The SupplyChainBrain Podcast

Demand forecasting would be a snap – if only people weren't involved. Retailers and manufacturers struggle to match forecasts with actual purchasing patterns. Much of the time they fail – and, despite the growing sophistication of software and analytics tools, they don't seem to be getting much better at the task. One problem is the growing complexity of markets, products and consumer demand. But the biggest obstacle might be one that's simply part of human nature: bias. In this episode, we hear from distinguished planning and forecasting expert Dr. Chaman L. Jain, professor of economics at St. John's University. He lays out some of the pitfalls that cause forecasters to deviate from the truth. And he offers some tips on how they can be avoided.

The risk of cyber crime hitting your supply chain is greater than ever before. The possibilities extend well beyond old-fashion website hacking. Global supply chains today are vulnerable to any number of scams that originate in cyberspace, says Peregrine Storrs-Fox. He is risk management director with Through Transportation Mutual Services (UK) Ltd., known more familiarly as the TT Club, an international provider of transportation and logistics insurance. Storrs-Fox lays out the many ways in which criminals can attack your business, grab sensitive information and even hold your shipments hostage. The message: be diligent. ''I don't think that anyone can think for a moment they're not exposed,'' says Storrs-Fox.

Born in the wake of one devastating hurricane, the American Logistics Aid Network found itself in the eye of another. ALAN was formed in response to a series of unusually intense storms in 2005, most notably Hurricane Katrina. Today, the organization draws on an extensive roster of private companies, trade associations, government agencies and relief organizations to respond to any manner of disaster, enabling the rapid delivery of food, clothing, shelter and other critical supplies to those in need. Kathy Fulton, interim president and director of operations with ALAN, and Richard Sharpe, chief executive officer of Competitive Insights LLC, join us to discuss how ALAN and its partners responded to Hurricane Sandy, which slammed the Caribbean and Atlantic seaboard in 2012. They talk about the lessons they learned, and how they plan on dealing with the next big disaster.

Every business has its rock stars. In the world of supply chain, you might call Joseph C. Andraski the lead singer. Joe Andraski has truly had an ''incredible supply-chain journey,'' to steal a phrase from the title of his new book. In this episode, he relates how he got started in the business, learning some valuable early lessons about working with fellow employees, both above and below his level of responsibility. Later, Joe piloted his team through the merger turmoil at Nabisco and R.J. Reynolds. And more recently, he has helped to pioneer innovative uses for radio-frequency identification technology. We get the story in a nutshell – or as briefly as this captivating raconteur can tell it.

Deck Same-day service: It's the ultimate goal of e-commerce retailers – and the ultimate desire of consumers. But is it really feasible? A number of players have already jumped into same-day delivery in select markets, or announced their intention to do so. Amazon.com is vying with Google and eBay to get orders to buyers within a matter of hours. FedEx, UPS and the U.S. Postal Service are also potential forces in that effort. But what's the real prospect for same-day? Steve Banker, service director of supply chain management with ARC Advisory Group, joins us on this episode to discuss the challenges of serving impatient buyers. And he explains how same-day service could help brick-and-mortar retailers to compete with internet-based sellers.

Should we allow U.S.-flag merchant shipping to go the way of the passenger pigeon, the wooly mammoth and the Great Auk? It will happen in 10 years if steps aren’t taken to prevent it, says maritime industry and homeland security expert Denise Krepp. Former chief counsel to the U.S. Maritime Administration, she currently is a private consultant and professor at The George Washington University and Pennsylvania State University. Krepp joins us in this episode to answer those would argue that government protections for U.S.-flag shipping and domestic shipbuilding are a waste of time and resources. She addresses such controversial measures as the Jones Act, Maritime Security Program and cargo preference for food aid shipments. Without a fresh commitment by Congress and the Administration, she says, the fleet is doomed.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has laid out a five-year path to sustainability. One of the world's largest brewers, Anheuser-Busch has committed itself to an ambitious plan for slashing the use of water, energy and packaging material, as well as the emission of greenhouse gases, by 2017. In this episode, Hugh Share, senior global director of Beer Better World for Anheuser-Busch InBev, details the steps the company is taking – both internally and with outside partners – to keep its promise to the environment. The effort required a ''holistic approach,'' he says – no easy task for a company the size of Anheuser-Busch.

Imagine your organization as one giant brain. One that's not thinking properly. Businesses today are mired in conventional thinking, says Michael Vaughan, chief executive officer and managing director of The Regis Company. He's the author of The Thinking Effect: Rethinking Thinking to Create Great Leaders and the New Value Worker. In this episode, Vaughan joins us to talk about how the concept of ''neural leadership'' can break organizations of old mental habits, such as fear and unconscious bias. As we come to understand the human brain – and our knowledge of that organ is far from complete – we also achieve a better idea of how people can work together to create a new generation of smarter leaders.

The Highway Trust Fund is broke. And the nation's transportation system is broken. What's to be done? Step one is finding new sources of funding for repairing our crumbling roads, highways and bridges, as well as the construction of new ones. The battle over where to get the money has raged for years, even as the federal gas tax has gone without an increase since 1993. In this episode, Joshua L. Schank, president and chief executive officer of the Eno Center for Transportation, outlines the various funding ideas, and discusses the feasibility of each one. He also offers a view on how we can proceed to fix the entire multimodal system, not just the roads. Find out why Schank is optimistic about the prospects for success – or, at least, the beginnings of it – in 2014.

All of a sudden, the future looks bright for nuclear power. Along with that rosy forecast, however, comes a raft of new challenges to the industry's global supply chain. The list is daunting: Scaling up to meet future growth. Ensuring a base of reliable suppliers and ready availability of product. Securing safe and efficient transportation. Preventing the flow of counterfeit components. How can the nuclear supply chain meet these crucial goals? We get answers from two professors at Clemson University: Scott J. Mason, president and interim chair of industrial engineering, as well as holder of the Fluor Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Optimization and Logistics; and Bill Ferrell, professor of industrial engineering and associate dean of graduate studies. Both will be speaking at the Nuclear Supply Chain Conference in Greenville, S.C. on April 28-30, 2014, presented by the International Quality and Productivity Center (IQPC). Here, they offer a preview of their insights.