#30: Building a Platform for Collaboration with Monica Truelsch Senior Director At Infor Nexus

Connect with the Guest:

Monica Truelsch: LinkedIn

Some of the highlights from the podcast:

• How global supply chain transactions are updated roughly 50 times a second on the Nexus platform
• Supply chain trends – diversification and shifting manufacturing operations
• Combining shipments with competitors to reduce wasted space instead of 40% why not have a 95% utilized container?
• 80% of supply chain data exists outside the enterprise – how can organizations have end to end visibility
• During a crisis situation – you can’t rely on algorithms
• How Infor keeps its company culture intact while working remotely

Show notes:

• [01:40] Starting with the big issue of today, the COVID-19 crisis, what is your view on where we are today and how we got here from a supply chain perspective?
• [04:50] Our focus was on how long the impact would be on exports coming out of China for the global supply chains that are dependent on the region as a primary sourcing country.
• [08:49] Are there other supply chain trends you see developing? What’s going to happen in the next few months?
• [11:54] What are some of the main priorities that you advise your clients to focus on? What are some of the questions and requests that you received more often from your clients during these times?
• [13:03] We find a great deal of interest in basic supply chain visibility tools- visibility to supplier operations and contract manufacturers.
• [15:30] It’s time for retailers to automate more of their warehouses so they can improve storage and speed up fulfillment. 
• [16:29] Is there a specific example from your portfolio of a client that has done a good job of putting a good business continuity plan in place and now they are adapting better?
• [18:40] We’ve seen firms that have taken more control of their international logistics inhouse rather than just relying on international freight forwarders. 
• [20:43] There are some other interesting examples of how companies are coming together and trying to work as one to overcome the challenges of this crisis. What’s your perspective on the topic of partnership?
• [25:50] This crisis put everyone into new proximity and new priorities. I think we’re going to continue to see that play out and there will be new partnerships as companies reworked the way they go about their global supply chain operations.
• [27:39] Do you see any other examples of silver lining coming out of this crisis?
• [30:36] I think we’re going to see a great deal and growth in regional parcel or small package carriers and delivery services. 
• [34:17] I think service providers and carriers that have invested in transportation; that have more robust systems; that are tied into major TMS and ERP are going to be in a much better position to provide higher levels of service in a more personalized fashion.
• [35:47] How do you manage “working from home” for the team and overall for the company? How has it impacted the culture of the company?
• [37:01] Infor as an organization already had tremendous experience and resources in supporting a very distributed network of workers; in supporting the work of individuals from remote offices or from home offices and a strong culture of virtual meetings.
• [41:35] So communication, leadership, empathy for the workers, strong team-building, and strong support for employees are critical for us, and I think overall, we had a very successful response to this extraordinary time.
• [42:05] How did this “work from home” affected your work with the clients? Can you tell us what the acronym BFH is about?
• [43:49] BFH was a shorthand for a big freaking hammer. So you may have a set of very specialized tools that are unique for certain problems, but there are some very difficult problems where only the application of blunt force can get something moving.
• [45:31] I think during this crisis humans excel more than AI because AI has to learn from things it has seen before and it is very dependent on data, while humans have the ability to deal with exceptions and intuitively grasped new ways to solve the problem.
• [47:54] The tools are there to support the teams, but it is essentially their ability to work together and to have full support from the management that will make the difference between successful organizations and those that don’t come out so well after this pandemic.
• [49:06] What should we expect in the next few months? How should we prepare supply chain professionals?
• [52:57] Companies are diversifying their bets; they are hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Quote from the Episode:

About the Host:

The host, Andrei Palamariu is the founder of Supplify where he and his team works on building a platform to connect the supply chain tech ecosystem. His most interesting discussions with the clients are focused on implementing the best technology, digital transformation, company growth and expansion, turnarounds, and product and business development.

Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.

The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.

Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.

We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.

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