Supply Chain Special Interest Group Events

See also the Supply Chain SIG Interlinks Podcast Series.

Navigating Supply Chain Challenges
Geopolitical, Energy, Regulations, Rare Earths

June 20, 2023

Europe/North America Perspectives
See panelists

June 21, 2023

PacRim/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session Description

The world of supply chain and logistics has been plagued with volatility, disruptions, geopolitical issues, concerns about energy availability and transition, and increased regulations. Several issues are converging simultaneously, creating a precarious path forward. In this webinar, we will talk about the current status of the supply chain and what a practical, successful path forward looks like.

Our expert panel of manufacturing and supply chain experts will discuss the current situation, the top issues clients are experiencing, and what a practical, successful path forward could look like. We will talk through what our most successful clients are doing, what industry experts think are the largest risks to mitigate, and what innovations and/or advancements might provide new pathways for the future. Most importantly, we will talk through our recommendations for a successful path forward during these turbulent times.

Past Events

Back to the Basics – World Class Fundamentals

April 18, 2023

Europe/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session recording below.

April 19, 2023

PacRim/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session recording below.

Session Description

Businesses, supply chain, and the world are experiencing disruption, volatility, and chaos. In this period of geo-political risk, interest rate spikes, fears of recession, labor shortages, and more, successful businesses will focus on the fundamentals. Our expert panel of manufacturing and supply chain experts will discuss the current situation, the top issues clients are experiencing, and how fundamental business processes can help. We will talk through what our most successful clients are doing and how emphasizing fundamental best practice business processes during these turbulent times will turn turbulence into opportunity.

Short term vs the long term: Navigating Turbulent Times

November 1, 2022

Short term vs the long term: Navigating Turbulent Times
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session recording below.

November 22, 2022

Short term vs the long term: Navigating Turbulent Times
Europe/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session recording below.

Session Description:

As businesses struggle in this new era of VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity), the divide between short term and long term seems to increase. Businesses are concerned about inflation, recession, inventory levels (cash flow), customer service and stock availability, costs vs. risks, reshoring, nearshoring, energy availability vs costs, and more.

What are the current trends and what is the latest thinking on what clients are focused on in the short term and what is on their mind for the long-term? What are the most successful companies doing to successfully navigate the short term while also prepare for the long term? Our expert panel of manufacturing and supply chain experts will discuss the current state of affairs as it relates to short term concerns and long term implications, what our best clients are doing differently and will discuss and debate strategies to thrive no matter what comes next in this volatile environment.

Inflation, Deflation, What to Do?

July 21, 2022

Inflation, Deflation, What to Do?
Europe/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session Recording below.

July 27, 2022

Inflation, Deflation, What to Do?
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session Recording below.

Session Description:

There is no doubt we are struggling with volatility in the supply chain. Inflation is the hot topic on one hand with rising prices, difficulty in finding people, wage inflation and much more. Yet on the other hand, there are increasing concerns about deflation and a potential recession and how companies should respond.

What are the current trends and what is the latest thinking on which scenario is more likely and how it will impact the supply chain throughout the world? What are the most successful companies doing to successfully prepare for both inflation and deflation? Our expert panel of manufacturing and supply chain experts will discuss the current state of inflation/ deflation, what our best clients are doing differently and will discuss and debate strategies to thrive no matter what comes next in this volatile environment.

Session Description:
According to surveys in both North America and Europe, executives are not just talking about reshoring; they are taking action. Does that mean globalization is dead? We have assembled expert manufacturing and supply chain thought leaders from around the globe to discuss and debate these topics.

With our 140 years of consulting experience supplementing over 190 years of management experience in Manufacturing, Logistics, Supply Chain, Technology, Sustainability, and more, these global thought leaders will explore whether reshoring could add value to your business and enhance your customer experience or create further disruption and cost. Or, are there other options? We’ll discuss a myriad of issues related to reshoring, nearshoring and regional supply chains during our Reshoring in a Post COVID-19 World series. Our first panel will discuss the Pacific Rim/ North America perspective, and our second panel will address the topic from a European/ North America point-of-view.


Challenges of Integrating Technology Across the Supply Chain

Feb 22, 2022

Challenges of Integrating Technology Across the Supply Chain
Europe/North America Perspectives
See panelists.

3pm Europe UTC/GMT
7am US Pacific/ 10am US Eastern
1am Australia AEST (February 23rd)
Duration: 1 hour

See recording below.

Feb 23, 2022

Challenges of Integrating Technology Across the Supply Chain
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
See panelists

12am Europe UTC/GMT
4pm US Pacific/ 7pm US Eastern
10am Australia AEST (February 24th)
Duration: 1 hour

See recording below.


Talent in the Supply Chain

November 16, 2021

Talent in the Supply Chain
Europe/North America Perspectives

3pm Europe UTC/GMT
7am US Pacific/ 10am US Eastern
1am Australia AEST (November 17th)
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists

Session recording below.

November 17, 2021

Talent in the Supply Chain
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
12am Europe UTC/GMT
4pm US Pacific/ 7pm US Eastern
10am Australia AEST (November 18th)
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists.

Session recording below.


Creating Customer Advocates During Supply Chain Disruption

August 23, 2021

Creating Customer Advocates During Supply Chain Disruption
Europe/North America Perspectives

3pm Europe UTC/GMT
7am US Pacific/ 10am US Eastern
12am Australia AEST (August 24th)
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists

Session recording below

August 25, 2021

Creating Customer Advocates During Supply Chain Disruption
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
11pm Europe UTC/GMT
3pm US Pacific/ 6pm US Eastern
8am Australia AEST (August 26th)
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists.

Session recording below


Supply Chain, Materials & Logistics Disruption

June 2, 2021

Supply Chain, Materials & Logistics Disruption
Europe/North America Perspectives
3pm Europe UTC/GMT
7am US Pacific/ 10am US Eastern
1am Australia AEST (March 12th)
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists

Session recording below.

June 23, 2021

Supply Chain, Materials & Logistics Disruption
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
12pm Europe UTC/GMT
4pm US Pacific/ 7pm US Eastern
10am Australia AEST (June 17th)
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists.

Session recording below.


Supply Chain Partnerships: Creating Resiliency in 2021

March 11, 2021

Creating Resiliency in 2021
Europe/North America Perspectives
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists

Session recording below.

March 18, 2021

Creating Resiliency in 2021
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
Duration: 1 hour
See panelists.

Session recording below.

Session Description:

Resiliency has emerged as a cornerstone to emerging successfully from the pandemic and essential to post-COVID success.

As executives re-evaluate supply chain collaborations and partnerships, they will be thinking about supply chain strategy and partnerships. We have assembled expert manufacturing and supply chain thought leaders from around the globe to discuss and debate these topics.

With our 140 years of consulting experience supplementing over 190 years of management experience in Manufacturing, Logistics, Supply Chain, Technology, Sustainability, and more, our global thought leaders will explore whether the processes of reshoring and nearshoring could add value to your business and enhance your customer experience, create further disruption, and cost, or result in other challenges and opportunities and which supply chain relationships will be key in this ongoing reconfiguration.

Session Description:
Recent years have thrown up a series of events that have caused inbound supply disruptions for developed economies dependent on international supply chains. Some of these disruptions have been bigger while others have been smaller, some have been regional and others global, but all have had significant impacts around the world.

Over last 10 years alone, among other events, we have had:

  • The Fukushima earthquake and tsunami
  • The Icelandic volcano and ash cloud
  • US-China trade wars
  • Brexit and ensuing import and export disruptions between the UK and its European trading partners
  • The COVID pandemic causing global disruption impacting different regions at different times throughout 2020 and 2021
  • Suez Canal blockage and resulting delays and supply shortages

The disruptions resulting from the more recent of these is still ongoing throughout 2021 and while we do not know what the source of the next disruption will be, we can be certain that it will come given the volatility and unpredictability of events in our complex, interconnected supply chains.

What is concerning to us in the SAC Supply Chain Special Interest Group is that many companies appear not to be aware of how vulnerable they to this kind of disruption until it happens.

The purpose of this panel event is to help you to understand the nature and source of these vulnerabilities in your multi-layered supply chain to make known much more of what is currently unknown.

This will enable you to put in place effective prevention, mitigation and contingency measures so that you will be better prepared when disruptions arise, as they inevitably will, in the future.

Meanwhile here are some questions for you to get the juices flowing:

  • Do you know the full extent of your supply dependencies?
  • Which of these dependencies are most critical to your ability to conduct your business?
  • What prevention, mitigation or contingency plans can you put in place now to reduce your vulnerability in future – or indeed identify hidden opportunity?

Session Description:
The worldwide supply chain has been severely disrupted. Knowing your supplier, and your supplier’s supplier, and your supplier’s supplier’s supplier has never been more important. However no matter how strategic you are with your supply chain, delays and longer lead times are inevitable. The question now becomes, how do you manage your customers over such an extended buying and delivery cycle? The businesses who are not communicating effectively and often with their customers are now going to lose market share in what many now predict to be the start of a decade-long boom. Now is not the time to lose customers.

Listen to our panel of experts as they discuss and debate what is required today to keep your business growing tomorrow.

Session Description:

There is a war on talent in the supply chain. Vast labor shortages in the end-to-end supply chain from ports, trucking, warehousing, manufacturing, technology and much more is constraining sales growth. These are unprecedented times when retaining, developing and attracting talent will mean the difference between thriving and dying. What are the most successful companies doing to successfully navigate the shortage of talent? Our expert panel of manufacturing and supply chain experts will discuss the current state of talent, what our best clients are doing differently and will discuss and debate strategies to thrive in the rebound as it appears to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to grow and scale if you are successful with talent.

Session Description:
As companies do their best to navigate the significant disruptions in the supply chain, they have realized they have to integrate technology if they want to survive, let alone thrive post pandemic. In fact, there has been a dramatic acceleration of the adoption of technology and the digital transformation. What would have taken 5 years is happening imminently. Thus, executives realize they must integrate technology to decrease labor costs and minimize resource requirements especially as reshoring gains steam, and they need to implement technology to keep up with changing customer expectations and to create predictable revenue forecasts. What are the most successful companies doing to successfully integrate technology successfully? Our expert panel of manufacturing and supply chain experts will weigh in on the challenges of automation and the use of technology and will provide insights and solutions to achieve success.

Reshoring in a Post-COVID World

Oct 28, 2020

Reshoring in a Post COVID World
Pac Rim/North America Perspectives
See panelists

Session recording below.

Nov 11, 2020

Reshoring in a Post COVID World
Europe/North America Perspectives
See panelists.

Session recording below.



Pac Rim / North America Panelists

Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson, Moderator
Claremont, California
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Evan Bulmer, Pac Rim
Evan Bulmer, Pac Rim
Grange SA, Australia
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David Ogilvie, Pac Rim
David Ogilvie, Pac Rim
Brisbane, Australia
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Diane Garcia
Diane Garcia
Portland, Oregon
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Karen Wilson-Starks
Karen Wilson-Starks
Colorado Springs, CO
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Europe/ North America Panelists

 Antonio Zrilic, EU
Antonio Zrilic, EU
Croatia
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Lisa Anderson
Lisa Anderson, Moderator
Claremont, California
Profile | LinkedIn

Patrick Daly
Patrick Daly, EU
Dublin, Ireland
Profile | LinkedIn

Art Koch
Art Koch
Miami, Florida
Profile | LinkedIn

Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren
San Pedro, CA
Profile | LinkedIn