A few years ago, I interviewed Tony Martins, former VP Strategic Services at Halo Pharmaceutical. He raised an interesting question during our conversation: Are you a “Company of Yesterday” or a “Company of Tomorrow”?
I’ve been thinking about that question recently, along with Billy Beane’s comment that “You can’t run your business in 2020 like it’s still 1999.”
These comments raise other questions for me:
What does it mean to run your supply chain and logistics operations like it’s 2020 instead of 1999? That is, what does it mean to run your supply chain in the most modern way possible?
What questions should companies ask themselves to assess whether they’re a leader or a laggard?
What’s next? What should manufacturers and retailers keep on their radar screens to keep driving change, keep innovating and improving their supply chains?
We are going to explore those questions in a special Talking Logistics series launching soon called “Making a Difference: Supply Chains for a Better Tomorrow.” We will have leading supply chain and logistics technology and service providers, as well as practitioners, share their perspectives on the questions above. And in keeping with the “Making a Difference” theme, we will also make this a fundraising effort for charities (see my recent post “No Fooling: Let’s Make a Difference Together”).
One of the first episodes of the series will feature Blake Thompson, Chief Supply Chain Officer at Feeding America, along with Frank McGuigan (CEO at Transplace) and Leigh Robinson (CHRO at Transplace). Other episodes will feature executives from Descartes Systems Group and Transportation Insight, with more to come in the weeks ahead. Stay tuned!
The COVID-19 crisis is making something very clear: Companies of Yesterday and companies that continue to manage their supply chains like it’s still 1999 will struggle to succeed (or even survive) moving forward. This pandemic is a catalyst for change and innovation. Let’s explore what that means together, and in the process, make a difference by supporting charities and their important missions.
I look forward to the conversations and learning with you.
