How people power a customer-centric supply chain transformation

Paul Giamberardino has over 20 years in supply chain management for industries like consumer-packaged goods, healthcare and now telecommunications. 

In this episode, Paul says he’s pleased that in recent years, supply chain is no longer just “a cost center to move equipment around” but “we've really tried to change that to be a competitive advantage, an area that adds value for the organization,” he says.

Regarding “technology enablers” for the supply chain: Whether it's IoT, Blockchain, 5G, Paul says they're going to enable supply chain practitioners to get better at what they do and help supply chain move past pure execution of orders to more end-to-end orchestration.

Adapting to new processes over past few years: Change management, building trust in new tools has been a big lift. People were used to ingrained ways of doing things and now have to trust that new systems will give them the outcomes they’re used to. 

“Can’t run a supply chain staring at a computer”: Rogers has  a mix of office and logistics/distribution employees. “We’ve gotten away from touching and feeling the supply chain like we used to.” He says there’s no substitute for seeing the operations and through the lens of the customer. 

Evolution of supply chain becoming a strategic differentiator: Rogers has introduced new services like weekend deliveries , creating a competitive supply chain advantage. This has driven more corporate investment in talent, systems, facilities.

Learn more about Paul here.