is 5 foot 9, weighs 141 lbs, and can carry up to 35 pounds. It can pick and pack orders, unload trucks, and unpack pallets of shipments. Warehouse labor availability is always a challenge, and it usually represents 65 - 70 percent of operating costs. Automation is the future of warehouse operations. Period.
And yet not all automation is the same. Conveyor belts and robotic arms are a far cry from Digit and even the Amazon warehouse robots. The upfront cost, time to ROI, and impact on human working conditions all have to be considered as we approach the future.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner talks about:
- The dream of “dark” warehousing and the challenges that have to be overcome before the practice becomes a common reality
- The different levels of human <> technology collaboration that are often lumped together into the term “automation”
- What society and supply chain professionals need to be thinking about as we unpack Industry 5.0… the collaboration of humans and machines
Human rights concerns are at the top of the priority list for supply chain and procurement professionals. Among the most horrifying human rights abuses is child labor, sending children into dangerous settings to work.
FDR signed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, restricting the conditions and hours children under the age of 16 can work, and making it illegal for anyone under 18 to work in hazardous conditions.
Unfortunately, that doesn’t prevent it from happening… in the United States… today.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner shares real examples of modern child labor to illustrate:
- How large, systemic, and local the problem of illegal child labor is today, even in the United States
- Why we must be careful not to simply blame employers and staffing firms
- The direct role that procurement can play in the effort to protect the most vulnerable members of our society
In 2004, Dove revolutionized skincare marketing by launching their ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign.
Celebrated for the decision to represent women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and skin tones in their ad campaigns, Dove was celebrated by marketing industry executives and embraced by consumers. They saw a 700 percent increase in sales in just six months.
While the campaign continued, the celebration did not. Subsequent efforts in 2017 were met with ridicule and flat out rejection.
But is Dove off-track, or has society changed too much to appreciate their investments in body positivity?
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner reviews three notable ads in this 20-year long campaign, looking for differences in motivation, execution, and reception:
- 2004, When diverse natural beauty was showcased, celebrated and awarded
- 2017, When Dove’s efforts brought them more ridicule than recognition
- And 2023: when the world spat back at their collaboration with Epic Games
Many professionals are worried about the risk associated with advances in generative AI like ChatGPT. Predictions have been made about who and what will be rendered obsolete first, as though people living in 2023 are the first ever to face a challenge from new technology.
This summer, the Tate Modern in London is running an exhibition called “Capturing the Moment: A Journey Through Painting and Photography.” It considers the rise of photography, first as a technology and then as a fine art, and how it affected painters working at the time, individuals such as Pablo Picasso, Edvard Munch, Gustav Klimpt, and Salvador Dali.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner compares the rise of photography 100 years ago with the present journey to understand generative AI:
- How photography was viewed at the time, and how it developed into a fine art
- Ways painters were impacted by improvements in (and acceptance of) photography as a technology and a creative medium
- Reactions from critics and consumers - and what we can learn from their response today
In his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Scottish Enlightenment thinker Adam Smith described the ‘invisible hand’ at play in free market economics.
One of the keys to letting that invisible hand work efficiently is the concept of self-interested interdependence. Producers do what is best for themselves, consumers do what is best for themselves, and the economy reaches equilibrium. If only it were that simple in practice.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner covers a current day example to illustrate the complexity and sensitivity of the laws of supply and demand:
- Tyson Foods is the largest U.S. meat company by sales, and they are caught in a margin squeeze
- The meat supply chain, literally from farm to table, includes many factors that make profitability far from a sure thing
- Why the Federal government’s effort to increase competition and stability in the highly concentrated meat market may actually lead to more instability
Procurement is used to being under pressure to deliver savings, but is that pressure enough to make procurement break the law?
That is exactly what happened at Kraft Heinz after their 2015 merger. The low-hanging fruit had all been picked, savings targets remained high, and all sense of oversight had fallen away in favor of a corporate culture that incentivized hitting targets no matter what the cost.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, host Kelly Barner covers:
- What happened at Kraft Heinz when procurement was expected to hit aggressive savings goals post-merger
- Internal oversight breakdowns that allowed questionable activity to continue for far longer than should have been possible
- The fall out… which continues to this day
In 1907, J.P. Morgan was called back from a trip to help stop a series of bank runs on Wall Street. After watching a string of insolvent banks fail, he decided that the Trust Company of America was worth saving. He said, "This is the place to stop the trouble, then."
Over 100 years later, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon made a very similar decision about First Republic bank. He and treasury Secretary Janet Yellen came up with the idea of “stopping the contagion” affecting regional banks. When the auction was over and the smoke had cleared, JPMorgan Chase was the owner of First Republic - with a little help from their friends in the Federal government.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, host Kelly Barner covers:
- The role that JPMorgan Chase plated in the rescue of First Republic and in the 2008 rescue of Bear Stearns and Washington Mutual
- How JPMorgan Chase has become by far the largest bank in the country by skirting the regulations put in place to prevent just that
- The details of the auction that allowed JPMorgan Chase to acquire First Republic, and why knowing the rules and the decision criteria is the best way to win
Cyber attacks have been on the rise since 2020, occurring with increasing frequency and having a more detrimental impact to the companies affected. Cyber risk regularly tops C-level risk rankings as a high priority and short term concern.
Almost 20% of all data breaches are associated with third-parties in a company’s supply chain. We can see how this plays out by looking at the case of Expeditors International and how a 2022 cyber attack not only impacted them as a company, but it also led to a lawsuit brought by a customer: iRobot.
In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, host Kelly Barner covers:
- What happened to Expeditors International of Washington just over a year ago
- How the cyber attack impacted iRobot’s business
- The options available to companies, like cyber risk insurance and internal safeguards, and how industries may respond when a cyber attack takes down one of their own
Bed Bath & Beyond was founded in New Jersey in 1971. Popular for its effective use of the ‘superstore’ concept, packed stores, and 20% off coupons, the chain quickly expanded, peaking in 2013 with a market value of $17 Billion.
Their end began in 2019, when activist investors pushed out much of the executive leadership team and brought in former Target Chief Merchandising Officer Mark Tritton. He only lasted 18 months in the position, and every effort to spark a turnaround led to accelerated failure.
On April 23, 2023, the chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections and announced that all stores would be closed within two months.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- How BB&B went from a successful international chain to one that couldn’t put inventory its shelves
- What the executive team did in an effort to save the chain, and how some of those ideas actually made their situation worse
- The insider trading scheme that not only proved to be a damaging and costly distraction for the company at a very bad time, but may have also led to the suicide of CFO Gustavo Arnal
Note: This episode discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
The labor contract between UPS and the Teamsters union is the largest private collective bargaining agreement in North America - and it expires on July 31, 2023. It covers 70 percent of UPS employees: package car drivers, air drivers, feeder drivers, part-time loaders, unloaders, sorters, clerks and mechanics.
The current contract was signed in 2018, and took effect even though 54 percent of the union membership voted against it. That act led to a change in Teamster leadership, and it is shaping the tone of the current negotiation.
If there is a strike, it would be the largest in U.S. history, and it would have a significant economic impact: 27 percent of product-based GDP moves on brown trucks.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- What’s at stake in the negotiation between UPS and the Teamsters Union
- Some of the colorful personalities we’ve met through news coverage
- What might happen if the two sides cannot come to an agreement, and what might happen if the Teamsters are successful
In the 5th century BC, Socrates was teaching the Athenian people to think for themselves. He taught by asking questions: What is truth? How do you know? Is the truth good? Again - how do you know?
2,500 years later, we continue to struggle with big complex questions. Are we reducing costs if we have not eliminated human rights abuses in the supply chain? Is energy renewable if we are still reliant on rare earth minerals from China? Applying the Socratic Method may make it possible to answer these questions by asking others… but use caution. This approach is not without danger.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- What the Socratic Method is and what the benefits are to using this approach to problem solving
- How companies can use the Socratic Method to solve the complex problems procurement and supply chains face today
- What is required in a corporate culture where the status quo is actually going to be challenged
On March 10th, there was a run on Silicon Valley Bank. Days of concerning news and regulatory filings from the bank caused depositors to panic and withdraw their cash.
The bank had already been sitting on a gap - a $17B variance between the paper value of their bonds and their market value. When $42 Billion was withdrawn in a very short period of time, it was a “death blow” as characterized by Hugh Son, a banking reporter at CNBC.
Although concerns weren’t raised publicly more than a couple of days prior to the run, all of the signs were there. Could the response to this risky situation be just as much a matter of psychology as mismanagement?
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- What loss aversion theory is and how it relates to risk aversion
- How loss averse decision making can quickly pervade a company’s culture
- Innately human responses that are hardwired into all our thinking and dictate our decision making in stressful situations
In August of 2022, the relationship between FedEx Ground and their network of delivery contractors looked like it was about to implode. Led by major contractor and industry consultant Spencer Patton, thousands of contractors pushed back on the logistics giant - claiming that increasing costs were making it impossible for them to operate profitably.
FedEx sued Route Consultant, Patton’s consultancy, and canceled the Ground territory held by his 4 firms. The case has now worked its way through the federal court system, with Spencer Patton and Route Consultant winning the day with a full dismissal. FedEx has until April 11th to appeal, so the story continues, but there is already a lot this story can teach us.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- The basis of the very public dispute between Spencer Patton and FedEx Ground
- The details of the court ruling, effective March 10, 2023, in favor of Route Consultant
- Why the differences between constitutionally protected speech and commercial speech created a distinction that played in Patton’s favor
On February 3rd 2023, a Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. 38 cars derailed, 11 of which contained hazardous materials, and 5 of those contained vinyl chloride - a chemical used to make polyvinyl chloride. The community, including both animals and humans, have been suffering from the side effects of the chemical, as has the local environment.
This devastating story has much to teach, far beyond the rail industry. It is an opportunity to consider how data-driven decision making works in practice, for better or for worse.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- The question of ownership and responsibility
- What worked as designed - and yet still led to failure
- What changes may be made as a result, and whether they would have prevented the disaster in East Palestine
Nothing that is simple is real, and nothing that is real is simple.
Procurement and supply chain professionals excel at solving problems like supply uncertainty and cost mitigation against the backdrop of ESG initiatives, changing regulations, and high stakes geopolitics. There is never a dull moment, but would we want it any other way?
After a brief break between seasons, Dial P for Procurement is back… ready to cover the complexity that surrounds us with a critical eye and endless enthusiasm about the opportunity to learn something new.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner covers:
- Big news about the Dial P for Procurement podcast
- The major news stories she’s covered via the newsletter in 2023
- What you can expect from this show going forward
In 2022, we saw more than our fair share of high profile strikes. There were the Canadian truckers and the South Korean truckers (who actually went on strike twice). we saw longshoremen and dock workers walk off the job in Long Beach, California. Even the New York Times newsroom employees went on strike.
The (almost) railway workers strike was the most dramatic and the most educational of them all. It was on again, off again, and then on again and off again. It also taught us a lot about all of the players and stakeholder groups that get involved in these matters.
In this Dial P updated classic, host Kelly Barner brings the story up to date and manages to avoid saying, "I told you so."
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What was the tipping point that led to the federal government getting involved?
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What was the major sticking point that led some of the largest unions voting down the approved agreement?
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What is next for the railway industry and its labor force?
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/dial-p-updated-classic-making-trains-run-time-dp57
We all have advice from a trusted source that we carry with us everywhere and always. For Dial P host Kelly Barner, much of that advice came from her dad. In this uniquely personal episode, which first aired on what would be Timothy J. McCarthy’s 71st birthday, Kelly shares the best of his advice so that you can benefit from it too.
• Embrace ownership in your life, whether that means learning to ride a bike or admitting to your mistakes. Unless you own your shortcomings, you can’t own your successes.
• There is no substitute for hard work, certainly not luck – don’t ever point to luck. Call your shot and then go get it; don’t let anyone or anything slow you down.
• It doesn’t matter what your goal is or who you are. All that matters is that you have the dedication and perseverance to make your vision a reality.
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/real-world-advice-life-well-lived-dp56
On June 2nd, Dial P released an episode explaining how Unilever CEO Alan Jope may have been 'losing the plot' by putting his company’s social mission before fundamental business practices. Unilever had asked each of its 400 brands to tie a social or environmental mission into their branding and marketing efforts, a mandate that delivered mixed results in a difficult year.
In 2022, the company failed to acquire GSK’s healthcare division after three attempts, saw its stock value fall 25 percent from where it was in 2019, and raised prices by 12.5 percent as consumers switched to less expensive store brands. When activist investor Nelson Peltz took a seat on the Unilever board in July, the writing was on the wall. Social agenda notwithstanding, Unilever was underperforming.
In this Dial P Updated Classic, Kelly Barner brings the Unilever story up to date and considers what may be next for the consumer brands giant.
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/dial-p-classic-social-mission-business-fundamentals-dp55
2022 was a wild year… The speed and complexity of the world seem to keep increasing. The news stories that made headlines this year seemed to defy prediction and logic… and yet, each month brought new and surprising events.
As we get ready to boldly go forward into 2023, host Kelly Barner pauses and takes a look back at the major procurement and supply chain news stories that captured the world’s attention this year.
In this episode of Dial P, she reviews:
• The results of a LinkedIn poll that gave Dial P audience members the opportunity to rank the top procurement and supply chain news stories of 2022
• A few honorable mentions that stood out but didn’t make the top of the list
• The overarching challenges and lessons learned that all of us should be carrying into 2023
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/2022-procurement-supply-chain-news-review-dp54
The world is so complicated today… we could play the ‘what if’ game all day long.
• What if the railroad workers push back?
• What if retailers can’t shed all that unwanted inventory?
• What if Ukraine starts to lose ground?
• What if China invades Taiwan?
There’s a ‘what if’ where we have evidence to consider: we can just look to Hong Kong. On July 1st, 1997, sovereignty over the city of Hong Kong transferred from the United Kingdom to China. The events that followed give us more than enough to project what Taiwan could expect if they were to become a full part of the People’s Republic of China.
In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner reviews:
• What was supposed to happen in the years following the transfer of Hong Kong to China
• How the actual course of events has impacted Hong Kong’s citizens, economy, and press
• The current news story that is placing Hong Kong’s legal system back in the headlines
• What all of this may mean for Taiwan, and therefore, global supply chains
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/speculating-future-taiwan-dp53
Supplier diversity professionals have good reason to celebrate in 2022. Companies clearly see a connection between supplier diversity and workplace culture. They recognize that their commitment to supplier diversity is also an investment in the employee experience.
The 2022 State of Supplier Diversity Report received the highest level of annual participation since it was first run in 2017. Over 200 companies of different sizes and industries shared their current status, best practices, operational challenges, and vision for the future. They see evidence that the good news is real but also recognize that there is still work to be done.
In this livestream-based interview, Aylin Basom, CEO of supplier.io., and Lois Eichacker, Vice President of Customer Success at supplier.io, joined Kelly Barner and Scott Luton to share the most compelling findings from this year’s report and interact with the exceptional Dial P audience.
They took this opportunity to comment on the report’s three key findings, putting them into context and making them actionable for all organizations:
• Corporate buy in for supplier diversity is stronger than ever, with the most effective programs truly and meaningfully engaging their executive leadership teams
• Challenges remain between the vision of supplier diversity and the operational reality, but best practices have emerged that significantly increase support below the C-level
• Ensuring that quantitative measurement not only happens, but is made as easy and efficient as possible, helps supplier diversity managers focus their efforts where they are most needed
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
The Supplier.io State of Supplier Diversity Report: https://hubs.la/Q01qM-3J0
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/state-supplier-diversity-progress-process-empowerment-dp52
Some of the stories Dial P covers during the year are so big, impactful, and educational, that they warrant revisiting long after they have faded from the headlines.
In this Dial P updated Classic, host Kelly Barner looks back at the baby formula shortage that rocked the nation earlier this year by providing a few updates to the story since we covered it in May. The most important update of all is that families, especially families with babies who have special nutritional needs, continue to struggle.
For instance:
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The baby formula shortage peaked in July – when the national average out of stock rate was 31%. As of October, out of stock rates are down, but still double what they were before the Abbott facility closed and recalled a significant volume of product.
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The Abbott plant in Sturgis, MI reopened on July first - after an additional two-week delay due to heavy flooding at the facility.
There are no signs that the WIC (Women Infants and Children) program is being reexamined for the role it played in causing this crisis by driving supply concentration with its one-provider-per-state bidding strategy.
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/dial-p-updated-classic-baby-formula-crisis-dp51
Energy costs are surging, partially because of a lack of supply and partially about the constraints placed on the movement of existing supplies. The Northeastern United States is in a particularly precarious position because of the supply chain modes used to transport the fuel needed to heat people's homes.
As with all Dial P topics, energy is complicated - and the sources of fuel that we think of as separate actually quite interconnected.
In this episode of Dial P, host Kelly Barner reviews a few energy-related questions which sound simple enough but get very complicated when you put them together:
• What determines the cost and prices of diesel fuel, home heating oil, natural gas, and electricity?
• How available are these different sources of energy?
• When is product availability an issue and when is the ability to move them from point A to point B the real problem?
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/winter-coming-trouble-energy-supply-chain-dp50
Last week’s business news was all Twitter all the time. With Elon Musk as the new owner of the company, and the company losing $4 Million per day, something had to give. Then came the announcement that about half of the company’s employees would be laid off, entire teams in some cases. And yet, Twitter is hardly the only company laying people off this year.
There have been many stories in the papers about individual companies having layoffs. Less common are overarching discussions of all of the layoffs.
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner looks into the differences and similarities between the companies associated with recent layoffs:
• Reported layoff details by company and industry
• The varied reasons for those layoffs
• How these layoffs connect to the overall employment situation in the United States… including the looming potential recession
Additional Links & Resources:
Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement
Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/tracking-recent-layoffs-dp49
NATO was formed in 1949, in the aftermath of World War II, to ensure peace in Europe. Under article 5 of the treaty, an attack on one member nation is considered an attack on all - and therefore a military response is required. Since 2006, NATO countries have committed to spend a minimum of 2 percent of their GDP on the military - a promise most have not upheld. Now there is a proposal to standardize military equipment across countries. The hope is that this will make battlefield coordination easier and simpler. In practice, however, it would lead to far more negative consequences - cancelled contracts, broken supplier relationships, and unhealthy national interdependencies - than they realize. In this episode of Dial P, Kelly Barner reviews the classic dilemma presented by multi-stakeholder strategic sourcing projects and the unintended consequences they can have: - You don’t get something for nothing… what would NATO have to trade to get military standardization? - What are the geopolitical implications of causing over concentration in the global industrial military complex? - How detrimental is it to this effort that so many of NATO's members do not live up to their spending commitments? Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/NATO-discovers-classic-strategic-sourcing-dilemma-dp48
There’s a reason that the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and there are many examples of this principle playing out in business today. Many of them boil down to two specific scenarios: - An idea is conceived of by one person, but handed over to another for execution - An idea that works when led as a one-off, but which does not scale well at all One of those could easily be at play in a case of supplier diversity efforts gone wrong… in this case, at McDonald’s. They segment a portion of their $1.6 Billion annual advertising budget for black-owned firms, but Byron Allen, owner of Allen Media Group, doesn’t want an opportunity in this segment – he wants McDonald’s commercials to run on his stations nationwide. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner looks into the complex dynamics at play between McDonald’s and Allen Media Group: • The federal court case pending against McDonalds, brought by Allen Media Group, which owns the Weather Channel as well as 36 ABC, CBS, and Fox television stations • The good intentions at the heart of the McDonald’s supplier diversity program which may be causing some problems for them now • What companies and supplier diversity program leaders can learn from this story Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/downside-supplier-diversity-mcdonalds-dp47
On September 19th, 2022, the European Commission released a proposal for a new Single Market Emergency Instrument. The instrument, which is effectively a toolbox of options that can be leveraged in case of future supply chain disruptions, is one of the many changes the world has seen since the start of the pandemic. The proposal includes flowery phrases like “unity and solidarity” and “cooperation and cohesion.” And they sound very nice - in theory. The question is whether they will survive both another macro emergency and also the provisions of the emergency instrument once invoked. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, host Kelly Barner reviews: • The basic framework and provisions of the European Union Single Market Emergency Instrument • The challenges associated with putting it into practice in the real world • Objections and concerns that have already been voiced from EU member states • A present day example of the power dynamics in Europe that may reveal the weaknesses of a "unified" approach Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/EU-function-single-market-emergency-dp46
Procurement never makes the news, but when we do, we don’t hold anything back. Case in point: a viral video featuring (former) Apple Vice President of Procurement Tony Blevins. He recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. The question is whether he was truly fired for what he said in that viral TikTok or whether it was an opportunity for the company to distance themselves for his ‘old school’ approach to procurement, carried out in grand style over the last 22 years. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner preserves the professional story of Tony Blevins before it is all pulled down off the Internet and considers: • What we know about his role at Apple over the last two decades • The real rationale behind his sudden and dramatic departure • What this story tells us about Apple and their procurement function: past, present, and future… Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/rise-fall-apple-procurement-dp45
Global supply chains are decidedly intermodal, and rail plays a much larger role than many people may realize. The potential for a rail workers’ strike recently dominated news headlines… until it didn’t. The strike was averted at the 11th hour by efforts made by Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. But is the strike risk really behind us? Nothing is over until it is over, and the membership of the 12 unions involved in the agreement still have to vote. If they don’t ratify the agreement, the potential impact has been estimated at $2 Billion per day. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner moves beyond the headlines about the rail workers’ strike to better understand the real status of this important supply chain channel: • What did the rail unions want from their new contract? • The terms and conditions are on the table for union vote • What we learned from news coverage of the strike, and whether there will be future implications of the new agreement Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/tentatively-making-trains-run-time-dp44
FedEx has been in the news a lot lately, and for all the wrong reasons. They are facing a challenge from many of the 6,000 contractors that handle their FedEx Ground and FedEx Ground Economy deliveries. Spencer Patton has been the loudest voice in the dispute. As FedEx’s largest Ground contractor – at least until August 26th when his contract was cancelled – he has used his voice to call attention to the financial and operational difficulties faced by contractors. Many of those independent service providers gathered together in person at the 2022 Contractor Expo, held just days before Patton was terminated and FedEx sued his company in Federal Court. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner looks into the source of the dispute between FedEx and their Ground contractors: • What is the current status of the FedEx Ground contractor dispute and where did it begin? • What of we know about Spencer Patton? • What are the contractors main pain points? • What has FedEx’s response been? • How does the ongoing saga look from a macro perspective – and what we have learned from FedEx’s recent financial disclosures? Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/fedex-ground-contractor-woes-dp43
Banned Books Week is an annual effort to call attention to censorship and intellectual freedom. This year it runs from September 18th through the 24th. While Banned Books Week is mostly marked by libraries around the country, the drive behind it is something that all adults need to understand. Banned books are the physical representation of banned ideas. The idea of banning (or burning) a book, may send a chill up your spine, but are we taking the steps that are needed to protect the more abstract but just as important freedom of thought. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner – who holds a Masters Degree in Library Science from Simmons College in Boston – extends the mission behind Banned Books Week to the free exchange of ideas that is REQUIRED to succeed in the face of today’s procurement and supply chain challenges: • Having the stomach to participate in a world with diversity of thought • Maximizing the ROI of ideas by letting them all crash around together… with the best coming out on top • Giving the benefit of the doubt to a colleague who disagrees with you or who shares an opinion you find unpleasant Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/banned-book-week-intellectual-freedom-dp42
Although the most memorable shortage of 2020 was toilet paper, there was a span of time in the spring and early summer when the food supply chain was under strain as well. Concerned about lockdowns and being able to feed their families, people bought huge quantities of groceries and stocked up their homes. This kicked off a strong bullwhip effect, clearing supermarket shelves and creating shortages that reverberated through the supply chain to wholesalers and distributors. ButcherBox is a Boston-based meat subscription service that delivers high quality meat and seafood directly to consumers’ homes. Demand for their services skyrocketed overnight, with thousands of people hitting their website hourly at the peak. As a self-described “member obsessed” team, ButcherBox had some important decisions to make. How fast could they expand? How would they protect their existing customer experience? How many people could they help while preserving their quality standards? Tom Burke is the Chief Operating Officer at ButcherBox. He is responsible for technology, people ops, customer support, and finance. In this Dial P for Procurement video interview, he joins host Kelly Barner to talk about the choices he and his team had to make during the pandemic, what they have seen in terms of demand since, and what is on the horizon for their mission-driven company. • What went into the decision to start waitlisting new customers in March of 2020, and how ButcherBox managed its growth during the surge • How innovating to create fully recyclable packaging and making the strategic decision to purchase their own dry ice facility align with their value proposition and corporate culture • What they have learned about the connections between sourcing high quality protein, supporting the farming community, and making lasting improvements to the environment Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/thoughtful-approach-relentless-improvement-butcherbox-dp41
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which took effect on June 21, 2022, is aimed at stopping human rights abuses taking place in the Xinjiang Autonomous Region of China. All goods coming from the region are assumed to be the result of forced labor unless the importer can prove otherwise – an uphill climb to be sure. Despite the good intent behind the law, many challenges remain. The United Nations recently found that human rights concerns exist, but China still holds a seat on the U.N. Human Rights council. Of all the supply chains affected by the law, solar panels are facing the greatest scrutiny and disruption so far. Can the impact of the UFLPA live up to the expectations? In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner follows up on the UFLPA post-enactment to see how the good intent of this new law is playing out in practice: • What the UFLPA is hoping to accomplish? • What has the implementation of the law been like so far? • What questions remain unanswered? Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/intent-effect-uyghur-forced-labor-regulation-dp40
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) programs are at the top of many C-suite agendas, and they have held their place despite economic challenges and sustained supply chain disruption. And yet, in the world of investing, ESG Funds are starting to come under scrutiny – do they satisfy requirements for fiduciary responsibility? Although most conversations about ESG focus on the environmental and social benefits they promise to deliver, it may be the G – Governance – that ultimately keeps everyone on the straight and narrow. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner looks at recent news stories and lawsuits related to ESG investing and speculates what they may mean for other corporate ESG initiatives: • How are ESG scores issued, and how closely do they mirror what is happening operationally? • What kind of leverage does passive investing give influential funds over the companies they invest in? • Can advancing environmental and social causes be done without forgoing expected returns? Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/looking-esg-investing-dp39
With today’s challenging economic conditions, all companies are under pressure to remain profitable and hit earnings expectations. Retailers may be feeling the greatest stress of all, simultaneously dealing with inflation, changes in consumer sentiment, and loads of unwanted inventory. The result? Working capital problems galore. Watching for evidence of how retailers handle this combination of circumstances is an education in and of itself. In some cases, it is instructional and in others it is a clear what NOT to do. Case in point… a recent news story involving Target, Walmart, and a few suppliers who are decidedly unhappy with recent changes in their business arrangements. According to those suppliers, they have been asked to pay for their own logistics costs, hold inventory longer than expected, and accept reductions in order volume. How do we know about this frustration? They spoke to the media about it: on the record. Philip Ideson is the Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement. In this Dial P for Procurement interview, he and host Kelly Barner discuss this scenario and apply their own experience to pull out as many lessons as possible for the rest of us: - Why retailers currently find themselves in this challenging situation - How the strain is affecting their supplier relationships in the short and longer term - What options might have been better to pursue – perhaps preserving the effectiveness of the supply ecosystem Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/supply-relationships-saved-dp38
Empathy is frequently cited as one of the most important qualities in hiring, management, and corporate culture in general. Empathy peaked in 2020 as communities and companies rallied to withstand the pandemic, but time has a way of wearing away all things. Are we finally succumbing to ‘empathy fatigue?’ In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner gathers data and anecdotes – plus a little custom research – to assess how effective our current empathy practices are: • What empathy really means on individual and leadership levels • The costs associated with practicing empathy • Why empathy is not happiness and can’t be mandated • How we can all get better together Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/sustained-empathetic-leadership-dp37
On July 27th, the Senate passed the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022. It is now awaiting President Biden’s signature. Proponents of the bill say it will reduce U.S. dependence on foreign producers of semiconductor chips by building manufacturing capabilities at home. Skeptics – which oddly include both progressive Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders and conservative Republicans – say it amounts to “corporate welfare.” So who is right? The CHIPS in the CHIPS Act stands for ‘Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors.’ But are the incentives, and the resulting changes, actually “Helpful” for the U.S. semiconductor industry? In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner digs into the global semiconductor market and talks about some relevant considerations not covered in the language of the legislation: • What’s in the bill? • What can and can’t be done with the funding? • Why has U.S. semiconductor manufacturing capacity has been falling since the 1990s? • How long will it take to see the benefits? • And issues like sustainability and intellectual property that still have to be resolved before this bill can achieve the ultimate vision. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/CHIPS-act-helpful-us-incentives-dp36
Why is fuel so expensive? Consumers have been feeling the pain at the pump for a while, and now large companies like Amazon and Walmart are adding fuel surcharges to cover their costs. If they can’t negotiate their way out of high rates, the rest of us have very little hope of being able to do so. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner digs into the oil supply chain, considering: – What the margins, investments, and risks are like at each tier of production – The impact sanctions against Russia and Iraq are having on gas prices – Strategies for procurement and supply chain professionals trying to contain their commercial and personal fuel costs Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/why-fuel-expensive-dp35
On June 17, 2022, the member countries of the World Trade Organization (WTO) accepted a proposal made by the U.S., E.U., India, and South Africa that modifies nationally granted intellectual property rights related to the COVID-19 vaccine. The proposal was leaked early, so the world knew the vote was coming. But other than the WTO and a few media organizations, most of the world shrugged at the news, despite the big picture implications for private industry. The COVID-19 vaccine was made available on an impressive timeline, thanks to the incentives created by Operation Warp Speed. But if for-profit companies fear losing their intellectual property rights, what choice will they make in the future? Many innovations, including mRNA vaccines, are the result of private investment and risk tolerance. If companies do not believe their intellectual property rights will be respected and protected, they have less incentive to innovate and almost no incentive to collaborate. Wen Xie is a patent attorney and a Partner at Global IP Counselors, LLP. In this Dial P for Procurement interview, she and host Kelly Barner review the events leading up to the proposal’s acceptance and its potential future implications: • How the WTO’s decision to waive IP rights for COVID-19 vaccines might change the decision-making calculus of for-profit companies going forward • Where we may already be seeing evidence that other international organizations are considering the extent to which they can challenge IP rights • What professionals that are not in the field of intellectual law should take away from this series of events Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen) Follow Wen Xie on Twitter https://twitter.com/Wen_Xie_IPviews (https://twitter.com/Wen_Xie_IPviews) Dial P audio Podcast: Is the World Trade Organization Jeopardizing Innovation by Failing to Protect IP? https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/4160fecd-9673-4cba-b463-3e43d545eaa2/FINAL-20AUDIO-20DP-200609-20Z-20MPG.mp3 (https://podcasts.captivate.fm/media/4160fecd-9673-4cba-b463-3e43d545eaa2/FINAL-20AUDIO-20DP-200609-20Z-20MPG.mp3) The Misapplication & Legal Deficiencies of the TRIPS Agreement for COVID-19 Patents, National Law Review https://www.natlawreview.com/article/misapplication-legal-deficiencies-trips-agreement-covid-19-patents (https://www.natlawreview.com/article/misapplication-legal-deficiencies-trips-agreement-covid-19-patents) Draft Ministerial Decision On The TRIPS Agreement, World Trade Organization https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/WT/MIN22/W15R1.pdf&Open=True (https://docs.wto.org/dol2fe/Pages/SS/directdoc.aspx?filename=q:/WT/MIN22/W15R1.pdf&Open=True) This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/guarding-private-incentive-innovate-dp34
Corporate sustainability initiatives are critical to the health of our planet – but the distance between objectives and regulated execution on a detailed level can sometimes be very broad. Case in point: Worthington Industries, the last U.S. based manufacturer of lightweight recyclable cylinders for transporting refrigerants. Because their cylinders are used to transport hydrofluorocarbons (or HFCs), they’re on a collision course with the EPA… cue the drama. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner breaks down the good news, bad news, and surprising news in this supply chain related story: – Why the precise difference in meaning and usage of words like disposable, non-refillable, recyclable, and refillable matter – The complexities caused by the intertwined nature of government regulators and global supply chains – The role of legislation and interpretation in enacting sustainability requirements Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/refillable-recyclable-EPA-domestic-production-dp33
If you joined Supply Chain Now for the 2022 Supply Chain and Procurement Awards, you know that we partnered with Hope for Justice, a global non-profit dedicated to ending human trafficking and modern slavery, as our philanthropy partner. This is a cause that supply chain and procurement professionals can do more than support; we can play an active role in the fight against human trafficking. For an example, look no further than the truck discovered in San Antonio, Texas in June. 48 deceased migrants were found on the scene, and 5 more would die later because of the conditions they experienced in the trailer of that truck. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner examines what has been described as the deadliest migrant smuggling incident in recorded history and what supply chain professionals need to know: – Massive delays and backups at border crossings as the United States tries to thwart human and drug smugglers – U.S. DOT regulations requiring clear, visual identification on each truck – The little-discussed and under-addressed challenge of DOT number “cloning” Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/heavy-traffic-human-trafficking-us-border-dp32
“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.” -Declaration of Independence It would be easy to think of supply chains as a purely modern phenomenon. We think about Global logistics networks that leverage digital platforms using AI and predictive analytics and provide real time monitoring of package locations and conditions. It is absolutely amazing what is possible today – despite the challenges that persist. But the concept of global supply chains goes as far back as the spice trade and silk roads to and through Asia in 2000 BC. And the expression, “follow the money” – well that dates back as old as mankind as well, and business motivations, or at least financial ones, underpin many of the major moments in human history. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner looks at the many ways that supply chain and procurement turned the tide of history by helping the American colonists best the most spectacular fighting force in the world, the British Army, to found our own country. – In response to the Navigation Acts and the Mercantilist System – In the language included in the Declaration of Independence – And in the very clever strategies deployed by General George Washington to make the British think he had more men than he really did Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/american-supply-chain-revolution-dp31
In late January 2022, hundreds of heavy-duty trucks headed for Ottawa, Canada. They parked in front of the national legislature building and in nearby streets. Period. They parked. Those drivers shut down most of central Ottawa for 23 days in protest of the nation’s vaccine mandates and related requirements. But did you know that just a couple of weeks ago there was another truckers strike, one that had the potential to drive even more global business and supply chain disruptions? In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares the details of the recent heavy-duty truck driver strike in South Korea: • What drove the drivers to go on strike • Which global industries were affected and how badly • The impact and outcomes of the strike Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/leverage-18-wheels-south-korean-driver-strike-dp30
Supplier diversity is not a new corporate initiative. In 1968, General Motors started what is generally recognized as one of the first supplier diversity programs in America. The death of George Floyd in 2020 raised awareness of supplier diversity programs in the C-suite. Widespread demonstrations and public outcry drove renewed corporate interest and activism across industries and in companies of all sizes. Almost immediately, the operational challenges associated with turning those intentions into reality at scale set in. Finding suppliers to partner with, setting the most appropriate KPIs, and positioning supplier diversity relative to other ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) programs is not easy. Companies must embrace the cause as part of their overall culture to make it sustainable. In this Dial P for Procurement interview, Kelly Barner welcomes Ken Yearwood, an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company and one of the authors of the research based-article ‘Expand diversity among your suppliers—and add value to your organization.’ In this interview, Kelly and Ken discuss: • The key success factors he has observed in companies that are leading the way and fulfilling their vision with regard to partnering with minority-owned businesses • How procurement can help decision makers overcome their natural reticence to try new things in order to introduce new suppliers into the company • Why companies should be measuring and reporting on their economic impact of their supplier diversity program Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen) This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/resurgence-economic-impact-supplier-diversity-programs-american-mckinsey-dp29
Although no one expected it, the war in Ukraine is now approaching the end of its fourth month. Refugees continue to flee the country and calls for weaponry persist. President Zelenskyy and his leadership team are hanging tough, advocating for their citizens, and requesting as much military assistance as they can get from the rest of the world. But now the war in Ukraine is starting to claim casualties on foreign shores… not in the form of refugees, but in a hunger crisis of global proportions. Before the war, Ukraine was the 4th largest exporter of grain in the world. Now, 20 metric tonnes of grain are sitting in silos as hunger increases worldwide and the next crop not only has no place to go – if it can’t be sold, there won’t be funds to pay for next year’s harvest. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner considers the diplomatic, humanitarian, and logistics issues that have to be overcome to get the grain out of Ukraine: • Rail and sea options that all seem to have more negatives than positives • Countries and organizations like the United Nations that are getting involved in an effort to stave off famines • Bad actors in the region that the Western world may be tempted to deal with in order to prevent mass starvation Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/race-against-clock-grain-ukraine-dp28
The innovation we saw play out in the development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines was evidence of the power of modern medicine when combined with the determination of the human spirit. Global collaboration plus investment plus information sharing compressed the time from start to finish from 10-15 years to just one year. But now that the smoke has started to clear, questions are beginning to arise about the IP associated with those vaccines. How can the world ensure equitable access to vaccines and treatments now and into the future? In May of 2022, a draft proposal leaked from a few member countries in the World Trade Organization: United States, European Union, India, and South Africa. If the proposal is presented to other member companies on July 7-9 (it has already been delayed from a planned vote on June 9th), we will have the opportunity to see the official wording as well as the response it gets from the rest of the world. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner reviews the interesting complexities surrounding this leaked proposal: • Whether equitable access to vaccines and other medical treatments is really at the heart of the proposal, or whether there are other motives at play • Why the WTO TRIPS agreement (Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) isn’t being invoked even though it contains appropriate allowances for temporary, local IP access in the case of “extreme urgency” • What the implications of inconsistently applied IP protections might be for global innovation – in medicine and beyond Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
Sources: https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/shot_of_a_lifetime_how_pfizer_developed_its_own_raw_materials_to_ensure_a_steady_supply_for_the_covid_19_vaccine (https://www.pfizer.com/news/articles/shot_of_a_lifetime_how_pfizer_developed_its_own_raw_materials_to_ensure_a_steady_supply_for_the_covid_19_vaccine) https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2022/02/11/why-global-vaccine-equity-is-the-prescription-for-a-full-recovery/ (https://www.brookings.edu/blog/future-development/2022/02/11/why-global-vaccine-equity-is-the-prescription-for-a-full-recovery/) https://www.orfonline.org/research/is-this-the-end-of-multilateralism-for-trade/ (https://www.orfonline.org/research/is-this-the-end-of-multilateralism-for-trade/) https://www.natlawreview.com/article/misapplication-legal-deficiencies-trips-agreement-covid-19-patents (https://www.natlawreview.com/article/misapplication-legal-deficiencies-trips-agreement-covid-19-patents) https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2022/03/16/russian-businesses-can-now-legally-steal-intellectual-property-unfriendly-countries/id=147528/ (https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2022/03/16/russian-businesses-can-now-legally-steal-intellectual-property-unfriendly-countries/id=147528/) https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/05/09/bhr-l-pooley-oped-0509/ (https://www.bostonherald.com/2022/05/09/bhr-l-pooley-oped-0509/)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/wto-jeopardizing-innovation-protect-ip-dp27
ESG – or environmental, social, and governance – programs are high visibility opportunities for companies to grab headlines, earn goodwill and brand loyalty from consumers, and hopefully make the world a better place. But if not pursued strategically, they can also be a company’s downfall. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares the lessons learned from companies who have chosen to put social mission before business fundamentals: • Consumer brands that are required to have a social or environmental mission or risk divestment from the company • Why inclusive sizing sounds nice but comes with costs that can’t easily be passed along to consumers • Social missions that were wildly successful in their ability to improve brand reputation without distracting the team from their operational marks Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/losing-plot-social-mission-business-fundamentals-DP26
Recessions are more common than most people realize. We have had 12 recessions in the last 75 years and 4 in the last 30. Some were caused by wars, and others by tech and housing bubbles, but they each left their mark on the American people and businesses. What everyone wants to know today is whether another recession is on the horizon? Many signs point to an increasing probability of recession, most strictly defines as two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth, but the “experts” can’t seem to agree on timing and severity. In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner explains the parameters of recession and what we should be on the lookout for in future economic reports. • Why is there such a long lag time between the beginning of a recession and official declaration? • What is the connection between today’s record-high inflation numbers and the likelihood of recession? • Are there any silver linings to a recessionary economy? Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/does-matter-recession-dp25
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner makes a thorough and data-driven examination of the current baby formula shortage. Although the earliest news coverage started in January of 2022, we actually have to go back to September of 2019 to fully understand the source of the crisis parents are facing today. From out of stock rates that have been increasing since November of 2021, to plant closures and recalls, to any available prognostication about when the shortages are expected to end, this story is a complex one – and it serves as a sad but fascinating study of what can go wrong when quality concerns meet lagging inspections and unpredictable consumer demand. Kelly covers relevant information about: • How long the Sturgis, Michigan plant was an issue – and who (beyond the whistleblower) knew about it • How the federally funded Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) assistance program may have contributed to the market over-concentration we have today • What procurement and supply chain professionals can learn from this set of unfortunate circumstances to apply in the future Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/hunting-source-baby-formula-shortage-dp24
Governments and regulators across the globe are stepping up their oversight of corporate operations so they can drive more ethical and environmentally sustainable business practices. Each effort to uncover harmful and unethical business practices - such as environmental degradation, unfair or unsafe working conditions, and modern slavery – increases the challenge for procurement and supply chain professionals increases. One such example, the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, takes effect on June 21, 2022. It states that all goods made in Xinjiang, China will be presumed to involve slave labor unless the company can prove otherwise. Like other ESG laws, the Uyghur FLPA will require companies to increase visibility into first-tier suppliers as well as sub-tier suppliers. What do we need to do to prepare for this act and other ESG laws and regulations? In this livestream-based episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton welcome Constantine Limberakis, Senior Director of Global Product & Solutions Marketing at riskmethods, to discuss: • Who the Uyghurs are and why they and the autonomous region of Xinjiang are they being singled out for international oversight • What products and commodities are exported from this region, and how many industries and/or supply chains will be affected by the new law • The questions that remain open about how this law will be enforced and what the penalties will be for those who do not comply Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen) Riskmethod’s Supply Chain Laws You Should Know: https://bit.ly/3vV6ipE (https://bit.ly/3vV6ipE) This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/preparing-uyghur-forced-labor-prevention-act-riskmethods-dp23
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner answers the question so many of us have been thinking since the news broke on April 25th that Elon Musk and Twitter had come to an agreement to allow the company to be taken private: What happens now? We’ll leave the social and journalistic implications to the pundits, but buying a company as big as Twitter is far more complicated than buying a Tesla. There are layers of review, votes, and a few unknowns before the deal is completely done. By examining primary sources and recent news coverage, Kelly explains all of the business details and behind-the-scenes machinations that will have to come to pass before the world’s richest man becomes the outright owner of Twitter. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/elon-musk-twitter-dp22
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner wonders whether CEOs have to – or even can – love their customers. What does that require from executives and what happens if they are unable to muster such a personal emotion in the workplace? In most B2C companies, but especially in retail, there are some key differences between the ‘typical’ CEO and his or her customers. From age to gender, annual salary to the place they call home, CEOs and the average middle American have very little in common. And while CEOs can’t make themselves like their customers, they can certainly understand what appeals to them about the company’s offerings and why… and give them more of that. Using real life examples – both good and bad – we will see what CEO love looks like and what the opposite earns them. Building a community, even a community of one, based on value, respect, and communication, is a foundation. But as LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program member Nicky Saunders asked in a recent post, “Have you celebrated and talked to your people or are you too busy chasing more?” Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/ceo-love-dp21
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner thinks back through one of the core concepts from the March livestream featuring Koray Kose and Rik Vera: moving from the old economy to the new economy – and making the most of the time between. As you might guess, the old economy was marked by transactions, economies of scale, and clear boundaries between what was ‘in scope’ for corporations and what was not. The rules were clear but the potential for innovation was constrained. In the new economy, opportunities will abound, but success will not be easily won by the faint of heart. If you’re looking for proof of that, consider Elon Musk. He is a confirmed time traveler from the new economy who has arrived to shake things up and give us a look into the future. In the new economy, everything is far more interrelated and interdependent, and the lines are blurred between companies, governments, and humanitarian organizations. Will you have the courage, vision, and energy to succeed in the new economy? Only time will tell. In the meantime, just don’t say ‘digital.’ Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/digital-new-economy-dp20
The distance between the United States is far, and that statement remains true whether you are describing geography, culture, or business practices. But how much of what we have been led to believe about the country with the world’s second largest economy is true and how much is hype? We decided to ask someone who is there, making a living bridging the gaps in supply chains and understanding between Chinese companies and their Western customers. In this week’s Dial P for Procurement interview, Kelly Barner is joined by Jeffrey Goldstein, Founder & President of ONWARD Global. More important than his title though, is his location. Jeffrey has been based in Shanghai, China for the last 12 years. He works with international startups, brands, and retailers, serving as their on-the-ground representation in China, managing their sourcing, manufacturing, and ethical compliance. In this interview, Kelly asks Jeffrey frank questions about: • How companies have partnered with firms based in China over the last couple of years despite the strict travel restrictions imposed as part of China’s ‘Zero COVID’ policy • Whether commonly held notions of what a ‘business relationship’ means in the West versus China are compatible • Procurement investments in digital transformation – have they improved interactions with Chinese suppliers? • The risks Western companies may be creating for themselves if they push Chinese suppliers too hard on price Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/boots-ground-shanghai-china-dp19
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner gets back to basics to address one of the dominating news stories and business concerns today: inflation. What is it, what causes it, and isn’t there SOMETHING we can do to make It stop??? Listen in for a refresher on the basics, some examples of how it connects all of the different major forces in the economy, and some strategies and tactics you can employ as a corporate employee to get through today’s heavily inflationary times. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/inflation-expectations-self-fulfilling-prophesy-dp18
People and companies talk about technology constantly, but they don’t know what to do with it. Fortunately, procurement is in a position to be an initiator of supply ecosystem relationships that are trust-based even though they are distributed. To achieve this, we will have to de-hype technologies by looking beyond the surface - which, in most cases, is a thin digital frosting on the same old cake. If we want to escape the old economy, we have to root out everything that serves as a connection to old ways of thinking: experiences, KPIs, language, and thinking of our supply chains from the bottom up. Everyone in a supply chain wants to have contact with the customer, so the only way to win is for everyone in the ecosystem to work together. That said, change can be deceptive; in many cases, the things that change fastest do not indicate meaningful change. In this Dial P for Procurement livestream, Rik Vera, international thought leader and author of the Guide to the Ecosystem Economy, and Koray Kose, Senior Director of Supply Chain Research at Gartner, joined co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton to discuss: - What the 'old economy' means in terms of systems, thinking, and language - What we are likely moving towards and what is driving it - How open-minded thinkers and innovators can work in the space between old and new to design a future for themselves Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen) This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/escaping-clutches-old-economy-building-supply-ecosystems-dp17
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares a special interview with Constance Jones, Senior Director of Network Delivery Services at NMSDC. NMSDC is the National Minority Supplier Development Council. They are responsible for certifying minority-owned business so that they can strengthen their partnerships with corporate supplier diversity programs. Kelly conducted this interview as part of the LinkedIn Creator Accelerator program she was selected to participate in as a member of the first creator group. Listen in as Constance shares her passion and ability to present a business case in equal measure. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/building-business-diversity-programs-DP16
In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner takes two ideas, both desirable, and asks if they can co-exist. One is paradigm shifts, and the other is expertise. It easy to see that people don’t like change, but are we rewarded for building up expertise in exclusion of new ideas? Do we build walls around our mindset and point of view that make us impervious to paradigm shifts? To underscore the need to find inspiration from a number of sources, Kelly quotes and pulls perspectives from John Dominic Crossan, Jennifer Ulrich, Malcom Gladwell, Charles Darwin, Max Planck, Thomas Kuhn, Rita Gunther McGrath, and Barbara Kingsolver. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/programs/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/does-development-expertise-naturally-lead-fail-dp15
In this first Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner takes the newspaper dominating conflict in Ukraine and looks at the active role some companies and leaders from private industry have played so far. While companies have gotten involved in armed conflicts before, it has usually been indirect – as suppliers to the government or respondents to official orders and sanctions. In 2022, however, large global corporations have the ability to enable or disable communications, shipments, and access to funds with the click of a button – changing the course of history much more quickly than governments can make policy decisions. And in the ESG era, consumers expect the companies they buy from to act in accordance with their values, not stand by idly. While we are all watching from the sidelines, some of us are sitting closer than others to the action. Each set of circumstances is an opportunity to think through what we would do… because we never know when the call will come, and a decision will be ours to make. What would you do? Additional Links and Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement (https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement: https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen (https://dial-p-for-procurement.captivate.fm/listen) This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/corporate-involvement-ukraine-era-esg-dp14 (https://supplychainnow.com/corporate-involvement-ukraine-era-esg-dp14)
Supply chain risk management is at the top of every corporate priority list right now. And while businesses have never had a time free from risk, the stakes are so high right now that the issue has become all-consuming. Since it is not an option to wait the risk out, wise organizations are investing in their own resilience and partnering with suppliers to strengthen their options. Today’s business challenges are creating demand for a “new risk management,” one that turns visibility into actionability and connects enterprise responsibility with individual incentives for improved outcomes that stand the test of time. In this episode, based on a Dial P for Procurement livestream, riskmethods’ Chief Product Officer & Managing Director of the Americas, Bill DeMartino, and Senior Director of Product & Solutions Marketing, Constantine Limberakis, discuss rebuilding confidence in the face of risk by establishing a single source of truth that people can trust and act upon: - How companies can bolster the capabilities and confidence of their decision makers in the face of never-ending disruption - Whether the uncertainty of the supply chain has taught procurement to truly partner with suppliers - The difference between having visibility into the nth tier of the supply chain and achieving actionable transparency This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/prepared-prevail-investing-collaborative-supply-chain-resilience-782
Of all the initiatives to grab the headlines over the last two years, none has united the global business community like the call for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). For procurement and supply chain teams, supplier diversity presents an opportunity to make an immediate difference in traditionally underrepresented communities and to ensure that their commitment stands the test of time. supplier.io recently competed their comprehensive annual study of supplier diversity programs across industries and from newly launched programs to those that have been in place for over a decade. Their 2021 State of Supplier Diversity Report not only captures the passion of the moment, but it also reflects trends dating back to 2017. One of the most compelling findings of the 2021 report is that the number of new supplier diversity programs has skyrocketed. In fact, there was a 60% increase in representation from programs less than three years old. These new programs bring with them fresh enthusiasm and a previously unseen level of executive support. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Neeraj Shah, CEO of supplier.io, answers live questions about the current state of supplier diversity and what will be needed to drive towards a results-oriented future: - How companies can turn intent into action in a way that promotes competitive advantages and collaborative partnerships with a diverse array of suppliers. - Why measurement and reporting are so critical to supplier diversity programs’ ability to deliver results and grow meaningfully year over year - What the most mature programs are doing to continue expanding their impact, including going global, pushing into tier 2 of the supply chain, and investing in supplier development Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ (https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/) 2021 State of Supplier Diversity Report: https://info.cvmsolutions.com/download-the-2021-state-of-supplier-diversity-reports-2 (https://info.cvmsolutions.com/download-the-2021-state-of-supplier-diversity-reports-2) This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/supplier-diversity-forefront-758
Dial P regulars know that when you ‘dial p’ you get procurement - usually. But sometimes, p is for payments and credit card processing. Keeping in mind that one company’s payments become another company’s cash flow is absolutely critical in today’s hyperconnected supply ecosystems. All procurement professionals need to know how multiple forms of invoicing and payment work – and how they can support all suppliers’ desire to get paid sooner. In this month’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton are joined by Jim Luff, Marketing Manager at Chosen Payments, and Kris Lance, Senior Director at Una. They answered all of our questions about how payment processing works, including credit card payments, chargebacks, and contactless payments. During a conversation recorded live with the full participation of the Supply Chain Now ‘skybox’ audience, Jim and Kris answer questions such as: • The basics of payment processing in the context of corporate procurement and supply chain. • What happens in practice when a company’s customers take too long to pay them for products and services that have not only already been invoiced, in some cases they have already been delivered • What chargebacks are, how they work, and what enterprise procurement professionals need to know about them Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ (https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/) Subscribe to Dial P and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe (https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe) This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/dial-p-payments-credit-card-processing-738
Everyone wants their customers to have a good experience but being able to live up to that standard consistently and at scale is not easy. Ideally, someone will take responsibility for creating positive experiences no matter the exact requirements. In this Dial P for Procurement livestream, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton are joined by Crystal Villareal, Member Services Manager at Una, and Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director at Art of Procurement. In addition to hearing directly from Crystal and Phil, wealso got solid advice from the best experience managers in the business: ourcanine colleagues. We got professional advice from Louie, Una’s VP of Snuggles, Rosalie, AOP’s Director of Canine Experience, Jasper, AOP’s SVP of Barkalytics, and Ruby and Dexter, "The Muscle" at Supply Chain Now. During a conversation recorded as a livestream with the Supply Chain Now audience, Crystal and Phil shared their best practices for: • How to convert your vision for customer experiences into a set of tasks and priorities that guide your daily work • How to build on individual positive experiences over time, gradually nurturing them into a bigger relationship • Spotting the signs that you have successfully forged a value-oriented relationship with a customer or community member Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ (https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/) Subscribe to Dial P and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe (https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe)
This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/delivering-an-experience-dialp-713
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, produced in partnership with Una, hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton welcome Anthony Clervi and Kris Lance with Una to the podcast. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ (https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/) Subscribe to Dial P for Procurement and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe (https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe)
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/Una-move-faster-save-more-look-better-692.
Collaborating with suppliers isn't easy - and it doesn't always come naturally either. One silver lining to the last 18 months is that there are plenty of opportunities to work together, whether procurement is helping suppliers or vice versa. If done right, those opportunities will become relationships that offer significant value for both parties well into the future. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Lori B. Chennault, Jeanette Nyden, and Kurt Albertson examine the process of collaborating with suppliers ‘under pressure’ from three different perspectives: head of procurement at a large enterprise, contract negotiation expert, and industry analyst. During a conversation recorded as a livestream with the Supply Chain Now audience, Lori, Jeanette, and Kurt share the following with co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton: • How procurement can work with suppliers, through relationships and contracts, to make the best of challenging circumstances for all parties • The role of formal contracts in setting commercial partnerships up for success without typing the hands of those involved • Whether there is alignment (or not) between what leading procurement executives believe is important and what they are best prepared to execute Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ Subscribe to Dial P and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe
This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-667.
Although industries and supply chains are increasingly global, the cultural norms that prevail in each region vary. As we begin to work within those regions, it often becomes apparent that there are cultural differences at the country and even city or regional level. Each person has to be aware of their own cultural background as well as how those tendences align with the people they work with. Jacinta Taliauli is a Senior Procurement Advisor at the Ministry for Pacific Peoples. Her parents moved from Tonga, a small island nation in the Pacific Ocean with a population of around 100,000 people, to New Zealand before she was born. Although they moved so she they could raise her in a country with more opportunities, they still raised her in “the Tongan way,” a set of cultural values that combine flawless politeness, deference to authority, and a commitment to hard work. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Jacinta tells special guest Kim Winter and co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton about: • The importance of culture, understanding what we share and the nuances of difference between and within each geographical region • How public procurement differs from private sector or commercial procurement • Ways to attract talented young professionals to the field of procurement, and the benefits to be realized by having a culturally diverse workforce Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ Subscribe to Supply Chain Now and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe
This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-662.
In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, powered by Supply Chain Now, hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton welcome Jacob Gorm Larsen and Marcell Vollmer to the show. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ Subscribe to Dial P and all other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe
This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-650.
There are many paths people follow to start a career in procurement, but not a single one of them is a straight line. Although this can present challenges from a skills consistency perspective, more often than not, it actually serves to expand what procurement is capable of by ensuring that the team has a broad range of perspectives and experiences. Over the last decade or so, procurement has ceased to be the place that people are sent so that they can’t do too much damage to the company. Procurement leaders are actively recruiting the best and brightest people from other functions and roles to join their ranks. Sam Achampong, the Regional Head and General Manager of the MENA Region for CIPS, is a perfect example. After playing a project management role in a cross-functional personnel rationalization effort, he was invited to join procurement. He accepted, and the rest is history. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Sam tells special guest Kim Winter and co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton: • Why he found Dubai to be uniquely refreshing when he first arrived there, and how he tries to apply that same perspective to procurement • The valuable position and influence that come with being an official ‘Chartered institute’ and the additional expectations it creates, especially in a region with so many participating countries • Why it is absolutely critical for procurement to be aligned with the overall business strategy and the various types of value that allows them to create for the organization Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ Subscribe to Dial P and other Supply Chain Now programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe
This episode was hosted by Scott Luton, Kelly Barner, and Kim Winter. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-643
These days, it seems like everyone is in the risk business. From high consumer expectations to the challenging final mile, and from ships stuck sideways in far away canals to an uncertain global economy, all business decisions come with elevated risk. But - and this is a BIG BUT - the riskiest move of all is giving in to the fear. Risk may 'live' in the supply chain, but as the key relationship-holder with thousands of first tier suppliers, procurement is often in the driver's seat when it comes time to better understand the risks currently facing the enterprise and what can be done today and in the future to address them better than the competition. Historically, procurement has been a highly risk-averse function, but industry leaders now realize that their ability to impact the top and bottom lines of the company may only be constrained by their willingness to take strategic, qualified risks. In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, Koray Kose, Senior Director of Supply Chain Research at Gartner, and Philip Ideson, Founder and Managing Director of Art of Procurement, join Co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton to engage in a risk aware but entirely unafraid discussion of supply chain risk and procurement's role in addressing it: - What is the real difference between agility and resilience and what can procurement do to strengthen both? - The importance of having discussions about the enterprise' appetite for risk and them communicating that information out into the company so that everyone knows how it should affect their work and decisions. - How procurement can ensure that the 'pendulum swing' between low and high risk tolerance does not cause them to put an onerous amount of mitigation bureaucracy in place through processes and technologies. Additional Links & Resources: Learn more about Dial P for Procurement: https://supplychainnow.com/program/dial-p-for-procurement/ Subscribe to Dial P and all Supply Chain Now Programs: https://supplychainnow.com/subscribe
This episode was hosted by Kelly Barner and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-627.
Many business leaders have added an emphasis on 'experience' in their approach to management. There is user experience, customer experience, and - from a procurement and supply chain perspective - a supplier experience. Each one of these needs to be understood and fostered before the associated relationships can live up to their full potential. In this episode, based on a Dial P for Procurement livestream, Quentin Roach, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain & Chief Procurement Officer at Mondelez International and Costas Xyloyiannis, CEO and Co-founder at HICX, join Supply Chain Now Co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton to discuss the supplier experience from both the buy-side and technology provider perspectives. - Where friction is most likely to exist in the corporate procurement process, how companies can reduce it, and why most procurement teams are probably overthinking what they need to do first - Whether or not the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 split) is still a valid methods for segmenting the supply base - How the fast moving consumer goods space (FMCG) was affected by consumer demand changes in 2020, and how Mondelez International's brands have been able to adapt (Oreo, Wheat Thins, Ritz and more) This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-597.
Procurement is currently being faced with two parallel challenges: to improve the supplier experience and also to improve the quality of the data that we gather from and make available to suppliers. One challenge is relational, and the other is transactional, but we have to address them both at the same time if we are going to realize the full ROI of either. In this podcast based on a Dial P for Procurement livestream, Jeffrey Ostrander, Head of Supply Transactions, Western Hemisphere for Schlumberger, and Ragnar Lorentzen, Chief Commercial Officer at HICX, join co-hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton to share their perspectives on the huge potential of collaborative supplier partnerships, including the strategic value of trustworthy data. This episode was hosted by Scott Luton and Kelly Barner. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-580.
In this inaugural episode of Dial P for Procurement, program co-hosts Kelly Barner (Buyers Meeting Point, Art of Procurement) and Scott Luton (Supply Chain Now) welcome two professionals who have put their procurement and supply chain experience to work in the service of others. Anna McGovern is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Food Bank for New York City and Kathy Fulton is the Executive Director of the American Logistics Aid Network. They joined the show to discuss the differences between commercial and nonprofit supply chains, where they would like to see procurement professionals ‘slow down’ in the execution of their duties, and why delivering an amazing customer experience is critical, no matter who your customers are. This episode was hosted by Kally Barner and Scott Luton. For additional information, please visit our dedicated show page at: https://supplychainnow.com/episode-557.