From the Desk of Wade McDaniel
Welcome to the January 2017 issue of Supply Chain Navigator.
Growing up I had a friend who I really admired. He was a few years older than I and would occasionally rope me into some mischievous deed or another. Of course, he never got caught, and I always did. With each grounding, I would get the same lecture from my mom, “If he jumped off a bridge, would you follow him?”
I share this bit of nostalgia to make an important point. Whether you are an impressionable youngster or a respected and established professional, it is important to make informed choices that support your organization’s long-term goals, rather than following in someone else’s footsteps. This is the advice I have given through the years when customers would ask if I thought they should outsource their manufacturing operations to a low-cost region and it is the advice I give today to customers weighing their options for the implementation of disruptive new technologies and processes, including cognitive computing, additive manufacturing, IoT, risk modeling and blockchain technology.
The decision to adopt any emerging technology or strategy must begin with your ultimate goal. We’ve established that “because everyone else is” may not be the most appropriate motive. So, what are some good reasons? In this issue, subject matter experts from IBM, Cisco, Deloitte, Air Worldwide, Everledger and Skuchain offer insights on the people, process and technology benefits and challenges of some of the most influential trends shaping the supply chain of tomorrow.
We also have an exclusive interview with Paul Keel, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain at 3M, a highly diversified, $30B+ company with a product portfolio of more than 50,000 products across sectors such as industrial engineering, safety, graphics and electronics. With an incredible 15 percent return on assets, 3M ranked as the top company in Gartner’s 2016 Supply Chain Top 20: Industrial.
Finally, we are excited to introduce a new Economics section to our journal, with a contributed column by Chris Christopher, Director of U.S. Macroeconomics and Global Consumer Markets, IHS Markit. Chris is a highly respected economist, who is often cited in major media outlets including the Wall Street Journal, Fortune, Bloomberg News, NPR and the Huffington Post.
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Until Next Time,
Wade McDaniel
Many thanks to the Supply Chain Navigator Editorial Advisory Board for their support and guidance:
 Joe Carter Associate Director General at Thunderbird School of Global Management, Arizona State University |
 Joe DiIorio Senior Director, Supply Chain Transformation, Seagate Technology |
 Prashant Marathay Operations Program Manager, X, a Google company |
Questions or comments about our publication can be directed to Supply Chain Navigator Editorial Director Diane Trommer at Diane.Trommer@Avnet.com Connect with Diane via LinkedIn.