Art of Supply
Art of Supply, hosted by Kelly Barner, draws inspiration from news headlines and expert interviews to bring you insightful coverage of today’s complex supply chains.
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Misfortune on 34th Street: Accounting Issues at Macy’s
01/30/2025
Misfortune on 34th Street: Accounting Issues at Macy’s
“It is almost always the cover-up rather than the event that causes trouble.” - Tennessee Senator Howard Baker, in reference to the Watergate scandal Whether you shop at Macy’s or not, you surely know the brand. In 2023, Macy's was the leading department store in the United States by revenue, with sales of approximately $23 Billion. On November 25, 2024, Macy’s delayed an earnings announcement planned for the next day. They had discovered some “creative accounting” and wanted to conduct an internal investigation. Two weeks later, they announced that small parcel delivery expenses had been mishandled - approximately $150 Million worth. As we then learned, what started as a mistake turned into a coverup, eventually leading to a share selloff, and one accounting employee being terminated. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner: Explains what happened and how the issue was uncovered Shares the role that the commonly-used accrual accounting method may have played Review some of the speculation that has emerged in the absence of specifics And flag ongoing concerns for the company and their auditing firm Links:
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Nebraska v. California: The EV Trucking Transition
01/23/2025
Nebraska v. California: The EV Trucking Transition
“Now an unelected group of powerful actors has opened a three-front effort to transform the nation’s logistics fleet from diesel-powered to electric-powered at a breakneck pace. This terrible policy is being crafted almost entirely out of public view. Nebraska is fighting back.” -Mike Hilgers, Nebraska Attorney General (WSJ Op Ed, Jan 17 2025) If you expected the transition from diesel-powered to EV trucking to take place on the open road, think again. Instead, it looks like this systemic change will work its way through the court system. Nebraska is leading the resistance to a forced transition on multiple fronts: in the state of California, with the Environmental Protection Agency, and via an antitrust lawsuit against four major heavy duty truck manufacturers. Any regulatory changes, well intentioned or otherwise, have the potential to completely disrupt logistics and lives, and must be taken with a great deal of care and consideration. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers recent developments in the EV trucking transition: Recent news that may alter the expected timeline for transitioning away from fossil fuel-powered trucking Legislative exceptions that put California in a uniquely powerful position relative to emissions regulations The odd ‘in between’ space the country currently finds itself in Links:
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The Dawn of a New Era in U.S. Trade Policy
01/16/2025
The Dawn of a New Era in U.S. Trade Policy
“India is putting their money where their mouth is. If they're able to execute upon a free trade agreement or a pseudo free trade agreement...then that would create the fluidity to buoy all of those ships in that harbor.” - Samir Kapadia - Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index Regardless of the topic, 2024 was filled with ‘what if’ conversations. We were waiting to find out who would win the U.S. Presidential election–and therefore whose policies would be dominating business decisions in 2025 and beyond. Of all of the conversations had on the Art of Supply podcast, one of the most compelling was with Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index. He joined Kelly Barner in 2024 to share his expertise on global trade, but more specifically, how India’s ascendency as a global trading partner is being watched as companies look for alternatives to China and nations flush with Chinese investment. After such a riveting pre-election conversation, Kelly brought Samir back to bring the conversation up-to-date and get a sense of how new trade policy will impact supply chain decisions and global manufacturing potential. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Samir cover how the upcoming presidential term is going to: Change the way the U.S. manages policy within the Department of Commerce and Trade and U.S. Trade Representative Use strategic tariff regimes to increase reciprocity and incentivize supply chain organizations to think differently about where they get their materials Create an opportunity for India to replace China as a major manufacturing trade partner Links:
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Reenvisioning Robotics for Warehouse Optimization
01/09/2025
Reenvisioning Robotics for Warehouse Optimization
“We have that emotional pull to group together as humans and fight the automation. The reality is you cannot have one without the other, and they are very much working together.” -Matt Naslund, Chief Commercial Officer, Mytra As businesses look to streamline operations and optimize decision-making, a combination of hardware, software, and automation offer a solution. The challenge then becomes figuring out where automation makes sense–and how quickly and heavily organizations should implement solutions that enable it. No matter the level of sophistication or maturity of an organization, automation technology is a key factor in driving efficiency and accessing data that allows them to hit business objectives related to material flows, accumulation of goods, seasonality, and more. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner sits down with Matt Naslund, Chief Commercial Officer at Mytra, to examine: The specific challenges warehouses face in streamlining operations The necessary balance of automation hardware and software in improving operations The way warehouses can use the data that automation delivers to inform day-to-day decision-making Links:
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Re-reading Good to Great at the Start of a New Year
01/02/2025
Re-reading Good to Great at the Start of a New Year
In 2001, Jim Collins published the book ‘Good to Great.’ He was supported by a team that invested 10.5 ‘people years’ over the course of 5 calendar years to figure out what allows some good companies to become great companies. Their research revealed key findings about leadership, use of technology, building a team, company culture, and vision. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner re-reads ‘Good to Great’ in light of 2025 business conditions: Reviewing some of the key points from the book as an introduction or a refresher Considering how they apply to work, leadership, and success in 2025 Sharing a renewed sense of energy and promise at the start of a new year Links:
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Supply Chain Stories to Watch at the Start of 2025
12/26/2024
Supply Chain Stories to Watch at the Start of 2025
Many of the supply chain news stories we covered in 2024 look ready to carry right over - or even rise to the top - as we start a new year. Some of these stories are likely to re-emerge with the incoming Trump Administration, while others are ready for a change in direction thanks to geopolitics. Supply chain professionals that already have an eye out for breaking news will be best positioned to respond as needed. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner highlights five 2024 news stories that are likely to remain topical in the new year: The global distance traveled by raw materials and finished products compared to their value Red Sea tensions and the need for ocean freight to find a new (safer) path to travel The EV trucking mandate rolled out by the EPA under the Biden Administration De minimis shipping provisions that have created a ‘maximus’ problem An as yet unresolved organized labor contract governing operations at East and Gulf Coast ports Links:
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Solving Supply Chain Puzzles: Insights from a Year of Interviews
12/19/2024
Solving Supply Chain Puzzles: Insights from a Year of Interviews
This year on Art of Supply, we welcomed a fantastic group of guests. Each interview episode creates two kinds of challenges: asking questions worthy of the guest’s expertise and capturing a conversation that lives up to audience expectations. Looking back on the interviews we ran in 2024, there are a few key messages that stand out, as individual points of view and what they collectively offer supply chain professionals as we move into 2025. Don’t ever make a decision solely on short term cost. Victor Suarez: Former Lead Vaccine Program Manager for Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine in Operation Warp Speed at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Founder and Principal Growth Partner, Blu Zone Bioscience & Supply Chain Solutions, LLC Make sure you understand the underlying economics of any strategy you plan to implement. Thomas Goldsby: Dee and Jimmy Haslam Chair of Logistics at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, Co-Executive Director of their Global Supply Chain Institute Knowing how to be an effective problem solver - even in difficult circumstances. Ashley Hubka: Senior Vice President and General Manager at Walmart Business In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner shares excerpts of the three interviews and comments on how they connect. Links:
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Supply Chain Forecast: Volatile with Tim Richardson
12/12/2024
Supply Chain Forecast: Volatile with Tim Richardson
“I think if you could summarize what the trend is going to be in the future - It's going to be volatile. That's the trend.” - Tim Richardson, Founder and CEO of Iter Consulting In order to be influential with the C-suite, someone must have experience and expertise in a given subject. They must do detailed technical work and analysis to prepare their strategy recommendations and to be ready to answer questions. They must have a strong grasp of their domain, no matter how complex it is - but they have to be able to communicate all of that simply. Otherwise, the desired support may be withheld, and the desired outcomes may never be realized. In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes Tim Richardson to the podcast. Tim is the Founder and CEO of Iter Consulting, a global team of experts with supply chain and manufacturing experience helping companies transform their operations - and their results as well. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Tim and Kelly discuss: The power of effective supply chain modeling How supply chain leaders can position for economic and ecologic success Forward looking trends that all business should be prepared to address Links:
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In Defense of Outliers
12/05/2024
In Defense of Outliers
“Polling is a science of estimation, and science has a way of periodically humbling the scientist. So, I’m humbled, yet always willing to learn from unexpected findings.” - J. Ann Selzer, President and Owner, Selzer & Company Data and analysis are at the heart of nearly everything attempted in modern business. And while human skill is critical in the process of converting data into insight, human nature may ultimately determine whether the effort can be successful. This episode is about ‘herding,’ a polling practice that combines analytical rigor and human nature in a fascinating way. But this episode is not about politics. It is a story about data and how humans anticipate the others will respond to the data they present, and how that becomes a self-driven feedback loop that is put into practice before the data is ever shared. No one wants to be an outlier. No one wants to be wrong. But if someone isn’t wrong, no one can be right. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barners dives into the practice of herding among pollsters and what it tells us about our relationship with data: The statistical truths that hold, regardless of how complex an analytical project is The challenges pollsters face, and how they inevitably end up affecting analytical results - for better or worse How all of this intersects with human nature - in polling and in business Links:
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Walking a Mile in Another Supply Chain’s Shoes with Alex Jennings
11/28/2024
Walking a Mile in Another Supply Chain’s Shoes with Alex Jennings
“The reason I like listening is I think, ‘If I'd have been CPO there or in other organizations, what would I have done to try and prevent that? And what red flags would I have held up? And what can we learn from that so that it doesn't happen again?’” - Alex Jennings, CEO and co-founder of The Alchemie Network We all consume content for different reasons–education, entertainment, or otherwise. There are always lessons to be learned from one company or supply chain that can be applied in another. To discuss these stories - and the process of capturing them on the Art of Supply podcast - Kelly Barner was invited to speak in a live session hosted by The Alchemie Network, an organization that promotes collaborative learning around ESG and sustainability for procurement. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Alex and Kelly reminisce on past episodes to cover: How companies are coming up on social mandates and using malicious compliance to find loopholes and avoid them The role that legal statutes make in driving sustainability efforts worldwide The careful line businesses have to walk when considering taking government funding Links:
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BONUS: Indictment in the 2022 Tractor Trailer Human Smuggling Case
11/23/2024
BONUS: Indictment in the 2022 Tractor Trailer Human Smuggling Case
When we cover a news story on Art of Supply, we stick with it, even when it seems to have gone cold. In late August, we got an update on the case of the 53 migrants who lost their lives as a result of illegal attempted smuggling over the Mexico border back in 2022. On June 27th, 2022, an abandoned tractor trailer was found near Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas. The truck had mechanical problems and it had been abandoned by its driver. A local worker heard cries of distress and opened the trailer door. What he found would go on to be declared the deadliest example of migrant smuggling in U.S. history. In this bonus update episode, Kelly Barner shares the latest on the arrests, indictments, and specific charges associated with those allegedly involved in this crime. Links:
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Liverwurst, Listeria, and Liability: Food Safety at Boar’s Head
11/21/2024
Liverwurst, Listeria, and Liability: Food Safety at Boar’s Head
When something goes wrong in the supply chain, it is never good news. It always leads to disruption, often costs a lot of money, and sometimes people get hurt - or worse. In July of 2024, the USDA suspended production at a Boar’s Head processing plant in Jarratt, Virginia. A listeria outbreak, the worst such outbreak in over a decade, had started in the plant. The facility has been closed indefinitely, leading to over 500 layoffs of union employees, but that wasn’t the worst of the fallout. Before the outbreak was over, over 7 million pounds of meat were recalled, 59 people were hospitalized, and 10 people lost their lives. How could production have gone so wrong, especially in such a heavily inspected industry? Unfortunately, as the details emerged, it became clear that this was an easily preventable situation allowed to happen by multiple layers of mismanagement. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers: The details behind the outbreak: Where did it start and how did it spread? An odd family squabble that may or may not have contributed to the problem but which certainly didn’t help Problems associated with inspections: How were they conducted and why did they fail to protect consumers? And what we can expect to happen next Links:
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The Power of Visualization in Freight Optimization and Resilience with Ruud van Dijk
11/14/2024
The Power of Visualization in Freight Optimization and Resilience with Ruud van Dijk
“Humans are so much more effective in processing something visually than, let's say, a table or two pieces of text next to each other. If you see it on a map, you can say, okay, this line goes like this, the other goes like this. I can make the connection in my head very easily that, okay, this is what changes. And it also makes it very easy to sort of have an opinion on it, because it clicks in your head quite easily.” - Ruud van Dijk, Commercial Director, Routescanner We routinely talk about the complexity of global supply chains - here on Art of Supply and in the wider business community. Moving our focus from talk to action requires one key thing: data. But even with good data, these are highly complex decisions. They are often made without certainty, on a compressed time frame, and with a lot of money on the line. Setting up human beings for successful decision making under those circumstances requires more than data. The data needs to be standardized and presented in a way that matches how people process information and compare the likely outcome of multiple scenarios. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes Ruud van Dijk. Ruud is the Commercial Director at Routescanner, a platform designed to improve transparency in container shipping and help companies optimize routes while lowering CO2 emissions and costs. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Ruud discuss: How data needs to be presented in an accessible format for decision makers to put it into practice The change effort associated with moving from a suboptimal but familiar approach to one that is far more effective Empowering supply chain teams to lead cross functional conversations about operationally minimizing both costs and environmental impact Links:
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Consolidating the USPS Final Mile
11/07/2024
Consolidating the USPS Final Mile
The United States Postal Service occupies a unique spot in the supply chain. On the one hand, it is a federal agency, tasked with delivering mail to every home, business, and P.O. box 6 (and sometimes 7) days per week. On the other hand, it does not “generally” receive taxpayer funding; it must meet its mission by selling postage and services. Thanks to this middle space between the worlds of public service and private industry, transformation is a massive challenge - even when successfully driving financial and operational change is a matter of long term survival. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers the current status of Delivering for America, the USPS’s 10-year transformational plan: The complexity of the U.S. post office’s operational and financial status quo The multiple roles that package volume will play in determining USPS success The slowdowns and questions that have plagued that transformation Links:
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Creating a B2C to B to C Improvement Cycle at Walmart Business w/ Ashley Hubka
10/31/2024
Creating a B2C to B to C Improvement Cycle at Walmart Business w/ Ashley Hubka
“Most fundamentally, strategy is about asking good questions, creating alternatives, and then making decisions about how to allocate scarce resources. [...] It's a place where you have a 360-degree view of a business.” - Ashley Hubka, Senior Vice President & General Manager, Walmart Business Corporate and consumer buying started and developed on separate tracks, and while there are some things that procurement has learned from and embedded in the B2B experience, others will always be beyond reach. What would happen if you took a consumer shopping experience and expanded it to support institutional customers as well? Walmart Business is in the process of finding out. Ashley Hubka is the Senior Vice President and General Manager at Walmart Business. She has held a number of consulting and strategy positions during her career and holds a degree in Philosophy from Harvard University. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner sits down with Ashley to learn: Why Walmart decided to offer a distinct experience for organizational and commercial customers How that experience is different than the consumer Walmart experience (and when it is the same) Areas of strategic B2B focus over the next 12-24 months Links:
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Part 4: Head-to-Head Comparison of Candidate Policies
10/24/2024
Part 4: Head-to-Head Comparison of Candidate Policies
In the final part of this four-part special series, we compare and contrast the actual policy positions of Democratic Candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Candidate Former President Donald J. Trump. With less than two weeks until election day, procurement and supply chain professionals must have plans in place for the eventuality of either candidate being voted into office, focusing on the areas where they agree as much as where they differ. Listen in as Kelly Barner describes where the two major party candidates actually differ (and where they have a lot in common) based on their own campaign websites, policy platforms, and statements from publicly available interviews: The differences we can expect when supply chain policy is focused on critical industries versus an emphasis on keeping production domestic Looking at a diverse range of energy sources as well as the overall cost and supply of available energy Corporate tax rates that may go up or down And one thing both candidates agree upon: China Links:
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Part 3: Republican Candidate Former President Donald J. Trump
10/23/2024
Part 3: Republican Candidate Former President Donald J. Trump
In part three of this four-part special series, we will cover the policies and plans of Republican Candidate former President Donald Trump. Former President Donald Trump is 78 Years old, and a former businessman/real estate developer as well as the former host of The Apprentice. He became the nominee on July 18, 2024 when he accepted the nomination at the Republican National Convention Listen in as Kelly Barner explores his policy positions and platform: Detailed positions on global trade and China The lack of detail regarding his position on emissions and the environment Strong statements about both the cost and availability of energy, and the importance of emphasizing domestic production over imports from other parts of the world Links:
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Part 2: Democratic Candidate Vice President Kamala Harris
10/22/2024
Part 2: Democratic Candidate Vice President Kamala Harris
In part two of this four-part special series, we will cover the policies and plans of Democratic Candidate Vice President Kamala Harris. Vice President Kamala is 60 Years old and a former Senator and Attorney General from the State of California. She became the presumptive Democratic nominee on July 21, 2024 when President Biden suspended his campaign for re-election, and the official nominee on August 22 when she accepted the nomination at the Democratic National Convention. Listen in as Kelly Barner explores her policy positions and platform: Detailed plans for renewable energy and the environment The lack of detail regarding her position on trade and tariffs Strong statements about China, specifically around the race to dominate AI, domestic labor protections, and intellectual property concerns Links:
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Part 1: Playing Politics with Supply Chains
10/21/2024
Part 1: Playing Politics with Supply Chains
There are two weeks to go until the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election. Interest, speculation, and tension have been building all year. Most news coverage of the election is intended to sway voters, hyperbolic to a fault, and not tailored to the specific information needs of procurement and supply chain professionals. What we really need to know is what each major party candidate has said and what likely outcomes that would lead to. In this four-part special series, we will cover the policies and plans of Democratic Candidate Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican Candidate Former President Donald J. Trump as well as how they compare. Listen in as Kelly Barner kicks off the series by explaining: Why all procurement and supply chain professionals need to be prepared for either candidate to win The impact of tariffs, China, energy, and environmental policy on corporate strategy The rules of engagement and discussion that will apply in this series and the discussions that result Links:
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Tips for Surviving in a Brave New World
10/17/2024
Tips for Surviving in a Brave New World
‘Brave New World’ was published by Aldous Huxley in 1932, right between two World Wars and during a time of accelerated scientific discovery. It comes as no surprise, then, that this fictional dystopian society 600 years in the future had adopted Henry Ford as their spiritual leader. 92 years later, we find ourselves in another time of rapid technological advancement, innovation that often seems to be on a collision course with the most fundamental structures of society. What can re-reading ‘Brave New World’ today teach us about change, innovation, chaos, and opportunity? More than you might expect. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner shares her own observations: How the advancements of science often get ahead of society’s readiness to understand them The level of discomfort and even frustration we must be willing to accept if we want to experience triumph Survival tips that procurement and supply chain professionals can use to succeed in our own ‘Brave New World’ Links:
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East and Gulf Coast Port Strike - Part 1
10/10/2024
East and Gulf Coast Port Strike - Part 1
“Let me be clear: we don’t want any form of semi-automation or full automation. We want our jobs—the jobs we have historically done for over 132 years.” -Harold Daggett, President of the International Longshoremen’s Association In April of 2024, most ‘experts’ felt that a strike of unionized workers at ports along the East and Gulf Coasts was unlikely. The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) was firm about not working beyond September 30th without a signed agreement. After 6 months of disagreement and an automated gate at the port in Mobile, Alabama that brought talks to a halt, the ILA was true to their word. They went on strike at the stroke of midnight on September 30, 2024. Just 3 days later however, a surprise announcement revealed that the ILA and the U.S. Maritime Alliance had reached a temporary agreement: a $4 per hour rise annually for the next 6 years and a 90 day temporary halt to the strike. But this story - and negotiation - is not over. Not by a long shot. In this week’s episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers: The major issues on the table in the strike, as well as what remains to be settled before January The outside forces that played a role in bringing the strike to such an abrupt end Whether the union has won the battle but lost the war by separation pay from automation in the negotiation. Links:
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Supply Chains as Business in Action w/ Thomas Goldsby
10/03/2024
Supply Chains as Business in Action w/ Thomas Goldsby
“The vigor with which companies left to go to the Far East and pursue low cost country sourcing has certainly not been reversed. That's why it is largely emotional; it's largely talk.” -Thomas Goldsby, Dee and Jimmy Haslam Chair of Logistics at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville Business never allows us to stop learning. You might not take formal classes or participate in a training program, but real-world circumstances are a constant - and sometimes brutal - teacher. In this week’s Art of Supply interview, Kelly Barner welcomes a real teacher, a professor actually, to share his point of view on X-shoring, but also to talk about how companies learn what they can and can’t do with supply chains and production and how government intervention and funding may or may not help reorient where in the world production takes place. Thomas Goldsby is the Dee and Jimmy Haslam Chair of Logistics at the Haslam College of Business at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. He is also the Co-Executive Director of their Global Supply Chain Institute. Perhaps most importantly he is actively instructing and inspiring the next generation of supply chain management professionals. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Thomas and Kelly discuss: What X-shoring is and how companies currently make decisions about where to source and produce The material importance of mapping out supply chains Understanding the tradeoffs between automation quality and labor costs, and how both impact product quality Why all companies should be making an effort to experiment, learn fast, and then get the economics of change squared away Links:
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Developing and Deploying Digital Empathy
09/26/2024
Developing and Deploying Digital Empathy
“Digital empathy is the ability to humanize customer behaviors, preferences, and aspirations through the connection between human-centered data, insights, and the meaningful customer engagement powered by those insights.” - Brian Solis, Forbes Contributor Despite the fact that AI and automation seem to dominate business discussions, we haven’t stopped talking about relationships and soft skills. As the work environment and working conditions become increasingly digital, what sort of role does that carve out for empathy? While sympathy politely expresses appropriate concern, empathy feels with you. It is a shared experience, allowing emotions to become ‘contagious’ in a way. That may be a natural response in our personal lives, but what does empathy look like in the context of digital innovation and disruption? In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner considers empathy in the digital world: Why digital empathy may be the missing ingredient in a leading customer experience Embedding empathetic practices and success factors into digital transformation journeys How empathy and human connections - when leveraged right - can serve as a source of unbeatable competitive advantage. Links:
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Evaluating India as a Viable Alternative to China w/ Samir Kapadia
09/19/2024
Evaluating India as a Viable Alternative to China w/ Samir Kapadia
“Folks from Dell to HP to Nike to Hasbro to Sony to Apple to Google to Goldman, they're all looking back at India and saying, let's go double down, triple down and build a presence here.” - Samir Kapadia, Managing Principal at Vogel Group and Founder and CEO at India Index Most companies are obsessed with moving their supply chains out of and away from China - whether it is for regulatory, risk, or human rights-related reasons. That obsession is so strong, that in some cases, they are willing to embrace an “ABC strategy” as you will hear from this week’s guest: anywhere but China. Samir Kapadia is a managing principal at Vogel Group, a lobbying and trade organization based in Washington, D.C. In 2019 and in 2020, he was ranked the number one tariff exemption lobbyist in Washington D.C.. Samir is also the founder and CEO of a B2B marketplace called India Index, which helps U.S. companies source from India, so he is uniquely qualified and also entirely willing to be honest about the opportunities and challenges of looking to India as an alternative to China. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner takes the opportunity to ask Samir for his professional opinion on: Why China looms so large over global supply chains The mindset and culture that play into corporate decisions about where to source internationally, and when to make a change Reasons India deserves serious consideration as an alternative to China as well as what companies should be aware of before they make new plans Links:
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Advancements & Adjustments in the GE Appliances Supply Chain
09/12/2024
Advancements & Adjustments in the GE Appliances Supply Chain
“The way we were running distribution, the processes we were using, it wasn’t a matter of, ‘Well, just incrementally improve what you’ve got.’ “We needed to rethink, take a step back and say, ‘Are we really set up the way we need to be set up?’” - Marcia Brey, VP of Logistics for GE Appliances (via the WSJ) GE Appliances recently made news for a series of planned investments in their supply chain. As interesting as their efforts are today, they are the next step in an ongoing series of advancements and adjustments… and advancements and adjustments. Now owned by Haier, a Shanghai-based company, GE Appliances has been on both sides of the outsourcing - reshoring divide. As they respond to macro conditions and competitive pressures, their supply chain is what connects production with customers, and the top line with the bottom, regardless of continual change. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner addresses three key questions about their operation: Is GE Appliances really (successfully) reshoring manufacturing? How is the Department of Transportation’s FLOW program helping them manage potential supply chain disruptions? What role do metrics play in how they manage high stakes decisions about labor and inventory? Links:
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Proposed Patent Rule Changes and their Impact on Innovation w/ Wen Xie
09/05/2024
Proposed Patent Rule Changes and their Impact on Innovation w/ Wen Xie
Procurement and supply chain professionals rely upon competitive market dynamics. After all, competition drives innovation, cost savings, efficiency, and - profit. Anything that changes the dynamics around the benefits associated with disclosed innovation has the potential to alter how companies invest, how much of that information they make public, and, ultimately, the value and diversity of solutions available to consumers of all kinds. In this week’s episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner welcomes back Wen Xie. Wen is a Washington D.C-based patent attorney who is tuned into how changing policies and regulations alter the value proposition associated with the patent process, one that exists to benefit the general public in exchange for certain protections. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly and Wen discuss: The basic premise behind the current U.S. patent system Pending changes to how the government gets involved in patents they invested to support How changes in cost and associated protections may affect how and when companies invest in patents Links:
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The (Lost) Art of Accepting Criticism
08/29/2024
The (Lost) Art of Accepting Criticism
“The trouble with most of us is that we would rather be ruined by praise than saved by criticism.” - Norman Vincent Peale The Art of Supply podcast regularly covers topics that come with a bit of discomfort: allegations of child labor and greenwashing, the role of government regulations in bringing about change, and China, and absolutely anything to do with China. It isn’t possible to talk about topics like these without getting feedback, and that feedback often takes the form of criticism. In this episode, Kelly Barner takes a break from the usual coverage of news stories and expert interviews to talk about criticism, and how its inevitability shapes her content and makes it better. Listen to this week’s episode of Art of Supply to hear about: The Art of Supply content creation process The differences between welcome criticism and the criticism we intentionally avoid Our philosophy on receiving criticism And why covering these complex topics is so important that it is worth the risk Links:
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Freight Electrification as a Service w/ Ian Rust
08/22/2024
Freight Electrification as a Service w/ Ian Rust
There are a lot of preconceived notions about the barriers preventing electrified road freight from becoming mainstream. It is seen as too difficult, expensive, complicated, inefficient, and more. Most of those perceptions are based on the approaches to electrified trucking that have been tried so far. Perhaps by taking a different approach we can advance the transition away from diesel. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner speaks with Ian Rust, the Founder and CEO at Revoy, a company looking to make electric-powered freight transport possible and affordable at scale. Rather than doing a one-for-one trade from diesel-powered to electric, he recommends being more flexible, more innovative, and more creative. Listen to their conversation to hear: Why we need to accept trucking as a foundational part of freight, and introduce changes with care The common objections Ian hears to the idea of electric trucking and his response to them Where and how regulations can support the transition from diesel to electric, and when private industry should be allowed to do what they do best Links:
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Fishing for Truth in the Seafood Supply Chain
08/15/2024
Fishing for Truth in the Seafood Supply Chain
Companies and consumers regularly rely on product descriptions to decide whether or not to make a purchase and to determine the right price for that product. In the case of seafood, those descriptions and tiers create choices for consumers, but they also provide a built in incentive for fraud at scale. Any time someone is willing to pay a higher margin for a premium product, someone else is willing to turn that into an opportunity for profit. The problem is so widespread, that estimates suggest between 20 and 40 percent of all seafood sold in the United States is mislabeled. In this episode of the Art of Supply podcast, Kelly Barner covers some stinky problems in the seafood supply chain: The most common sources of fish fraud How technology is being used to combat widespread deception and ensure consumer safety Lessons from the seafood supply chain that we can apply in other industries Special thanks to Joseph Barner for his help in making this episode possible. Links:
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Orchestrating the Chaos of Retail Fulfillment w/ Mike Robinson
08/08/2024
Orchestrating the Chaos of Retail Fulfillment w/ Mike Robinson
“Every time I don't have a delivery truck stop in front of your house, 800 grams of CO2 is never created.” - Mike Robinson, Head of Retail Solutions and a Founding Member at The Eighth Notch (T8N) The ecommerce boom of the last few years has led to new business models and consumer experiences, but it has also added to the number of packages being delivered each day. Does the number of packages correlate to the number of items ordered? No, it does not. Placing an online order for 7 items of clothing from one company could result in 1 package, or 2, or 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7. More packages means more tracking for the consumer, more risk of porch pirates, more doorbell rings, more packages sitting out in the rain. It also increases the number of delivery trucks on our streets, the emissions from those trucks, and the amount of packing material. In this episode of Art of Supply, Kelly Barner interviews someone who is willing to propose a solution. Mike Robinson is Head of Retail Solutions and a Founding Member at The Eighth Notch (T8N). He has deep retail experience including time at Macy’s and as an advisor to The Gap. Now he is attacking the chaos of retail fulfillment. Listen to this episode to hear Mike explain: Why retail fulfillment is currently so fragmented The range of benefits associated with synchronizing the post-checkout customer experience Changes in thinking and customer conditioning that will need to take place before these benefits can be realized Links:
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