2 Babes Talk Supply Chain

Holly got into logistics like many of us: by accident. After the 2008 financial crash she moved to Texas and was offered a chance to work in supply chain. Although she’d always worked in media and had a marketing degree, once she “drank the juice” she got hooked on the logistics industry, and has been working in supply chain sales ever since. As a woman in supply chain she’s grateful to society for enabling a social environment that boosted her career. She’s learnt how to earn respect, push her own limits and combine her passions (branding and marketing) into her career. Most of all, she’s worked on combining the right and left side of her brain, to foster more creativity when working on solutions for a changing demand. On top of dealing with a fast paced and demanding job, Holly is a single Mom and works remotely. But she’s managed to keep a balance and enjoys a successful personal life. How? She says by remembering her priorities, having a strong support network and doing some serious planning. She makes th

What a year it has been – from the Game of Thrones finale to Fedex being banned by Amazon, 2019 has been a memorable one. And at LTSC, it has been an incredibly memorable one! We added The SC, Supply Chain TV that includes several new shows from around the world, named the Best Supply Chain Podcast of 2019, launched our new website and observed exciting trends in supply chain this year. Supply Chain professionals are loving Lets Talk Supply Chain and that includes our Linkedin Page. Our Women in Supply Chain series once again reigns supreme as the most frequently downloaded on the podcast on read on our blog, with AI and Supply Chain Performance Simplified gaining traction as the most downloaded. Looking back at 2019, the golden nuggets that standout are in this episode: EP 47 - Jim Hayden, Netflix is a good example of supply chain visibility EP 53 - Nozuko Mayeza, defying all odds in South Africa EP 55 - Jonathan Briggs, Cost to Ship vs Cost to serve EP 58 - Robert Garrison, Shinning a light into the da

What’s better than one supply chain professional? Two supply chain professionals! Allison and George are a couple who met at a supply chain conference and both work in different areas of logistics. Allison mostly works on strategy and supply, whereas George works in the tactical planning of merging technology and software. As a family working in supply chain, Allison and George complement each others backgrounds and regularly work together to solve supply chain challenges. In fact, they have white boards around the house where they discuss any issues they’re facing. This extends to their children, who also get involved and are understanding the huge role logistics have in getting products to our door. Their advice to next generation supply chain professionals? Get deep technical expertise early on and don’t wait too long to switch into the supply chain industry. Start working with products, learn the technical aspects and build a repertoire of skills. As Sarah says herself, always keep your options open and t

Human trafficking is supply chain. As horrendous as that sounds, it’s true. There are more slaves today than there have been in the whole of human history. That’s why Grant is passionate about contributing any help he can for operations that rescues and takes care of trafficked kids. Like a grocery supply chain, a human trafficking supply chain requires demand. Traffickers use fake orphanages that sell or rent children for many different reasons. The statistics are shocking: 36% of children are trafficked by family members, and human trafficking is a $150 billion industry. The only way to take control of this supply chain is to break it down and disrupt it. Grant talks about how he is getting involved with his new initiative "Freedom Rings" inspired by Tim Ballard's "Operation Underground Railroad" an organization that goes undercover and “buys” children from fake orphanages to then let them free. Grant also shares how supply chain and slavery is connected going back into the 1800s with Henry Box Brown story

Mike is the CEO of CCM, a chassis management company that creates fluidity in the supply chain. What makes them special? Their CCM pools work as an ‘open membership’ model that allow many different carriers access to chassis' faster. You might be wondering what exactly that means for your supply chain and we will paint that picture in this episode but from a high level,  It means that if there aren't any chassis available, the pool will find some and send some to the location that needs them the most! This unique model allows all stakeholders (ocean carriers, truckers, leasing companies) to all be under one management, which in turn reduces costs, delays and makes the industry generally more efficient. This also allows every stakeholder to be represented under one network, with CCM working as a neutral facilitator making sure that chassis go where they are needed. This means there’s a large reduction in fleet and maintenance programs are much easier to coordinate, which bring us to the most important benefit

THE WISC SERIES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY HULFT It can be daunting to get back into the workforce after years without working. Lisa went back to work in supply chain after 12 years out of the workforce taking care of her three boys. Thanks to her dedicated self-learning and determination, she was able to get the position she wanted in less than a year of looking for a new start. How? Imagine yourself as a case study, Lisa says. She regarded her situation as a template, analyzed the economy, did a lot of self-training and adopted an unstoppable mindset. She is proof that if you really want it you can make it happen. Your journey to success is not only about finding the right position but also the advancement of your career and negotiation is an important part of that so Lisa adopts a similar mindset when it comes to negotiation. Negotiation is about defining a problem and making sure both sides win. When it comes to negotiating, Lisa recommends looking at other opportunities rather than your salary, such as flexibi

Want some superpowers? Today Howard Berg - The World's Fastest Reader, shares how he gained his title and his mind-boggling super powers of speed reading and speed learning. He now wants to teach the world his skills, so in todays episode he shares how others can learn and read quickly just like him - and even tests Sarah. Howard has read over 30,000 books and reveals that just by reading for one hour a day, you can read a book every few days. That translates into 100 new business skills every year. With that kind of information, you can learn more about your industry, start a new business or teach others what you learn - the sky really is the limit. Want to learn how? Howard gives us his top three tips to increase speed learning, which includes reading faster, improving comprehension and doing memory drills. He practices on Sarah, and see how suddenly she’s able to recall an entire list of objects! These skills are immensely useful when it comes to business. Howard identifies five main pillars to reading a b

Today you are in for a great discussion! Irina Rosca is here as guest host and she is back to interview an old friend, Graham from BorderBuddy! Graham and Irina chat about what’s happening to the retail industry, some interesting trends they are noticing and how Amazon is altering supply chain. One of the trends that Graham watches closely is bankruptcies like Forever 21, Doomsayers are saying that a combination of Amazon and a change in consumer habits means retailers are at high risk of closing down. Graham takes a look at bankruptcies to see how they are affecting the supply chain industry, it is hard for service providers to take a hit like that so we all have a responsibility to each other to do what we can to stay competitive. We’re living in a busy world, where time is of the essence, so if your product is not sold online, bye bye. Retailers are still catching up, which is difficult when Amazon owns every part of the supply chain process and offers same day delivery. But Graham isn’t so pessimistic. Al

If you havent heard of Ashcroft Terminal, you will not forget them after today's interview. They are changing the game for inland ports everywhere and upping the bar to where you will want to get to know them. Kleo Landucci, changemaker and Chief Commercial & Corporate Affars officer of Ashcroft Terminal show us how they are a company that provides transportation logistics in a unique geographical position: it’s an inland port at a junction of the CP and CN rail lines in Western Canada. Kleo’s father had a vision to turn a specific piece of land into a container business in 1999, and Kleo joined in 2004 from the financial sector. The last 2 years have been very active for Ashcroft Terminal: they have taken on a Giant and turned it into a solid partnership and joint venture. They recently sold 60% of their company to PSA International, The largest Port operator that shipped 81 million containers in 2018 and will help establish Ashcroft as a big player in this space. Planning for 2020? Consider what an inla

THE WISC SERIES IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY HULFT Nicole is back! In today’s episode Sarah chats with Nicole Vernkidt who was originally on the show back in season 1. Nicole own theomx.com and is changing the face of procurement with her experience in both manufacturing and supply chain. Nicole grew up in a family business, and was exposed to a business environment from a very young age. As a young woman in business and a start up looking for investment, Nicole was faced with certain challenges such as dealing with a credibility gap and not being able to relate so much to older, male investors. But as she says herself, when you decide to do things differently and expose yourself to the business world, you’ll face challenges one way or another. She also admits that there have been some advantages to being a woman, and that at the end of the day the most important is that gut feeling that you’re doing what you know you’re meant to be doing. To all supply chain leaders, Nicole says make sure to get involved ahead of t

In today’s episode Sarah talks with Rob from Inmar, a company that started in the coupon industry and is now fully immersed into helping companies with their supply chains. What in particular do they focus on? Making your e-commerce return process smooth with reverse logistics. The main challenge when it comes to handling returns is driving friction out of the process - processing returns is costly, time-consuming and a negative experience quickly builds a bad reputation for the company. Using reverse logistics, Inmar manages the return process for the company, including inventory control, managing consumer credit and offering top customer service. Customers want different options when returning an item, and interconnecting every single aspect of the chain is the only way to provide a seamless experience. Inmar handles returns by offering clients their software, micro-warehousing services and leveraging their network. As a result, companies are saving millions, reducing waste and getting a chance to get close

In today’s episode Sarah catches up with David Croft from OOCL Logistics, a logistics services company who's success has be defined by their customer experience and holistic approach to supply chain. Headquartered in Hong Kong, they now have 100 offices in over 40 countries, and have been working in supply chain since 1975. What makes them different from other supply chain providers? They believe they’re more than just a freight forwarder; they focus mostly on customized solutions with cutting edge information technology. OOCL Logistics don’t consider themselves just a provider, they call themselves an ‘extension of our customer’, and take on the role of a partner in every activity they undertake. This customer-centric mindset is what made OOCL Logistics one of the best known freight forwarders in the global market, and a leader in innovation. But they’re not stopping there: soon they will be providing customers with visual graphics on analytics, data and supply chain insights. They’re also working on artific

In today’s episode Sarah talks to Matt from RPA Labs, a robot process automation company that automates repetitive manual tasks with bots and software. At a recent conference, VC's mentioned how RPA is the next frontier technology, so we are excited to get an opportunity to discuss what exactly is getting them so excited! What is the difference between RPA and AI? Matt puts it adequately: AI is a collection of different tech such as machine learning and OCR, and RPA is itself part of AI. How does RPA Labs implement this when helping businesses? They have 3 main applications: document, conversation and workflow. For example, instead of manually replying to customers and keying in data, RPA Labs offers intelligent bots that read messages and can answer simple customer queries. Their solution is pretty groundbreaking because contrary to other software providers, RPA Labs does not require signing into portals or hiring new developers. They call themselves ‘system agnostic’ and provide tech that sits on top of a c

In today’s episode Sarah talks to Lori, a senior executive at JDA, Lori has worked in supply chain for 8 years in various different roles and her largest challenge has been keeping up with the very fast development of technology - something she believes is key for future generations to educate themselves on. Lori manages her team remotely, and focuses on having a healthy work life balance, being able to prioritize effectively and taking on the right risks. Her advice to other women in the industry? Make sure you’re doing something you like doing and make sure to learn about innovation, tech and machine learning. She also emphasizes on the importance of having the right mentors and leaders. For those who are just getting started in supply chain, Lori says it’s important to know your framework and your passion. Internships are great to try out a career; if you realize that you’re doing something you don’t like, don’t be afraid to move on and try something new. Tech is going to be a core part of supply chain and

In today’s episode we chat to Niklas, founder of Centiro Solutions, a cloud based software company that delivers end to end delivery management capabilities. They’ve been following a SAAS business model since 2002 and pride themselves on being highly flexible and delivering great customer value when it comes to technology.  Niklas started Centiro for a simple reason: he couldn’t find what he wanted in the market. By founding his company, he was solving a problem for himself as well as the market. This worked out pretty well as Centiro is now operating in 125 countries and has over 300 employees. The reason? They look at things globally, not just in one country. When it comes to supply chain, everything is linked together, and Centiro is right at the heart of it, labeling themselves as a ‘connector’. Niklas argues that helping companies go digital has huge benefits. It alleviates pressure on IT departments and it’s much more cost effective on customer service. But cost efficiency alone is not a sustainable adv

In this second exclusive from Logtech 2019, Chris Co-Founder of Slync.io joins me to tell us why they started on a path to blockchain and then ran the other way, why? well listen to find out more!

In today’s episode we chat with Kevin, CMO of Symphony RetailAI, a leading AI company that provides tech solutions for FMCG retailers and CPG manufacturers. The platform helps retailers maximize profitable revenue growth with a highly advanced AI-enabled solutions that spans the entire retail value chain.  One of their solutions revolves around customer behavior. For example, when the price of something goes up, customers don’t stop eating, they simply choose to eat something else. What else will they eat? Will they go to a different grocery store? How will this choice affect the rest of the items in the store? By putting the right systems in place, it’s much easier to understand cause and effect, customer personalization and effective promotions.   Symphony RetailAI recently launched CINDE, an AI personal decision coach that analyses data and delivers invaluable insights. What’s the fastest growing category in my store? What do I need to change this month to increase sales? What can I cut to increase profits

A few months ago I posed the question to the community "What are your biggest questions about blockchain" and you sent me your questions! Recently at Logtech 2019 in Las Vegas I caught up with some of the thought leaders in supply chain tech to answer your questions about blockchain, they warn us about the security and tell us why they pivot their business to avoid this technology. This is the first of two exclusives, join me as I speak to Brian Glick of Chain.io

In today’s episode Kelli Paull, Vice President of Success at Shyft joins Sarah to talk about the app that is revolutionizing the supply chain workforce. Shyft is a mobile solution for hourly workers that finally allows shift workers to be in control of their schedule. Anyone working in warehouses knows that managers and employees waste a lot of time allocating shifts, finding replacements and organizing teams. Shyft puts all the updates and communication you need in one app. Lets put it into context, a typical shift worker no longer needs to physically enter the warehouse, find a manager, ask about their shift just to be told they are not needed,  A quick tap on their phone will allow them to be on top of their schedule, notify managers if something happens and communicate with other workers which to 95% of employees It’s pretty much a dream come true. The benefits of Shyft have snowballed into some pretty amazing perks: a lot more time and freedom for employees, higher employee retention, better communicatio

In today’s episode Curt, CEO of Open Sky Group joins Sarah on Lets Talk to share how they help companies implement technology appropriately. With his experience in supply chain, Curt has some very interesting insights on the supply chain industry and company culture which he talks about in this episode. We all know majority of companies struggle with data and that it is a huge part of conversations in the industry today. Data is a challenge in itself, and Curt shows us how Open Sky Group helps companies manage their data effectively by understanding what they need and making sure they have the right data in the right field. Another thing Open Sky Group seems to have cracked: company culture. They’ve won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry, and they’re recognized as a leader in supply chain. Curt explains that the reason is simple: they care. They care about the company brand and reputation. They care about their employees. They’ve adopted the Agile Project Methodology and aim to do ‘more with