Supply Chain Connections

In this episode, Shay Abrahams, Senior Events Manager at S&P Global joins Host Brian Glick, CEO of Chain.io, to discuss diversity, equity, and inclusion in the supply chain industry. 

Shay runs the diversity committee at the TPM conference, which is focused on making TPM a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment. Through this initiative, the committe also aims to support increased diversity of the supply chain industry as a whole. 

Attending TPMTech or TPM 2023? Make sure to check out the Chain.io booth at TPMTech or meet with our team wihle you're in Long Beach! 

Follow Shay: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shay-abrahams/
Follow Brian: https://www.linkedin.com/in/briansglick/
Chain.io Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chain.io
Chain.io Twitter: https://twitter.com/chain_io

Our guest this episode is JENNA BROWN, CEO & Co-founder of Shipamax. Shipamax is a full service solution that takes care of data entry automation, so you can focus on your core business. Shipment volumes have exploded over the last decade - and it's set to continue, with the 2020 pandemic accelerating consumer trends and placing them on an irreversible path. However, the fundamental processes and documentation that sits behind the delivery of goods from A to B remains the same. These were never designed with today's scale of shipments in mind.

The Shipamax platform is purpose built to overcome the challenges logistics organizations face. Specialized data extraction, logistics-specific business rules, purpose built user interfaces and deep integrations enable you to accelerate automation delivery with a system that works from day one. 

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

• How / Why Jenna decided start a tech company that would benefit the logistics space
• Jenna’s career path and business have both undergone many evolutions and changes, so we discuss what Jenna wishes she had known before those evolutions began to unfold
• What Jenna and Brian both think about working in the office vs. remotely
• What the next set of challenges are that we as a group of technologists in Supply Chain need to work on together
• Where Shipamax is headed

“Getting back to that North Star concept, here’s what we need to get done— How can we ASSEMBLE this solution (as opposed to ‘How can we build this solution’)— …Using a different word at the beginning of the process can change the whole mindset [around how the next steps play out] …”

EPISODE LINKS:

• Jenna Brown - LinkedIn
• Shipamax

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

Our guest is BILL LALLY JR., President of the Janel Group, a world-class seamless supply chain solutions company that operates with an agile, customer-centric, team-based approach that provides measurable, transformational value to the supply chain community.

Bill has led the integration of acquired companies, spearheaded technological connections with customers, and maintained close relationships with customers, agents, partners, and industry leaders around the globe. He also believes deeply in the Servant Leadership model of leadership, and we’ll dive a little deeper into the Janel Group’s company culture in this episode.

TOPICS DISCUSSED IN THIS EPISODE:

• Janel group consistently espouses its culture on social media. What motivates that, and what does it take to create a culture like the one at Janel Group?
• The impact of having a solid company culture established and reinforced consistently, especially in light of hard times like the COVID 19 pandemic.
• Who has influenced Bill during his career to be the kind of leader he is
• The challenges facing newcomers in the supply chain and logistics line of work
• Newcomers need mentors
• Challenges the supply chain and logistics industry is facing today
• Factors to consider when your logistics business is looking for new customers
• What’s next for the Janel Group

“Make sure you have that talented staff because…they really pay their dividends…”

EPISODE LINKS:

• Bill Lally Jr. - LinkedIn
• Janel Group

Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

In this special episode, Eric Johnson of the Journal of Commerce joins Brian Glick to discuss tips and tricks for managing Logistics IT through an economic downturn.

In this episode, you'll find tips for both IT leaders within LSPs and sales leaders within technology companies.  

Topics covered include:

• Moving discussions from headcount reductions to business value
• Removing scope from existing projects
• Selling to Logistics Providers with a faster delivery and ROIs
• Making a short-term value based internal or external sales pitch
• Leveraging your partner network to generate new sales

SUPPLY CHAIN CONVERSATIONS

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Welcome to Profiles, a podcast centered around supply chain conversations hosted by Brian Glick, founder and CEO of Chain.io.

Our guest this week is DANIEL GARDNER.

Daniel is a global trade executive with a unique combination of 3PL, consulting and Beneficial Cargo Owner experience. He is fully bilingual (ESP) and a Licensed Customs Broker. He was awarded his MBA  from the University of Miami. Daniel can also boast of being a multi-award winning professor of supply chain management, a Six Sigma Black Belt and the author of four books on global trade.

“…It’s hard to imagine that one could know everything that one needs to know about global trade, but that knowledge, which should always continue to grow, will come over time, you just have to be willing to work and listen.”

• How Daniel initially got into the supply chain industry having been bitten by the international travel bug. 
• The diversity of experiences available for someone coming into the supply chain. 
• The fundamental importance of education and keeping up with current Incoterms.
• Having a strong company policy and strategy around Incoterms can reduce risk.
• What influenced Daniel during his journey within the industry?
• How time flies, so really get on with the heavy lifting early on in your career. Never stop learning.
• Bridging the gap between analogue and digital and how it influences growth.
•  You must ask to be given extra tasks and be willing to work hard when new in the industry to learn and grow.

“…ask questions and listen, and take notes where you can, because that’s going to broaden your frame of reference. Because, on a tactical level, at the end, and I mean operationally now, 80% of global trade is always different and changing, but a lot of it becomes repetitive.”

Resources mentioned in the show:

• Daniel Gardner - LinkedIn
• Trade Facilitators, Inc.
• TPM Conference

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

SUPPLY CHAIN CONVERSATIONS

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EPISODE 10 - SARAH BARNES HUMPHREY, HOST OF THE "LET'S TALK SUPPLY CHAIN" PODCAST AND "THE TRADE SQUAD" ON YOUTUBE

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Welcome to Profiles, a podcast centered around supply chain conversations hosted by Brian Glick, founder and CEO of Chain.io.

Our guest this week is SARAH BARNES-HUMPHREY.

EPISODE 10 - SARAH BARNES-HUMPHREY, with a firm background of working within the supply chain, Sarah is the host of the popular Let's Talk Supply Chain Podcast  and The Trade Squad on YouTube. Sarah helps tell the stories and bring awareness to brands and hot topics in the industry which includes her infamous Women in Supply Chain series.

“…In sales you have internal customers and external customers. So every touch point with a customer or vendor or an internal or external stake holder, is really selling them on who you are and what you do.”

Listen in as Brian and Sarah discuss:

• The supply chain space is very much relationship driven, from vendor to customers. Will the automation of processes lead to better relationships? 
• The major challenges faced when building a company and the lessons learned from that experience.
• How important is it to have experience when coming into the supply chain industry?
• What are some of the challenges people coming into the supply chain network in 2020 will face.
• Traditional thinking versus modern perspectives.
• Collaboration as a concept of ‘winning together’. Cultivating a victory mindset. 
• Letting go of emotional responses to move towards revolutionising and automating the industry.
• Focus points for improving productivity in 2020 within your supply chain business.

“…My experience in operations and my experience in sales has really been able to help me define and pin point what those pain points were from both sides. Not just one side over the other.”

Resource mentioned in the show:

• letstalksupplychain.com
• https://www.linkedin.com/in/sarahbarnescitp/
• https://shipz.com/
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-sgnMyUfls
• TPM Conference

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

PROFILES

SUPPLY CHAIN CONVERSATIONS

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EPISODE 9 - ERIC JOHNSON, SENIOR EDITOR FOR TECHNOLOGY AT THE JOURNAL OF COMMERCE 

'Navigating the Supply Chain Network'

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Welcome to Episode 9 of Profiles, a podcast centred around supply chain conversations, hosted by Brian Glick, founder and CEO of Chain.io.

Our guest this week is ERIC JOHNSON. With a background in journalism and business, Eric studied for his BA in Journalism at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also has an MSc from Leeds University. 

Eric started his career at Orange County’s largest daily newspaper, where he worked for 4 years before leaving to study business in more depth. He then took a position as a business reporter with Long Beach Press Telegram in California. Eric currently sits as head of technology for the Journal Of Commerce.

Eric reports upon the most cutting edge concepts within the Supply Chain network. His passion in the process was ignited when he first realised the massive amounts of infrastructure involved in moving products from A to B. Once the light bulb went on Eric found himself immersed within the whole industry.

He recently helped organise the JOC Logistics Technology Conference (LOGTech) in Las Vegas and will be involved with the upcoming Spring TPM20 Conference in Long Beach.

“….The biggest hurdle right now is sort of cultural, and it’s not even necessarily like ‘Oh people are resistant to change’. I think a lot of it is a cultural resistance to buy capacity on a dynamic basis.”

Listen in as Brian and John discuss:

• How did Eric originally end up reporting on the Supply Chain Network
• What is it about the industry that keeps Eric interested. Is there space within the industry for external perspectives, can the industry be improved from the outside?
• What Eric finds exciting within the Supply Chain network currently?
• The trough of disillusionment discussed and how it affects perspective.
• Eric discusses his involvement with the LOG Tech conference in Las Vegas and the upcoming TPM (and El Dorado)  conferences.
• Can technology integration help the Supply Chain to function better and how can these changes be implemented?
• The importance of not judging your business too harshly by comparing it to other companies. Focus on the strong points and work on the rest.  

“…. You really need to make a decision. What are you really good at internally, what are you not so good at. What in the market is plentiful in terms of numbers and solutions, and prevalent, and where is investment going…. ”

Resources mentioned in the show:

Eric's LinkedIn Page https://www.joc.com/ https://www.joc-tpm.com/

https://blog.chain.io/for-forwarders-aligning-your-digital-and-business-strategies

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

PROFILES

SUPPLY CHAIN CONVERSATIONS

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Welcome to Episode 8 of Profiles, a podcast centered around supply chain conversations hosted by Brian Glick, founder and CEO of Chain.io.

Our guest this week is ROB GARRISON. With a background in logistics and import. He has a BA from Marketing from Baker University.

He was previously the Vice President of Supply Chain Design at UPS and has 20 years of experience in the field of transport and distribution. He built his current firm Mercado Labs to remove the challenges and frustrations that arise during the complex import process for people. Bringing import into the 21st century.

“….The broader definition of the supply chain: The four main activities are plan, buy, move, and sell. The supply chain is all 4 of those activities. Logistics is the ‘move’, and it’s incredibly important and it’s also incredibly complex. But it’s one of 4 steps that needs to occur in the supply chain”

Listen in as Brian and Rob discuss:

• Rob discusses his early days in the industry and what influenced him the most.
• The colourful characters of business and how personal relationships shaped Rob’s journey.
• What tools are available today to help with logistics and build international relationships?
• What Mercado offers as a business, and the reason Rob started it in the early days.
• What is the difference between the supply chain and logistics?
• Advice on expanding horizons within logistics and import. Keeping up with the world of e-commerce.
• What were some of the challenges Mercado faced in it’s early days?
• The importance of understanding customers needs through beta testing.
• Working hard to adapt to the market and it’s ever changing landscape.
• What is next for Mercado?

“….. If you are going to start a technology company one of your key considerations is to make sure you are either partnered with,  or that you have, great technical skills, it’s such a huge part of it and I don’t underestimate that.”

Resources and Links:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/robertwgarrison/ 
• https://mercadolabs.com/

Subscribe to the show in Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

SUPPLY CHAIN CONVERSATIONS

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Welcome to Episode 7 of Profiles, a podcast centered around supply chain conversations hosted by Brian Glick, founder and CEO of Chain.io.

Our guest is JOHN ADAMS. With a background in business and computer programming, He has an MBA from Rutgers Business School and more than 30 years experience under his belt building Regiscope from the ground up. His current firm offers hardware and software solutions for real time transaction verification and documentation, primarily to the supply chain industry. Their recent clients have included giants such as Coca-Cola, Colgate, and Lufthansa Cargo. 

John strives with dedication to keep up-to-date, offering cutting edge services to protect supply chain companies from all types of security risks. He successfully navigated his company through the incoming digital tide with innovation and adaptability.

“….Going from the analogue film business, to a much more modern digital process, was challenging from a business standpoint, not necessarily from a development standpoint — because we knew how to do that — but how to market it and sell it.”

Listen in as Brian and John discuss:

• What the transition from an analogue business model to a digital business model looked like. 
• The early issues Regiscope faced and how they worked around them.
• John offers insight into how they dealt with the supply chain during the transition by adapting to the new environment. 
• Dealing with customer’s trust issues and expectations.
• Keeping up with the changes in technology. Opening up the doors to progress and sustainability. 
• Tips on using remote tools and how they offer real solutions within a new digital business model. 
• Keeping up with government regulations whilst in the midst of change.
• John explains how Regiscope set up and configured systems to enable both scaling up or scaling down to meet customer needs. 
• The importance of adaptability within today’s rapidly changing tech-driven business arena, and how making good alliances with other companies will help grow success.

“…. You cannot do every part of the supply chain that’s required to be compliant with C-TPAT, or compliant with certified cargo screening facilities. But what you can do is partner with other  technology companies. And if each one of you brings a piece of the solution to the game, then you can jointly work together, jointly market, jointly sell your products. ”

Resource mentioned in the show:

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/regiscope/
• https://www.rdisolution.com/

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick

chain.io

PROFILES

SUPPLY CHAIN CONVERSATIONS

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Welcome to Episode 6 of Profiles, a podcast centered around supply chain conversations hosted by Brian Glick, founder and CEO of Chain.io.

Our guest this week is Graham Parker, Co-Founder and CEO at award winning Ocean Software platform Kontainers. 

Listen in as Brian and Graham discuss:

• The differences between supply chain logistics systems in the US and the UK
• How a lot of people who get into the supply chain industry begin with dreams of global trade and currencies and maybe they picture something from a movie, but when they actually start the first day and see the pile of paperwork some of them don’t make it to lunch time. So — what was it about the logistics industry that made Graham stay?
• Who influenced Graham in his career
• What inspired Graham to create something new in the world of supply chain logistics
• Everything takes longer than you think (what Graham knows now that he wish he’d known when he started in supply chain logistics)
• The importance of setting appropriate expectations up front
• Whether venture capital investors are patient enough to support logistics projects that don’t yield return for several years
• Learning moments and challenges over the last 5 years
  • Managing expectations allowed them to not grow too fast so that now they are in charge of the destiny of their business
  • It’s easy to over-raise capital too early
• The importance of having senior management that understands the tech space as well as the freight space
• Whether or not a few mega-companies could corner the market in the freight industry like Amazon has done, or if there is room for several companies in the space
• The trajectory the freight and logistics industry should be taking in order to survive in the future

Learn More About Graham Parker and Kontainers:

• LinkedIn
• Kontainers

Subscribe to the podcast in iTunes or wherever you get your podcasts so that you’re updated when we post a new episode!

Take care, and until next time,

Brian Glick, CEO

chain.io