We’re launching a new video series today called Big Ideas in Supply Chain. It’s our way of sharing the best solutions we’ve encountered in our work with thought leaders, customers and partners.
Each video in this series focuses on a weighty issue in supply chain, like change management or risk recovery. But these videos aren’t just an overview of common challenges — they have the potential to transform your work.
Some Canadians aren’t cheering this patio season – because their cups are empty. Ontario residents, brewers and unions shared their complaints on social media after a June update to the Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s (LCBO) warehouse management software left alcohol in warehouses instead of on store shelves. The LCBO won’t be hurt by the interruption since it’s the only liquor retailer in Ontario. But few companies have such an advantage in the market.
Here are three lessons to keep in mind before updating your supply chain planning software…
Happy Pi Day! 
What a great day. You have to love a special day where eating all the pie you want is acceptable, the math jokes are endless, and there are always some clever shirts, memes and memory contests to keep you entertained for weeks.
Not only that, as I see the tweet count climb on Twitter, it is clear that Pi Day isn’t just for mathematicians, engineers and scientists anymore. It has expanded to the masses and can serve as a fun way to get people talking and engaging in STEM conversations.
Artificial intelligence (AI) isn’t just reserved for sci-fi movies anymore – supercomputers going rogue on humans and launching them into deep outer space. AI is creeping into our everyday lives – at work, home and play. Enterprises who are able to harness AI’s full potential will likely thrive into the future while those that don’t will be left behind.
What will the rise of AI mean for the supply chain? Will AI assume full control while the human element is shown the exit? Quite the opposite. AI will play an important role in the planning process, but so will humans.
Simply put, gamification involves the application of game design elements in a business setting. Gamification uses both intrinsic and extrinsic motivators to encourage users to perform at their best, fostering engagement through tactics ranging from simple – such as a progress bar, to those that are more complex – such as loyalty programs and immersive storytelling.
When gamification in business is deployed to the right audience and provides the right motivation, significant engagement follows. Take for example Volkswagen’s 2011 “People’s Car Project” in China for which the aim was to inspire the imagination of its followers by allowing them to design their own cars. Because of this project, vw.com gained 33 million hits and generated 119,000 ideas.
Which is great. But how could gamification be applied to a supply chain?
By APICS CEO Abe Eshkenazi, CSCP, CPA, CAE
This article was originally published on apics.org, and is republished with permission.
With the advent of the fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, supply chain professionals are expected to embrace many new technologies – from artificial intelligence and robotics to predictive analytics and cloud computing. To best integrate these technologies and share information among buyers, suppliers and partners, supply chain professionals also need to reshape their supply chains into digital supply networks (DSNs). New insights from Deloitte reveal that, although companies are aware of this necessary shift, not all of them are ready for it.
According to article authors Stephen Laaper, Glenn Yauch, Paul Wellener and Ryan Robinson, a DSN enables the integration of data from various sources to better inform production and distribution. A traditional supply chain often is visualized as a rigid, linear arrangement of supply chain partners that handle the different primary management processes of plan, source, make, deliver, return and enable. Each member of the traditional supply chain might share data with one other member, but that’s the extent of the integration. A DSN, the authors explain, has a flexible, matrix-like structure that allows the different players and processes of a supply chain to all share data with each other.
It’s no secret supply chain talent has been top of mind for many executives for some time. Research firm Gartner even has it listed as a hot topic for its Supply Chain Executive Conference in Phoenix, May 14–17.
There are a couple of reasons for this. The first is the aging population. A number of reports from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and Pew Research Center state 10,000 baby boomers are retiring every day. It’s easy to speculate there would be some supply chain talent retiring. The question is: How do you replace the knowledge gap created by those retirements?
On March 14, 2018, the world lost an unbelievable talent in Stephen Hawking. Tributes continue to pour in around the globe for a man who gave so much to science, all while fighting motor neuron disease since the age of 21. As astronaut Chris Hadfield commented on Twitter, “Genius is so fine and rare.”
Fortunately, for us, Hawking’s genius will live forever as his words continue to inspire generations. He had many great quotes that motivate anyone regardless of profession. Like many others, I try my best to apply Hawking’s wisdom to my work. If you’re reading this, that work is likely improving supply chain planning and our lives in general. The two often intertwine, which makes the wisdom even more valuable.
With that in mind, I thought I’d pass along some of my favorite Stephen Hawking quotes and tie them to supply chain planning.
