Transforming an End-to-End Supply Chain Q&A Part 1

I was privileged to speak to American Productivity & Quality Center (APQC) on 11-July at a webinar concerning Berry Global’s Supply Chain Transformation. The presentation was a command performance from APICS 2017, which discussed the overall strategy and methodology to support a large, multi-year portfolio of supply chain improvement initiatives. I thought the question and answer session for the discussion was impactful and was ecstatic when APQC gave me permission to share. So, without further ado, below is part 1 from the “Transforming an End to End Supply Chain” webinar. In this portion, I answer questions around the following:

1) Who lead or drove the transformation from the beginning?

• You must have a champion
• You must have the “right” champion who has credibility with other executives, deep understanding of the business and broad experience across the supply chain.

2) How many people were in the COE leading the transformation initiatives?

• Numbers are the key driver – You must have the “right” people.
• Need to balance line of business users with technology SMEs to ensure you positively impact people, process and tools.
• COE leaders work with the business units to form fully functional and impactful teams.

3) How did we sustain momentum and drive change management?

• Gain alignment and support from executives early and often
• Don’t lose sight of the need to communicate to executives after you start implementation
• You can always improve in this area.

4) Who was responsible for training across all of the functions impacted?

• It depends.
• Must start with an assessment of your stakeholders / customers and ensure you meet their needs.
• Leveraging a pilot, aka Proof of Concept, approach helps reduce risk, gain valuable design feed AND create subject matter experts.
• Pilot SMEs allow the deployment of a train the trainer model which is required in large, complex organizations.

You can access the clip and listen to my full answer using the following link:

To learn more about APQC and their work, please visit https://www.apqc.org/

Stumbled into Supply Chain and fell in love....

You may have noticed that I have not blogged in almost a month. It is not that I have nothing to say. But, between directing summer interns, putting together a proposal for a new business process management initiative, exploring a block chain proof of concept, conducting weekly training sessions on both supply chain basics and project management, and spending time with my boys while they are home for the summer, I’ve been a little occupied. With all of that said, I was nominated recently for a Women in Supply Chain Award and asked to provide some information about my career, where I see supply chain in the future and my advice to a SC newbie.  I thought I would share, raw and unfiltered my response to this inquisition below:

 

1. Why you decided on supply chain as a career? Interestingly, I do not know that I ever really “decided” on a career in supply chain. I went to engineering school and started at Whirlpool in 1996 in maintenance before progressing into process, supplier quality and then product development engineering. I had never heard the term “supply chain” until I left Whirlpool to go to Mead Johnson Nutrition in 2008, as a capacity analyst. I was then privileged to receive formal supply chain training as part of my APICS CPIM certification. I fell in love.  Supply Chain allowed me to leverage my engineering brain in a business context to improve performance.

 

2. What you feel your role is as told by your peers? Again, this is an interesting question. My role is new for Berry so I think there would probably be a lot of head scratching from most of my peers. With that said, my management group would tell you that I am providing strategic vision, insight and management to advance Berry Supply Chain maturity and achieve superior results.  Berry has grown through acquisition, which is both a blessing and a curse.  With over 130 plants globally, we have numerous tools, business processes and organizational designs. As the Global Process Owner for Supply Chain, I am leading efforts to streamline, standardize and simplify our processes, identify tool gaps/improvements, and recognize talent needs.

  

3. Where you see the industry going over the next 5-`10 years? I see a confluence of technology, analytics, and business process best practices. I think that successful supply chain professionals will have to stretch themselves more; not just accepting the digital revolution, but leading it.  The line between supply chain and IMS is becoming more and more blurred.  Additionally, change is coming faster and faster. I do not think artificial intelligence replaces supply chain professionals, but it will allow us to focus more in the areas emphasizing not just IQ, but EQ.  Soft skills development will become as critical as technical acumen/competence.

 

4. What you hope to accomplish both professionally and/or personally? I am very motivated to make a difference, to drive continuous improvement, and “fix things.” Unlike most, I thrive on the learning curve and am happiest when I feel like I can craft new roles, process or strategies.  Professionally, I want to continue to grow my career toward supply chain strategy and global collaboration.

  

5. What you would tell a newcomer about the industry? I would probably tell a newcomer to “Strap in. It’s going to a bumpy ride.”  All joking aside, I think supply chain is key for a successful, sustainable business.  Companies that embrace maturing and modernizing their supply chains will gain a competitive advantage and will outperform their peers.