The SupplyChainBrain Podcast

There's a good chance that your corporate training program isn't up to snuff. Companies might think they have adequate training initiatives for new and continuing employees covering multiple functions. Too often, though, their efforts are falling short. The failure to properly train one's workforce can result in billions of dollars of lost profits from insurance claims, worker's compensation, medical visits, time off work and lawsuits both inside and outside the organization. On this episode, Carol Leaman, chief executive officer of Axonify, talks about what constitutes an effective training program. She answers a number of key questions: What should you be teaching your employees? What are the most effective tools with which accomplish that? How can you make them want to learn? How can you ensure that they're retaining the information? And what steps should you be taking to ensure that good training remains a permanent part of your organization?

Want to make sure that your imports or exports are traveling on a ''clean'' ship? There's a way to do that. Shipping Efficiency.org is an initiative that was launched in 2010 to create a rating database for vessel carbon dioxide emissions. Environmentally conscious shippers can consult the site for reports on more 76,000 commercial vessels in service today, and book their cargo accordingly. But the effort goes well beyond mere reporting. It's an offshoot of the Carbon War Room, created in 2009 by Virgin Group chief executive officer Richard Branson in partnership with RightShip. The objective is to identify private-sector solutions to climate change. Shipping Efficiency.org tackles the ocean shipping sector, which is responsible for more than a billion tons of CO2 emissions each year. In this conversation with Victoria Stulgis, senior associate with Shipping Efficiency.org, we learn of the many actions, both large and small, that vessel owners and operators can take to slash their carbon emissions – all the while making their ships more efficient. A retrofit, she says, can help slash an operator's fuel bills by 15 percent. In all, the industry stands to save some $70bn on fuel by the year 2030.

They call it ''free'' trade, but the price of failing to properly manage one's imports and exports can be dangerously high. That's especially the case with the looming prospect of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the sweeping free-trade agreement negotiated among the U.S. and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. TPP has been submitted for ratification by the U.S. Congress, but U.S. importers and exporters should be preparing to cope with the pact's complexities now. On this episode, we get advice from Gary Baracco, director of global product marketing with Amber Road. He discusses how TPP will place new demands on traders for adhering to rules of origin. Companies looking to take advantage of the agreement will need to engage in sophisticated ''tariff engineering,'' he says. Good supplier-relationship management will be more important than ever. It's especially crucial that manufacturers gain visibility into multiple tiers of suppliers, who might otherwise be responsible for serious breaches in their codes of conduct. Finally, Baracco talks about the challenges of sourcing in new markets such as Africa, and the many factors that go into the decision to alter one's sourcing strategy.

Starting up a business requires brains, heart and money – but in the case of the last, not as soon as you might think. There's no lack of ''how-to'' books on how to become a successful entrepreneur. Yet most ventures are doomed to fail, whether because the timing wasn't right, the funding wasn't in place or the partners lacked the patience to see it through. On this episode, we hear from Silicon Valley entrepreneur John Chisholm, who has shepherded two online software companies to success, and invested in dozens of other privately held companies. Now chief executive officer of San Francisco-based John Chisholm Ventures, he is the author of a new book called Unleash Your Inner Company: Use Passion and Perseverance to Build Your Ideal Business. He talks about some of the misconceptions that surround most start-ups, including the impulse to seek funding too early. And he offers a number of tips on how to guide your start-up through the many obstacles that you're bound to encounter on the journey.

Are supply-chain managers finally getting the respect they deserve? A new four-year study by Professor Douglas Boateng of the University of South Africa suggests they are. Surveying a wide range of private- and public-sector organizations, with combined revenues of around $1tr, he found a growing move to bring supply-chain experts into the executive suite. While the position of Chief Supply Chain Officer (CSCO) isn't especially new, its presence hasn't been widespread. Now, that might be changing. A substantial portion of respondents to Professor Boateng's study say they consider supply-chain management as ''crucial for long-term wealth creation.'' Their newfound sense of awareness dovetails with the need for supply-chain managers to do more than cut costs. It also signals a trend toward combining two previously separate disciplines: procurement and logistics. But are there enough individuals out there who can do both jobs? Are they being compensated fairly? And what about that 30 percent of executives who don't consider supply chain to be an essential element of long-term profitability?

Online shoppers are ready for a new wave of innovation in the e-commerce experience – and retailers had better be ready, too. The P.R. and social marketing agency Walker Sands Communications recently conducted its second annual study on the future of retail. The effort zeroed in on the technology aspects of online shopping. Key findings focused on three major developments: the use of delivery drones, the shift to mobile payment, and the deployment of virtual reality to create an in-store experience for home-based buyers. Interestingly, a large percentage of respondents declared themselves ready for some of these trends, especially drones. Two-thirds said they expect to receive their first drone-delivered package within the next five years. But are these cutting-edge technologies really practical? How will they transform the face of e-commerce? We get answers from Dave Parro, senior account director and retail technology practice lead with Walker Sands. He also talks about which e-commerce giant will likely prevail in the technology race. And he outlines some of the obstacles that might delay full deployment of these innovations.

Even the most dominant companies in the world need to take a look in the mirror now and then. Intel Corp. is no exception. Back in 2007, the company felt that it was slipping in some key areas, including reliability, customer responsiveness and supply-chain costs as a percentage of revenues. It was time for a serious reassessment. So Intel proceeded to implement a number of key performance metrics, and benchmark itself against the competition. ''We had to get our house in order internally,'' says Sharon J. Hall, our guest on this episode. She is director of equipment planning and procurement, as well as of Intel Resale Corp. Hall discusses how Intel went about evaluating itself, and implementing improvements to the organization where necessary. It adopted five key tenets to which its metrics would be aligned. The result: Intel today has once again been designated a ''Supply Chain to Admire'' by Supply Chain Insights. The effort, says Hall, stemmed from a realization that supply chain can help the company not just to control costs, but to deliver growth.

It's safe to say that no child yearns for a career in supply chain. But schools and educators are working to change that. The shift can be seen at all levels – college, high school and even the elementary grades. Until recently, the education system wasn't doing a very good job of producing graduates who were qualified to take on even entry-level jobs related to supply chain, logistics or global trade management. Now, though, schools are starting to listen to the private sector. On this episode, we talk to PJ Shelton, deputy sector navigator for global trade and logistics in the San Francisco Bay Area, and director of the Centers for International Trade Development. She assesses the state of supply-chain education at all grade levels. She explains how colleges are starting to do a better job of aligning their programs with the needs of business. And she talks about how high school and elementary kids can be made aware of the rich possibilities offered by a career in supply chain. Maybe there's hope for closing that looming supply-chain talent gap after all.

Today's fashion industry is obsessed with getting product to store shelves quickly, changing out assortments constantly, and charging rock-bottom prices. But there's a price to be paid for that behavior. So says Maxine Bédat, chief executive officer of Zady, Inc., an advocate of the concept of ''slow fashion.'' The company has launched a year-long research effort to examine the impact of traditional fashion supply chains on people and the environment. At the same time, it's spearheading a new way of making and selling clothing – one that supports decent wages and humane treatment for factory workers, while minimizing the industry's impact on oceans, drinking water, forests and climate change. Apparel is the second-most polluting industry in the world today, Bédat says, and she's determined to change that state of affairs. She talks about how Zady is emphasizing ''quality over quantity,'' and whether the practices of a relatively small apparel maker can be extended to much larger entities. Success, however, will require a major overhaul of apparel supply chains.

When it comes to teaching the complexities of supply-chain management, is digital learning as effective as the traditional in-class experience? Actually, it's a little late to be asking the question. ''Virtual'' teaching experiences are becoming increasingly common in all areas of education. And they deliver some real benefits. Supply-chain professionals looking to hone their skills don't have the time to physically attend classes. In fact, some of the world's largest companies are relying on remote learning to improve their executives' leadership skills. But are there trade-offs to be considered? Can a professor really interact in a meaningful way with multiple students in a virtual environment? We address these questions in this episode with two guests: Alan Todd, founder of the digital learning platform CorpU, and Steve Tracey, executive director of the Center for Supply Chain Research at Penn State. They offer some surprising observations about the ability of students of all ages to absorb knowledge through digital media. In the future, says Todd, ''all higher education will be blended learning.''