Reimagining demand forecasting in the supply chain

As the world moves forward into 2024, it’s an opportune time for supply chain professionals to continue making even more positive marks on their organizations. A number of supply chain trends were discussed in this panel discussion featuring Mary Byrne, Vice President of Supply Chain at Cardinal Health, Liz Coddington, CFO of Peloton, Gus Shahin, CIO at Flex and Professor Morgan Swink from Texas Christian University cohosted by Kinaxis Board Member, Angel Mendez and Kinaxis Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Anne Robinson.

• Mendez shared his top 10 challenges supply chains faced in 2023: COVID-19 “hangovers”; a lackluster macroeconomy; persistent inflation; higher cost of debt with higher interest rates; an increasingly complex geopolitical environment; companies attempting to move their footprints away from Asia in a “deglobalization” trend; labor tensions in certain industries; climate effects; continued emphasis on sustainability and ESG; and a “technology renaissance resting on AI.” 
• Byrne talked about how her organization’s customers and partners are seeking more predictability in supply, while the supply chain itself must remain flexible. To create more resilient and responsive supply chains, conversations about technology and transformation will be important. [00:05:15]
• Sustainability can attract younger generations to supply chain careers, addressing a key need for 2024: strong talent. Swink says students are drawn to “changing people’s lives for the better.” [00:28:37]
• Coddington believes AI presents great opportunities in 2024 Companies who figure out how to leverage their own team with machine learning/AI to improve processes, use automation in more efficient and effective ways and better forecast demand will have competitive advantages.
• In terms of advice, supply chain professionals can continue to bridge different strategies and collaborate with partners and other parts of the business, be agile “athletes” ready to respond to changes and new trends quickly. Of course, it’s then critical that they communicate well at the ELT level to influence and educate. [00:44:59]

For an in-depth discussion of these topics and several others, listen to our Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.

To learn more about our guest panelists on this episode, follow them on LinkedIn:

Mary Byrne

Liz Coddington

Gus Shahin

Professor Morgan Swink

As supply chains continue to evolve in a post-pandemic landscape, many supply chain practitioners are wondering how to best stay on top of trends. In today's competitive environment, knowing how to deliver the right product the right way and being able to optimize data and analytics could make or break your organization. In this podcast, Mohan Sodhi, Professor of Operations & Supply Chain Management at the Bayes Business School at the City University of London, and Jayashankar Swaminathan, Professor of Operations at the University of North Carolina, join Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss how to bring innovation to the forefront of your organization so you can optimize supply chains for the future.

• Mohan says that the biggest opportunities in supply chain innovation depend entirely on how much change is required within your supply chain. If you’re keeping your supply chain constant, then new innovations like AI or predictive learning technologies can be used to enhance it, making it more effective and efficient. However, some companies are being forced to shift their processes due to changing consumer habits. He uses music as an example to explain how products may stay the same, but the delivery method could change, highlighting how we went from tapes, to CDs, to MP3s and now streaming. [5:19]
• Keeping up with innovation isn’t easy for chief supply chain officers that are focused on day-to-day executions. Jay explains that there are a lot of opportunities to explore and get started at universities, or even online learning courses like Coursera. He also recommends having a business case or pilot put in place to determine the value of embracing innovation by solving a real problem. Jay states, “if you want to be successful at innovation you need to try a lot of things. 75%-80% of attempts will fail but you shouldn’t lose heart.” [17:01]
• Looking towards the future of supply chain innovation, Mohan says most of the students he teaches are interested in digital technology like AI, blockchain, and creating a start-up model. Jay says he’s seen a significant shift with his students who were once interested in the global aspect of supply chain and are now looking closer at digitization and making the supply chain more responsive. [19:53]

To hear more from Mohan, Jay, Angel, and Anne about embracing innovation for a futuristic supply chain, watch our Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.

To learn more about the work that Mohan is doing at the Bayes Business School at the City University of London, you can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

To learn more about the work Jay is doing at the University of North Carolina, you can follow him on LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Want to know what it takes to manage an integrated supply chain that delivers a continuous supply of life-saving medicine around the world? In this episode of Big Ideas in Supply Chain, Elisabeth Kaszas, VP of Global Supply Operations at Seagen, joins Allen Jacques, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, to discuss the importance of demand planning processes and tackling rapid growth during product launches. Gain insights on Seagen's transformation journey and learn why seamless data exchanges within the biopharma industry can reduce lead times to improve patient access to innovative therapies. 

• Seagen develops life-saving medicines using ADC (Antibody Drug Conjugate) technology, which targets and destroys select cancer cells. Elisabeth joined their team three years ago while they were in the midst of launching three major products. These launches created exponential growth within the company, creating new opportunities to scale up operations and understand the demand signals needed for production plans, supply plans, and distribution capabilities. [5:18]
• Elisabeth worked vigilantly to prepare Seagen as they faced incremental growth. To do this, she knew they needed to remain agile and create more robust roles, responsibilities, and processes to ensure they would be able to sustain the volume and complexity of their products. Additionally, she had an integrated business planning process put in place to gain better end-to-end visibility. [7:51]
• One of the biggest challenges faced at Seagen is long lead times, a topic that many supply chain practitioners are familiar with. Elisabeth states that making life-saving therapies takes time – and safety stock buffers – to try to stay ahead. She also believes there have been a lot of improvements over the past 20 years thanks to the help of advanced analytics and digital tools that have helped her gain improved insights into their end-to-end times to see where inventory is taking the longest. [18:12]

To hear more from Elisabeth and Allen about the vital role of advanced planning and the complexities of supply chain planning in biopharma, watch our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.

Learn more about Elisabeth Kaszas and the work she’s doing at Seagen by following her on LinkedIn. 

It might be tempting to tackle everything all at once when you’re digitally transforming your supply chain, but our experts at Jamieson Wellness know otherwise from experience. In the latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast, Andre Teixeira, VP of Global Supply Chain, Raymond Khan, Senior Director of Supply Chain Center of Excellence and Network Operations, and Steve Mailloux, Director, Supply Chain Planning, join Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, to discuss the importance of using a crawl, walk, run approach when transforming your supply chain. They discuss the tools, processes, and capabilities needed to become more agile and competitive while sharing their insights on how the role of planners will change. 

• Andre explains that the key to the crawl, walk, run approach is to the start with the basics. As the supply chain team at Jamieson Wellness began its digital transformation, they took the time to evolve their process with a clear vision in mind: having the best service, the best working capital, and the best efficiencies in their plants. With this goal, they were able to select the right tools to enable them to get there. [2:18]
• Steve attributes a lot of their success to the training that the supply chain team at Jamieson Wellness conducted. They were previously using a 23-year-old MRP system, which meant a lot of adaptability was required from leadership and their teams. Steve says that the training itself was adaptive and varied, offering learning opportunities ranging from live to offline, and working with smaller groups. They used this opportunity to gain valuable feedback so they could update their training strategy on the fly which helped move their crawl, walk, run process forward. [5:07]
• Andre said that Jamieson Wellness started seeing results as soon as a month after implementing the digital transformation and putting their forecasting accuracy KPIs in place. Forecasting accuracy improved exponentially, and they were able to have more robust discussions with their sales partners. Steve says they saw instant benefits on the supply planning side, specifically in raw material pegging and capacity levelling. [14:14]

To hear more from Andre, Raymond, Steve, and Matt about transforming your supply chain with the crawl, walk, run method, watch our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.

Learn more about Jamieson Wellness and the work their experts are doing by following Andre on LinkedIn, Raymond on LinkedIn, and Steve on LinkedIn.

Operationalizing sustainability is critical as most carbon emissions in companies are found within the supply chain. As new pressures emerge to reduce environmental impacts, supply chain practitioners are eager to know how their organizations plan to address these issues. Deborah Dull, Vice President and Global Supply Chain Sustainability Leader at Genpact, and Josué Velázquez Martínez, Director, Sustainable Supply Chain & LIFT research Labs at MIT, join Polly Mitchell-Guthrie, VP of Industry Outreach and Thought Leadership at Kinaxis, to discuss how making sustainability operational provides critical data to inform business and supply chain decisions that fuel growth while making a positive impact on the planet.

• Deborah is currently working on introducing carbon data into planning and operational systems to build carbon knowledge (also known as carbon intuition) into a supply chain professionals’ day-to-day life. This will give them a better idea of their supply chain’s current environmental impacts. She says, “We often know what the cogs are of something or how long it takes a container ship from China to the Port of LA, but we don't know the carbon emissions of that lane.” [9:02]
• Josué says a major challenge for companies looking to solve sustainability by following aggregate methods to estimate emissions may not be making the best decisions based on that information. He says it’s important to look at the big picture to provide strategic solutions involving accurate metrics and transparency. [11:44]
• When looking towards the future of sustainability both Deborah and Josué are optimistic. Deborah says achieving sustainability within the supply chain is possible because the tools exist to do it and supply chain practitioners are experts at problem solving. Josué says sustainability isn’t just a simple problem that needs to be solved now – it’s an issue that we need to resolve for the future. He encourages supply chain practitioners to keep their eyes open for vulnerabilities within their supply chains that may make it unsustainable. [19:10]

Explore more about the work Deborah is doing at Genpact by following her on LinkedIn. 

Discover more about Josué’s work at MIT by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter

AI has been a hot topic for supply chain leaders thanks to emerging trends like ChatGPT. With new opportunities on the horizon, C-suite executives are questioning what happens next and how AI will impact the supply chain. Kevin O’Marah, Co-Founder and Chief Research Officer at Zero 100, and Pascal Van Hentenryck, Professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Director of AI4OPT, join Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss groundbreaking AI methodologies and research tested insights in the latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast. 

• AI is creating a lot of new opportunities in the supply chain, allowing practitioners to address time constraints, plan, and solve problems faster. Pascal says a lot of these opportunities aren’t yet possible, but AI will help us get there thanks to optimization and advanced learning systems. [3:15]
• Without good data, optimization and machine learning isn’t possible. However, Kevin and Pascal agree that it may not be an obstacle to implementing AI. Kevin suggests starting with a problem rather than attempting to clean all the data you own to determine where your pain points are. Pascal suggests using data augmentation and forecasting tools to make assumptions. [14:07]
• Overregulation may cause regulatory barriers that could prevent progress in AI. Kevin states that it may not be something that can be properly enforced, while Pascal says that there are technologies that already exist for privacy management. He mentions that technology and policy issues need to merge. [23:29]

To hear more from Kevin, Pascal, Angel, and Anne about AI in supply chain, watch our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast.

Explore more about the work Kevin is doing with Zero100 by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter. 

Learn more about Pascal’s work at Georgia Tech and AI4OPT by following him on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Supply chain disruptions and shifts in ESG requirements have changed how companies are operating, making it more important than ever to use the right tools and processes to reach resilience, profit, and sustainability goals. Peter Bolstorff, Executive Vice President of Innovation and Business Intelligence at ASCM (Association for Supply Chain Management), joins Allen Jacques, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, to talk about staying ahead in this changing landscape. As part of this discussion, they explore the revamped SCOR DS (Supply Chain Operations Deference Digital Standard), a digital, open-access model providing methodology, diagnostic and benchmarking tools so organizations can make rapid improvements in supply chain processes. 

Peter talks about changes adopted in SCOR DS to address today’s challenges, including the need for bi-directional, concurrent supply chain orchestration and new metrics that account for resilience, profit, and sustainability. [3:10]

Peter discusses the idea of resilience, and how the supply chain can improve an organization’s ability to be resilient. He speaks about two dimensions to resilience: operational resilience (being faced with disruption and needing to respond immediately) and strategic resilience (processes that allow you to learn from this situation, add it to a playbook, and be more resilient and agile in future responses). He also talks about the importance of balancing both dimensions to operationalize resilience. [7:25]

Peter touches on the trends that supply chain professionals should be focusing on. For the first time they’re seeing a substantial shift, with a dominant theme of using AI to be more sustainable. [16:31]

Upcoming events:

• To learn more about concurrent planning, you can find Kinaxis at the “Innovation Lab: Concurrent Planning with Kinaxis” session at the ASCM Connect 2023: North America event at 9:30 am – 10:30 am at Louisville, Kentucky between Sep 11-13, 2023.
• To learn more about SCOR DS and Integrated Business Planning, you can find Peter and Allen at their cohosted session at the ASCM Supply Chain Tour at 9:30 am - 5 pm at Anaheim on September 26, 2023.

Registrations are now open! Get your tickets today and use the promo code KINAXIS for $100 off for either event.

Sustainability is a topic at the forefront of every stakeholder, company, and consumer’s mind. As regulatory practices become stricter and companies strive to hit their ESG sustainability targets, driving supply chain innovation is now more important than ever. In the latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain podcast, Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer at Colgate-Palmolive, speaks with Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to discuss Colgate-Palmolive’s bold approach to reducing environmental impacts and improving social and climate justice. 

• Ann says she doesn’t see how companies can move forward and achieve sustainability without supply chain innovation. Organizations need to be ready and willing to tackle sustainability at Scope One, Two, and Three because carbon emissions and social impact exist at every step of the supply chain. [5:34]
• Colgate-Palmolive has three ambition pillars to help them tackle sustainability: driving social impact, helping millions of homes, and preserving the environment. Their flagship program, Bright Smiles, Bright Futures, brings oral health and hygiene to children globally and they’re constantly designing more sustainable products. [8:19]
• Smaller organizations that want to become more sustainable should begin by doing a materiality assessment and mapping out what’s important and relevant for stakeholders and what’s important for their business to determine which priorities should be tackled first. Ann states that one approach is to adopt environmentally conscious behaviors across operations that can save money. For example, more efficient boilers, heat exchangers, and other equipment of that nature are more sustainable and can even reduce the amount of water or heat used. [15:12]

To learn more about the speakers and follow them, see below:

Ann Tracy, Chief Sustainability Officer, Colgate-Palmolive

• LinkedIn handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ann-tracy-35648711

Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer, Kinaxis

• LinkedIn handle: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-robinson-449225/
• Twitter handle: @agrobins

S&OP is a crucial and essential process within the supply chain – but only if companies are willing to upgrade their existing capabilities so it can deliver on its promises. In our latest Big Ideas in Supply Chain video podcast, Bram Desmet, CEO of Solventure, and Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis, discuss what organizations can do to improve their decision-making processes by using new technology, working collaboratively, and balancing service, cost, and cash. 

• Bram states that a typical S&OP process can take four weeks or more – by the time this information makes it to the decision-making process, the data is already too old to use. To remedy this, Bram says using new technology like AI, as opposed to outdated applications like Excel, and removing siloed work can make a significant difference. [3:42]
• Bram says that S&OP is more crucial and essential than ever when it comes to balancing service, cash, and cost – but for it to be successful, companies need to upgrade their material maturity level. Bram states that the ideal standard level that all companies should operate under is maturity level 5, which means organizations are connected to key customers, key suppliers, and can make value-based decisions. [9:13]
• S&OP is continuously updating, which is why Bram believes the process shouldn’t be limited to monthly meetings. S&OP should be reviewed using real-time data so latencies can be removed, and forecasting can be conducted with robust analysis. [18:25]

To learn more about the speakers and follow them, see below:

Bram Desmet, CEO of Solventure

• LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bramdesmet/
• Twitter handle: @bram_desmet
• Personal website:  www.bramdesmet.com

Matt Spooner, Industry Thought Leader at Kinaxis

• LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spoonermatthew/

Impacted by constant supply chain disruption, one of the biggest challenges in the electronics industry is forecasting demand both upstream and downstream. Lynn Torrel, Chief Procurement and Supply Chain Officer at Flex, joins Angel Mendez, Board Member and Supply Chain Innovator, and Dr. Anne Robinson, Chief Strategy Officer at Kinaxis, to explore how to forecast demand more accurately by pairing contextualized data with external demand signals and applying a layer of analytics and AI to get actionable, real-world insights.

Lynn talks about the balance of resiliency and cost in supply chain. She speaks to   different customers needing different solutions and how Flex is ready to support those decisions through global scale and scope. [6:24]

Lynn also discusses the disconnect between supply and demand in a post-COVID world. While customer expectations have begun to shift, many suppliers continue to operate as they did throughout the pandemic. Lynn states that the old ways of forecasting demand aren’t sufficient and that accurately and providing information to organizations about what constraints could happen in the future is a necessity.  [15:12]

Lynn talks about the True Demand Coalition, which is a new group of 25 member companies working together to share access to better data (global market impacts, macroeconomics and other information) with the goal of improving demand forecasting accuracy to mitigate future supply chain disruptions. [21:22]

To learn more about the speakers and follow them, access their LinkedIn profiles here:

• Lynn Torrel - https://www.linkedin.com/in/lynntorrel
• Angel Mendez - https://www.linkedin.com/in/angel-l-mendez-98288
• Dr. Anne Robinson - [https://www.linkedin.com/in/anne-robinson-449225