The Supply Chain Dialogues

S02E12 - Planet - Talking supply chain, technology, procurement relevance, sustainability incl. potable water with former Group CEO of CIPS - Malcolm Harrison

CPO Nestle, Group CEO of CIPS, and CEO of British Crown Commercial Services are just some of the positions my guest held over his career.
Malcolm Harrison is one of the most distinctive procurement and supply chain leaders in Europe and probably one of the most well-known and well-connected people I know in our field. Having been in charge of the Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply Chain, CIPS gives him a much wider view of many different industries than the average CXO in the supply chain.
He has a passion for driving competence and knowledge into the supply chain profession. As well as helping companies to manage sustainability challenges besides cost quality and supply chain resilience, bringing his FMCG background to the table. Enjoy!

S02E11 - Planet - Net-zero - here we come: The ’all-inclusive’ solution for GHG emission management: measuring, reporting, reducing

Do you have a good handle on your GHG emissions in your supply chain? Do you get all the data from your suppliers you need? Can you do Product Carbon footprint reporting? Do you know, where your low hanging fruits are to reduce your carbon footprint in your supply chain?
If you are like many practitioners and leaders in the supply chain or operations areas, you struggle to get your suppliers to provide you meaningful GHG emission reporting and reduction plans for net zero. You will have an even tougher time using the data to draw actionable conclusions.
Thankfully in this episode, we have a dialogue with Prof Dr Christian Heinrich, co-founder of carbmee® and Professor of Digital Transformation to talk about ways to alleviate your struggle to become a GHG emission net-zero hero in record time.
Enjoy!

S02E10 - People - The Perfect Storm: Skills, Competency, and Learning Management in the age of AI & Decarbonisation

Did you or your company change the skill and competency framework based on what we have seen on the AI front?
If not, just wait until your customers bring products out in half of the normal cycle time of the industry or at 30% less cost. ChatGPT is just the tip of a gigantic mushroom cloud of new applications, innovations, and job profiles that emerged in the last 12 months.
And how about the engineering skill set you have defined in your R&D and manufacturing departments?
Have they been adapted based on the need for new solutions in material science, manufacturing techniques or transportation models due to the de-carbonization of your operations and supply base?
How do you figure out which skill levels might already exist in your organization that you have not clocked, in since the changes came from left field? And which skills do you have to hire in - now?
Kais Louizi, co-founder and Managing Partner from edligo has some interesting insights and solutions for us in “The Supply Chain Dialogues”.Enjoy.

S02E09 - Planet - Net zero by 2030? Moon shot or piece of moon cake?

Is net zero by 2030 a moon shot or a piece of moon cake?
Last week, I had the privilege of being invited to be part of the Procurement Asia Summit in Shanghai. About 300 top international firms, many with a strong Asian footprint spend three days comparing notes around sourcing.
I gave a keynote speech and was a juror on their prestigious China Procurement Success Award.
This is the updated version of that speech in our usual dialogue format.
Enjoy.
PS We will switch the cadence of "The Supply Chain Dialogues" podcast to fortnightly for the foreseeable future. The long-hanging fruits are mostly collected. Now, each episode takes more time to research to deliver quality content.

S02E08 - Profit - Giving visions an eye exam or the DIY of visioning

Visions are aspirational, emotionally charged statements describing the desired future state the company aims to achieve.
They answer the question: “Where do we want to go?”. It provides a clear direction and long-term perspective for the organisation. But how does it fit with the other elements of the foundational pyramid of an enterprise: Purpose, mission, strategy, tactics, values and culture?
And how can we ensure that the strategies which operationalise the vision are not on the breakfast menu of the company's culture?
We highlight every piece of this construct and provide DIY instructions on constructing a vision that sits at the table - and not on the menu.
Enjoy!

S02E07 - Profit - Play a kind of TETRIS® with your business or: digitally defragment your value chain to push customer satisfaction, revenue, margins, and speed to new heights

Do you remember the act of ‘defragmenting’ your computer? For those less IT-inclined or on IOS, think of your computer playing perfect TETRIS® on your hard drive: Every gap is closed, and files and sections are packaged neatly together. When finished, your computer runs fast again- as it was designed to do.
What would happen if we could defragment our business processes? Finding gaps, re-arranging processes, and getting our firm to run - as it was designed to run?

S02E06 - Supply Chain - Unveiling untold truth in commercial interactions or: What your parents never told you

In this episode of The Supply Chain Dialogues podcast, Daniel & Noah talk about a number of untold truths in commercial dealings from a procurement perspective. You have to decide for yourself, what is applicable and what not.
Enjoy!

S02E05 - GHG - Game Theory or...what robbing a bank and getting to net zero in your firm have in common

There is a field in economics, that is a good bet to excel in if you like to earn a Nobel prize. Up to now, 15 scientists have received it in this field. We're talking about game theory. Game theory solutions are applied to all walks of life including negotiations between states, and companies, or how to solve nearly unsolvable dilemmas for mankind.
Now, besides scientists, there are companies that play in this field. TWS Partners is the leading economics consulting firm with a strong focus on Game Theory since 2001.
We talk about how to apply game theory after having robbed a bank, or achieving net zero emissions for a company.
Enjoy

S02E04 - Tips - Surviving and thriving the first 90 days.

Do you remember what it was like when you started a new job? The mix of anticipation and anxiety, navigating unfamiliar territory, and wishing you had a guidebook to help you through those early days? I certainly do, especially when I began my career in operations and progressed to higher positions within the corporate ladder. Someone who could provide a blueprint for success would have been so precious and could have prevented me from getting a few bloody noses.
In this episode, we will address this not-so-unique situation and give a few tips to survive and thrive in the first 90 days. 
Enjoy!

S02E03 GHG - The last business card you’ll ever need

In our upcoming podcast, we've got the CEO & co-founder of ⁠contactify⁠, Lars Sager, joining us in the studio. He's here to discuss transforming a category with an innovative concept towards net zero, perhaps even negative zero.
We'll kick things off by diving into the broader goal of achieving net-zero emissions across all categories before 2050. Our starting point? Most of us have used something that usually ends up in the trash bin within a week we share it: business cards.
A staggering ten billion business cards are printed annually in the USA alone.
Lars will walk us through creating an innovative (and nifty ) product, revamping customer branding and marketing, and fostering CRM loyalty while keeping it carbon-neutral and wallet-friendly.
Tune in and maybe consider making a habit of seeking out net-zero footprint alternatives, starting with that one on the last business card, you'll ever need.