Trend-Talking with Supply Chain Expert Dave Food

Todays guest is Dave Food - again :)

Dave is an experienced professional in the supply chain sector with a career spanning logistics planning for Continental and Rank Hovis McDougall in the early '90s, followed by a transition to consulting and software in the supply chain domain.

Dave has held leadership roles in business development, solution design, sales, and leadership. In addition, he has been a principal lecturer at various universities in the UK, teaching supply chain management, logistics, leadership, and marketing.

In this episode, we dive deep into the following topics:

Global Supply Chain Status: Dave shares his insights into the current state of global supply chains, especially in light of recent geopolitical shifts like Trump’s return to power in the US, Russia’s moves under Putin, the Israel-Palestine conflict, Syria’s governmental changes, and the evolving free-trade dynamics with Mercosur. With these changes, we explore how the global supply chain is currently performing.

The Road to 2025: Where are global supply chains heading in 2025? We discuss the forecast for global trade, supply chain challenges, and the role of agility and resilience in managing future disruptions.

Internal Conditions for Companies: Beyond the external factors, we dive into the “internal conditions” in companies and how they are adapting to manage their supply chains in a rapidly changing world. What role does supply chain management play in the evolving corporate landscape?

Top 10 Supply Chain Trends for 2025: Dave’s personal top 10 list of trends to watch in the supply chain sector for 2025

AI in Supply Chains: The Harvard Business Review reports that less than 25% of organizations are truly data-driven, while over 90% of executives believe the soaring volume of data is making their organizations less effective at decision-making.

Dave responds to a comment from Supply Chain Brain, stating that companies are not ready for AI and that supply chain and logistics management needs to catch up. What is his take on this?

Personal Recommendations for 2025: Dave shares his personal recommendations for supply chain professionals in 2025 – what areas should we focus on to improve performance and overcome challenges?