The Future of Supply Chain

Happy World Children’s Day!

As we celebrate the youths of the world, we’re joined by very special guests – Cooper, Grace, Hailey, Miles, and Violet – to discuss their perspective on supply chains really are and what it means to them. Ranging in ages from 6 -17, you’re in store for a variety of answers, some even out of this world.

Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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United Nations | World Children’s Day
UNICEF | World Children’s Day

Learn more about SAP Supply Chain Management & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 86: Celebrating World Children’s Day with Special Guests first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

In today’s complex global supply chains, warehouses are anything but simple. This week, our Roboteon’s Dan Gilmore joins us to discuss how to turn this complexity into an advantage, using robotics to address key challenges like labor shortages, operational complexity, and e-commerce growth. In our conversation, Dan emphasizes the need for strategic automation implementation, involving workers in the process, and adopting flexible technologies, whilst discussing the importance of proper training, updating KPIs, and considering the entire warehouse ecosystem when automating.

Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.

Dan Gilmore is Chief Marketing Officer at robotics software platform provider, Roboteon. He has been a frequent writer and speaker on warehouse technologies for many years, including being the founder of Supply Chain Digest. Earlier is his career, he was head of the supply chain practice at analyst firm Meta Group, later acquired by Gartner. He has also had roles at NCR, Pitney Bowes, Forte’ Industries, and RedPrairie, now JDA.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about robotics in supply chains & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 85: Enabling Robotics in the Warehouse with Roboteon’s Dan Gilmore first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

Project 44’s Carson Krieg, with additional insights from our own Doug DeLuca, joins the series to dive into their recent State of Consumer Holiday Shopping 2024 Report, providing data and research shopping practices, spending, shipping preferences, sustainability, and more.

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Carson Krieg is Director of Global Alliances at project44. In this role, he manages project44’s global relationships including technology partners like Google and SAP as well as Systems Integrator partners like PwC and Deloitte. Carson joined project44 through its acquisition of Convey, a Delivery Experience Management (DEM) platform, which he co-founded in 2014. Previously, Carson was a consultant at Metafora (formerly CarrierDirect), a software development firm for the supply chain industry, and started his career at GlobalTranz, a leading 3PL in North America. Carson is a co-inventor of two patented technologies related to dynamic carrier selection and management.

Doug leads marketing for SAP’s logistics visibility and process tracking solutions, including SAP Business Network Global Track and Trace and SAP Business Network Intelligent Insights add-on, working with customers and partners to bring efficiency and resilience through logistics visibility to supply chains in all industries.   

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about how to make sure your supply chain can handle the holiday rush & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 84: Deciphering Consumer Trends this Upcoming Holiday Season with project44’s Carson Krieg and SAP’s Doug DeLuca first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

In today’s complex global supply chains, ensuring security across physical, cyber, and software dimensions is critical. This week, our own Jay Thoden van Velzen joins us to discuss the increasing risks of cyber-attacks as supply chains become more digital and interconnected. As we not only dive into the importance of third-party risk management and proactive measures to safeguard against vulnerabilities in software, Jay mentions that for organizations to navigate these challenges, they must prioritize comprehensive security strategies to protect their operations and data integrity.

Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.

Jay Thoden van Velzen is Strategic Advisor to the CSO at SAP and a member of the SAP Global Security Leadership Team, specifically focused on cloud security strategy during ongoing cloud transformation. 

He was at the forefront of SAP’s cloud security transformation through multiple annual initiatives supported by the Executive Board, helped grow the Multicloud Security organization, and brought teams together across the company to drive effective security improvements and organizational accountability. During this time, SAP saw rapid Multicloud migration and growth from 2,500 cloud accounts to 15,000, during the global COVID pandemic and geopolitical changes. 

Jay is an SAP veteran, joining through the BusinessObjects acquisition, and worked in Consulting, Development and Cloud Security Operations, and is now in his fourth Board Area. Through that experience, he is acutely aware, therefore, of the importance of SAP solutions for the business operations of our customers, and the resulting responsibility SAP carries to secure those workloads in the cloud. 

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about supply chain security & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 83: Supply Chain Security, Scope, and Definitions with SAP’s Jay Thoden van Velzen first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

We’ve heard of resiliency being the spearhead for the supply chains of tomorrow, but what about integrating antifragility into your business? This week, our own Paul Saunders explores the concept of an antifragile supply chain, delving into the idea that businesses must accept chaos as a fundamental aspect of the modern world, moving beyond traditional resilience to thrive amid uncertainty. By leveraging predictive analytics and embracing change, companies can not only survive disruptions but also gain competitive advantages.

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With over 25 years of experience as a CTO, CIO and industry analyst Paul has extensive knowledge of ERP. Prior to joining SAP, he was Vice President, Research for Gartner, providing advice to the world’s largest and most influential technology providers. He was also lead author for Gartner’s ERP strategic roadmap and the lead analyst covering SAP. 

He has lived half of his life in the UK and half in the United States.

He is a frustrated, failed musician who spent several years working in NYC and Hollywood, CA in the music industry working with major label recording artists and film studios. He has a double platinum disk for his work with a megastar to prove he used to be cool once.

Paul lives in a very remote location in Scotland. Fortunately, he has good internet.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about embracing chaos and antifragile supply chains & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 82: Embracing Chaos with an Anti-Fragile Supply Chain with SAP’s Paul Saunders first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

This week, GAINS’ Jeff Metersky joins the series to dive into their innovative supply chain design product, whilst covering several crucial topics, including the current state of supply chains and the need for a radical shift in thinking to address modern challenges. Throughout, he emphasizes the importance of integrating design and planning processes, moving beyond traditional concepts and terminologies, and adopting a cohesive approach to supply chain management. Together, we touch on the necessity of embracing new technologies and methodologies to tackle contemporary supply chain challenges.

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Jeff is the Vice President of Strategic Solutions at GAINS. In his role, Jeff focuses on addressing the complexities of the modern business environment, which is often described using the acronym VUCA—Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, Ambiguity. He is an advocate for the idea that uncertainty is a normal business condition and that businesses must adapt to this reality rather than expecting a return to a “normal” state. Jeff’s leadership and expertise are instrumental in guiding GAINS’s strategic approach to supply chain design, leveraging advanced simulation, AI/ML, and decision automation to ensure that GAINS’s solutions are effectively meeting the varied needs of our customers.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Learn more about transforming your supply chain design & how to bring out your best.  

GAINSystems supply chain design product stands out as a cloud-native solution purpose built on a hyperscale cloud platform, avoiding the limitations of legacy systems. It offers unique features such as direct database access for power users, enabling seamless data manipulation within the environment. The product also incorporates advanced visualization and analytics capabilities, allowing users to perform comprehensive scenario analysis without leaving the platform. With its emphasis on multi-user collaboration, support for multiple solver technologies, and a forward-thinking approach to managing variability and uncertainty in supply chains, GAINSystems is positioning itself at the forefront of supply chain design innovation.

 Discover more about our latest innovations and stay updated by visiting our website at www.gainsysetms.com. Don’t miss out on exclusive insights and updates, including our new whitepaper titled Navigating the Future: Three Paradigm Shifts in Supply Chain Design You Can’t Ignore.

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The post Episode 81: Designing the Network of the Future with GAINS’ Jeff Metersky first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

This week, hosts Richard and Nicole delve into the recent East Coast Port Strikes involving 45,000 dock workers, highlighting the need for businesses to adapt by enhancing visibility, diversifying suppliers, and implementing both short-term and long-term strategies to mitigate risks. Additionally, they emphasize the evolving relationship between automation and labor, predicting a future where both work in harmony for greater efficiency.

Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about the mitigating risk within your supply chain & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 80: East Coast Port Strikes: What Businesses Can Do to Mitigate the Risk first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

AI and robotics are transforming supply chain logistics, paving a new path for autonomous operations, improved visibility, and efficient decision-making. Our own, Kam Ghossaini joins again to dive into SAP’s three-tiered Business AI strategy in the world of supply chain, including embedded AI, bolt-on services, and custom AI development tools.

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Kam has over 25 years of Supply Chain experience helping to drive continuous performance improvements in supply chain and logistics space. He started his career as a technology supply chain consultant, and has worked with several best of breed supply chain solution across Europe, the UK and the Middle East.

Kam joined SAP Dubai in 2013 and relocated to SAP North American in 2017, where he is the national lead for logistics as part of the Digital Supply Chain Center of Excellence. He focuses on helping our customers uncover their business and logistics challenges and guiding them in determining the operational and financial impact on their businesses.  

He is passionate about delivering value to customers by providing innovative solutions that optimize, integrate, and automate their logistics processes and systems.

Kam holds an BS in Computer Science and an MBA in Management from the American University of Beirut.  He lives with his family in the Chicago area where he enjoys playing and coaching soccer.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about the new, transformed world of supply chain logistics & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 79: AI, Robotics, and the Future of Logistics with SAP’s Kam Ghossaini first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

It may only be September, but the holiday season is quickly approaching… is your supply chain ready? This week, hosts Richard and Nicole discuss new trends in consumer buying and growth, what socio-economic events will impact this buying season, and what companies can do to best prepare for the holiday rush.

Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

Nicole Smythe is a marketer, blogger, and podcaster in the Digital Supply Chain and ERP space at SAP. With a Master’s degree in Global Supply Chain Management and various field experiences, she hopes to bring a fresh, new perspective to the space with her active marketing contributions, focusing on topics like market trends, emerging technology, and the next generation of workers.  

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Learn more about navigating the holiday season with a strong supply chain & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 78: The Holiday Season is Coming… Is Your Supply Chain Ready? With Hosts Richard Howells and Nicole Smythe first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.

This week, our own Andreas Wagner joins us to delve into the intricacies of global supply chains, emphasizing the importance of digital transformation and sustainability whilst sharing insights on how companies can adapt to changing market demands through technology and collaboration. Together, we highlight the significance of agility in supply chains and discusses emerging trends such as AI and hyper-personalization that are shaping the future landscape.

Come join us as we discuss the Future of Supply Chain.

As Chief Strategy & Market Development Officer for the global Digital Supply Chain, Andreas collaborates with customers, partners, and sales teams on a global scale. His primary focus is on developing and executing the Digital Supply Chain Strategy and Growth Plan, as well as driving the Change and Transformation Agenda for the Digital Supply Chain.

His passion for supply chain digitalization is driven by the belief that a highly integrated approach enables agile responses to dynamic markets, while embracing change as a catalyst for innovation and growth.

Andreas firmly believes change is the heartbeat of the technology landscape. New trends rise, old ones recede, and the unexpected becomes the norm. In the dynamic world of technology, adaptability and lifelong learning aren’t just buzzwords – they are our lifelines. As a leader, he encourages his teams to be adaptable, ready to pivot when new opportunities or challenges present themselves. Stay curious!

Richard Howells has been working in the Supply Chain Management and Manufacturing space for over 30 years. He is responsible for driving the thought leadership and awareness of SAP’s ERP, Finance, and Supply Chain solutions and is an active writer, podcaster, and thought leader on the topics of supply chain, Industry 4.0, digitization, and sustainability.

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Learn more about enabling your supply chain’s digital transformation & how to bring out your best.  

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The post Episode 77: Navigating Tomorrow: Insights on Global Supply Chains with SAP’s Andreas Wagner first appeared on The Future of Supply Chain.