If it can happen to Toyota, it can happen to anyone. A recent explosion of a steel furnace in eastern Japan is going to set Toyota's production back by 30,000 fewer vehicles this year. Supply chain disruptions are a growing problem in today's globalized economy. They're frequent, they're unpredictable, and they come at the worst times possible. How will businesses cope?
This is the last episode of a three-part interview that Boris Felgendreher conducted with Mick Jones, former head of supply chain and logistics at Lenovo, the world’s largest PC maker. Mick talks about the intersection of a number of technology trends that will dramatically change the areas of logistics and supply chain in the next five years. From 3D printing and the Internet of Things to the role of data and how disruptive new business models will threaten the established players in the market – this interview covers a lot of ground and is full of great insights for everyone in the fields of manufacturing, supply chain, logistics and transportation.
Manufacturers anticipate major supply chain challenges and risks in 2016. Many factors are behind this, from internal ones like labor and technology issues, to unpredictable external forces like port strikes and natural disasters. Companies often fall into the trap of looking solely at cost cutting, instead of viewing their supply chains holistically, in order to mitigate the huge losses that come from disruptions. Listen to this podcast to find out how this disconnect often starts at the top level, where 76% of manufacturers operate entirely without a Chief Supply Chain Officer.
From flowers to candy to wine, Valentine’s Day is a $14 billion industry. Greg Kefer and Richard Barnett discuss some of the supply chain and logistics challenges retailers face during a major shopping holiday like Valentine’s Day in this podcast.
In part two of this three-part series, Boris Felgendreher interviews Mick Jones, who has held several senior-level positions in supply chain and logistics at Lenovo, the world’s largest PC maker. Mick talks about how he and his team navigated Lenovo’s supply chain through constantly changing market conditions and unexpected disruptions during a time of massive growth for the company. Mick’s insights on the importance of supply chain agility enabled by network-wide data sharing and analytics are especially usefully for Supply Chain Executives across all industries.