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Ready for take-off: AirSupply in Japan

On October 25, 2022, SupplyOn was honored to welcome a delegation from the Japanese Aerospace Industry, for a signing ceremony about a Proof of Concept (PoC) with The Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies (SJAC) and Eva Aviation (as Japanese Consulting Company, and now part of SJAC), involving three major Japanese Aerospace OEMs.The PoC was about jointly exploring our supply chain collaboration solution for the aerospace industry, AirSupply.The Japanese delegation not only visited SupplyOn, but also attended the AIRTEC fair in Munich and then travelled to visit BoostAeroSpace in Paris, the AirSupply Governance Organization.The proof of concept has meanwhile successfully been conducted involving several Japanese Aerospace companies, as first step for further possible collaboration.SupplyOn is committed to engage in the Japanese market, and in that context will have a booth at the upcoming Aeromart Nagoya (September 26-28, 2023).

SCM Insights

Product development: the why & how of supplier-initiated change requests

Feasibility studies play a crucial role in the automotive industry during the procurement process for parts under development. After all, even before these new parts are developed and contracted, companies need to ensure that they can be delivered in the required quality and quantity, on time and at appropriate conditions. SupplyOn Technical Review has been efficiently handling all of this for years. In most cases, the customer provides the specifications. But it can lead to even greater efficiency and project success if the suppliers can also initiate changes themselves.The classic Technical Review processTechnical verification is the process of verifying the quality, quantity, delivery dates, and conditions of a new part. For this purpose, the customer company requests information from the suppliers by means of a questionnaire. The customer then assesses the supplier's feasibility and maturity.Read more about Technical Review in this blog post.Change management: a new process for Technical ReviewAutomotive supplier ZF Friedrichshafen has been one of the main users of the Technical Review process since its inception. And because Technical Review has worked so well from the start, they wanted to see if Technical Review could be extended beyond the standard process.ZF project manager Alejandra Rangel Granados explains: "We often have a situation where a supplier needs to independently coordinate and approve necessary or desired changes to the product and process with us as the customer before the change is implemented. In this way, the supplier can be sure that ZF, as the customer, agrees to the change. "And it was no coincidence that SupplyOn already had a concept up its sleeve. There were already concepts on how Technical Reviews could also be initiated by the supplier. With a small expansion of the Technical Review, the time had come at the beginning of 2023: the improved process based on Technical Review was ready for ZF.How the supplier-driven Technical Review process for change requests worksAs a prerequisite for the supplier-driven process, the customer first creates a template. This template defines the type of changes, such as product information, that the supplier can send to the customer.The supplier can then use this template to send structured change requests and start the coordination process with the customer. After receiving the request, the customer may need to coordinate further details with the supplier and check the feasibility of the change. The result is immediately displayed to the supplier in Technical Review and sent as an email notification.Advantages of the optimized processZF project manager Alejandra Rangel Granados: "The ZF Commercial Vehicle Solutions division has been using the new process with its suppliers since mid-January 2023. Previously, change requests for parts and processes were made via unstructured e-mail communication, which was difficult to track. Thanks to SupplyOn, we can now offer a fully electronic, easily traceable and data-secure process. In addition, we are now much better informed before the supplier makes any changes."Suppliers also benefit from the new process. They now receive timely feedback on important change requests. Emails from the supplier are no longer lost because the change is stored transparently and securely at SupplyOn.Meanwhile, SupplyOn is already making plans for the next expansion stages of Technical Review. Product Manager Martin Weber comments: "We are sure that we will be able to implement further use cases based on Technical Review quickly and easily." So, it remains to be seen what the future holds for the all-rounder Technical Review — in any case, the end of the line does not seem to have been reached yet.

SCM Insights · Technology

Digital twin: are you ready for new business models?

A digital twin is defined as the digital image of a product or process. It supports process optimization, early error detection, and automation gains along the entire value chain. New, service-oriented business models can be created based on the digital twin. However, the German economy is still having a hard time with digitization and an even harder time with digital twins."A large proportion of companies are using digital technologies to secure their competitiveness, but not to develop new business models, for example in the form of digital, portfolio-complementing value-added services," says Michael Finkler, VDMA Board Member for Software and Digitalization, in a recent article for Industry of Things (article in German).Digital twin — already a realityAdmittedly, digital twins are not yet at the forefront of many conversations and processes at customers and suppliers to create new value-added products and services. Nevertheless, SupplyOn has been working on this in the background for some time. For each material number, for example, all available data — even at serial number level — is combined and made available. This makes it possible, for example, to automate goods receipt or to provide quality data electronically. SupplyOn supports various initiatives in this regard, such as Industry 4.0, Asset Administration Shell (AAS) or Catena-X standardization.Hence, the foundation is laid for companies to develop their own value-added services or secure competitive advantages based on a digital twin. Now it's time to get active and creative!

Supplier Community

The first Supplier Community Event for suppliers in the Aerospace industry

In addition to numerous events about various SupplyOn solutions, we also hosted one for our aerospace suppliers.News, tips and tricks on SupplyOn solutions were on the agenda — this time for AirSupply and Invoicing.Christian, our Vice President SCM & Finance Solutions, gave an exciting keynote speech, which was then followed by our product experts providing insights into the solutions.How can I customize my AirSupply dashboard according to my needs?How can I decide which email notifications I receive, how often they are sent to me and when?How can I schedule my downloads in the future?Saskia and Wolfgang answered these questions all about the AirSupply solution.Ludwig then showed the suppliers how the Invoice Clearance process will be supported in Invoicing in the future and how suppliers in France and Spain will be able to send their invoices to the central government agency via SupplyOn.In the second part of the event, we moved from the product demo into practice: representatives from two companies discussed the usage and benefits of AirSupply in their processes - and how the benefits can be further increased. Why was this so exciting? In the panel discussion, we looked at both sides of the coin - the customer's view as well as the supplier's view.One of the invited companies - Airbus Aerostructures GmbH (formerly PAG) - fulfills both roles and uses SupplyOn on both the purchasing and selling sides. That's why two representatives from Airbus Aerostructures - Jan-Hendrik Drees, Supply Management in the role of the "buyside" and Christoph Bertz, HO Ordering Process & DP Account Management, in the role of the "sellside" - met Benjamin Klotzbücher, Sales Manager at Georg Martin GmbH, an innovative supplier to Airbus Aerostructures, in the SupplyOn Studio.All three panelists agreed on the quintessence of the discussion: AirSupply offers the great advantage that any company, regardless of size and IT resources, can use the solution and benefit from it. However, it is also clear that the benefits increase with the depth of the integration of AirSupply into the company's own processes, and that a back-end integration, such as the one implemented at Airbus Aerostructures, is only worthwhile above a certain order volume. Nevertheless, even for smaller companies, a potential for added value can be identified and leveraged with less effort, for example by exploiting the greater transparency or by making intelligent use of the structured digital data with as many customers as possible on the same platform.Airbus Aerostructures has written a remarkable success story in this regard by approaching its customers with the clear intent to collaborate via AirSupply in the future or to expand the scope of its usage. As a result, Airbus Aerostructures is now using SupplyOn AirSupply very successfully with 20 customers.We would like to thank all contributors for a highly rewarding event with interesting outlooks, helpful information on usage and an exciting panel discussion with a wide variety of viewpoints and insights into the everyday life of a customer and supplier! Stay tuned and find out everything about the next events with new guests and topics here.

SCM Insights

Are you ready for Invoice Clearance 2024 in France?

In recent years, an increasing number of countries have introduced so-called invoice clearance procedures. Before electronic invoices can be sent to the recipient, they must be checked and approved by a central government agency. The primary concern is the correct reporting of tax data. These clearance models are usually referred to as Continuous Transaction Controls (CTCs) because the verification takes place in near real-time. CTCs aim to reduce the VAT gap. Governments use this term to describe the loss of tax revenue due to missing or incorrectly reported tax data.The first countries to implement such models are in Latin America. They are already discussing extensions such as the reporting of incoming payments or certain tax benefits. The EU is also considering CTC. Just at the end of last year, an important package of measures entitled "VAT in the Digital Age", or VIDA for short, was adopted. This creates a framework for how tax reporting for companies in the EU should look in the future.Companies in France will have to be "clearance-ready" by 2024In France, a CTC model for B2G (business to government) transactions has been in place for several years. Invoices to public institutions must be sent to a central government portal called "Chorus Pro". In July 2024, this procedure will be gradually extended to B2B (business to business) transactions.From July 2024, all companies with a French tax number must be able to receive domestic invoices via the new clearing procedure. Large corporations must also be able to send invoices using the new procedure from July next year. Medium-sized businesses will be required to do so from 2025 and smaller companies from 2026.In addition to the e-invoicing obligation, there is also an e-reporting obligation. This applies primarily to cross-border invoicing and relates to invoices that are not already covered by the national clearance procedure, for example, invoices from other European countries. Their tax data must also be reported to the French tax authorities.What does the French clearance model look like?Before the introduction, France evaluated and compared different CTC models from other countries. It chose a decentralized approach that gives maximum flexibility to market players. The invoice sender or recipient has two options here: Either they send the invoices directly to the central government portal PPF (Portail Public de Facturation, an evolution of the "Chorus Pro" portal already used for B2G). Or they work with certified providers called PDP (Plateforme de Dématérialisation Partenaire). The PDP receive the invoices, report the tax data to the central PPF platform and forward the invoice to the recipient.Each French company is free to choose whether to work with a PDP or to connect directly to the central PPF platform. In addition to the PDP, there will be another type of provider, the so-called OD (Opérateur de Dématérialisation). Only PDP are allowed to send invoices directly from a supplier to a customer and report tax data to the central PPF platform.However, ODs can also provide additional value-added services, such as matching an invoice against specific "requirement data" such as the purchase order or advance shipping notice. This can ensure that only invoices that have undergone successful upstream validation enter the clearance process. Lengthy and cumbersome cancellation processes can thus be avoided.In addition to transmitting invoice data and tax messages, suppliers in France must support a standardized status model. The so-called "lifecycle status" of an invoice can go through several phases. The following statuses are mandatory and must be supported by all parties: "Submitted", "Refused ", "Rejected" and "Payment Received".Decentralized clearance model in France:How does SupplyOn support the new French clearance model?SupplyOn Invoicing already covers the French invoicing requirements. SupplyOn also offers a solution for the new French clearing procedure. The development team is already working on an extension for Invoicing to support the new French CTC procedure from July 2024. This solution extension will be available in time for SupplyOn customers to prepare. During solution design, SupplyOn works closely with government agencies and consulting firms to ensure that all requirements are directly incorporated into the product.SupplyOn Invoicing enables suppliers to check invoices against various quality criteria before sending them. This can be a check against a purchase order (PO) or against customer-specific specifications. In this way, suppliers can be sure that their invoices will be accepted by the customer and paid promptly. Time-consuming correction processes are eliminated. In case of discrepancies, suppliers can work directly with their customers to find a solution.For customers, SupplyOn Invoicing is an upstream quality gate that checks invoices in advance and ensures a consistently high level of quality. This leads to an almost completely automated invoice receipt process.The planned solution expansion for France thus ensures that SupplyOn customers continue to enjoy all the benefits of Invoicing and can use the service as usual.

Use Cases

Siemens China realizes efficient inventory management with SupplyOn

Siemens AG is one of the world’s leading technology companies. Founded in 1847, it has operations in more than 200 countries around the world, focusing on electrification, automation and digitization. Among them, the Siemens Intelligent Infrastructure Group (SI) is committed to intelligently connecting energy systems, buildings and industries, improving public life and working methods, and providing customers with one-stop, complete end-to-end solutions, covering the entire line of products, systems, solutions and services from power generation to power consumption.SupplyOn, as a long-term important supply chain partner of Siemens, has been deeply involved in the digitization of the supply chain. With the continuous growth and change of business, Siemens Intelligent Infrastructure Group (SI) decided to replace the original Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) system with the SupplyOn VMI module, and gradually extend it to the entire China region with two plants as a pilot.Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) connects enterprise information upstream and downstream across Siemens’ entire supply chain, enabling closed-loop information management between Siemens plants and suppliers, improving product availability, reducing the total inventory in the supply chain, and cutting down the transaction costs of both parties.Key factors for the successful implementation of Siemens VMI project:Long-standing, trusting collaborationSupplyOn and Siemens have more than 20 years of working together on supply chain systems. At the same time, a solid foundation for the successful implementation of the project was provided by the strong support and exchange of best practices between the German management of Siemens and SupplyOn.Positive customer promotionIn the trial run stage, Siemens key users tried out the system in production (PRD) environment, as well as simulated the operation by the supplier. During the three-week trial operation training, the heads of Siemens plant key users also became experts in the use of SupplyOn VMI module, thus ensuring a smooth launch of subsequent suppliers.Efficient teamworkAfter the end of the pandemic, the project teams on both sides continued to maintain efficient online communication and collaboration. Although the impact of the pandemic caused a project delay, the calm reaction of both sides has also made this experience extremely valuable.Customer orientationDuring the implementation of the project, the SupplyOn project team fully understood the pain points and requirements of the two Siemens plants, and provided customized solutions based on customer-oriented and best practices.The benefitsTransparent process and efficient collaboration Suppliers can check the inventory and demand of materials in the system, create Advance Shipping Notices (ASNs) in combination with the production schedule plan and the highest and lowest stock level. The customer also synchronizes inventory information.At the same time, the customer can also simulate the supplier's operation to better understand the supplier's inventory situation. In the past, timely communication was required through telephone or conference, now there is no need for additional communication time. Enterprises in the supply chain can collaborate closely based on mutual trust.Real-time information sharingCustomers and suppliers can check the latest inventory status on SupplyOn. This significantly reduces the inventory pressure on upstream suppliers and avoids the bullwhip effect.All relevant companies share their demand, production, sales, inventory, and other information, thus closely connecting upstream and downstream enterprises, reducing the bullwhip effect generated in the process of information transmission, eliminating information transmission errors or additional inventory caused by the safety margin of each party, and optimizing the supply chain.Inventory monitoring and alertingIn case the actual inventory falls below the minimum or exceeds the maximum, the system automatically sends an alert e-mail to notify Siemens and the supplier. This helps to quickly find and resolve the issue.The supplier can also set special attention to a certain material as well as regular replenishment reminders. If the demand fluctuates abnormally, the supplier can get the demand information in time and quickly adjust the replenishment strategy.Customer reviewVMI is based on a partnership of mutual trust that gives supplier the decision-making power for inventory replenishment, thus reducing transaction work such as negotiation and discussion compared to the traditional replenishment model.The advantage of SupplyOn VMI is that it can reduce the bullwhip effect caused by the demand fluctuation of the supply chain through the sharing of the customer's demand information. Thereby, it reduces safety stock, lowers transaction cost, and realizes an efficient supply chain coordination.In this VMI project, we would like to thank the SupplyOn China project team and their German colleagues for helping us to solve the challenges in the project with their professional knowledge background and for providing us with a good project experience. We also look forward to further collaboration with SupplyOn in the future.Pei, Xiaojun — Siemens Shanghai VMI plant project leaderPeng, Weihua — Siemens Suzhou VMI plant project leader

SCM Insights

Turning supply chain transformation needs into a reality

How do you achieve a resilient supply chain with transparency, visibility, and sustainability in 2023? Focus on these four areas:CollaborationActual two-way collaboration is necessary to achieve supply chain resiliency. Instead of chasing down parts, real-time updates and feedback all in one place are needed to make the best decisions. In order to achieve this, accurate data and the right tools are imperative for this process to create a holistic environment for both your organization and supply chain for ultimate success together. DataTo create more effective and efficient supply chain management we need data. Everyone wants data and has it in some form. Unfortunately, what is referred to as a "data lake" is often more like a bunch of random muddy puddles in a field after a huge rainstorm; not clear, not connected, unknown depths, and is generally very messy. So how do you collect it and connect it to analyze it efficiently? With digital tools.ToolsFor accurate data, visibility, resiliency, and sustainability, ultimately, you need the right tools. Organizations everywhere realize and understand that more tools are required to level up a system, replace a system, or bridge the gaps with existing systems. With the right tools, data can be collected and organized in an easy-to-use platform with dashboards and reports at your fingertips to continually monitor, collaborate and analyze your data. True PartnershipManufacturers everywhere have a lot at stake. However, going away is the "do it or else" attitude regarding supply chain. Instead, it is being replaced with holistic, collaborative, and honest relationships with key suppliers and competitors. In 2022, I heard more and more, "how can we work together to get this done?" Wordsmithing mashups with competitor + partnership + friendship are coming into play like 'friendtitor,' 'partnitor,' and 'competiship.' Right now I am loving this more open-minded approach to chaining business processes and practices. I'm excited to be a part of this ecosystem and change for the future.

Inside

Program Increment (PI) 2022-04: New features in SupplyOn solutions

We kick off the new year with a look at the achievements of the past development phase (Program Increment 2022-04). Here you will find an overview of the most important innovations in the SupplyOn solutions: Visibility & AnalyticsThe development teams have done a great job in the area of Visibility & Analytics in designing the new solution "Product Footprint".The introduction of the Act on Corporate Due Diligence Obligations in Supply Chains shows that it is becoming more and more important to determine and prove the ecological footprint of the own products. We have implemented two sections in the new solution for this purpose:The "Actual Footprint" determines the footprint of all parts that are already produced in series. It is possible to request the required certificates from the supplier.If a component is still being developed or has not yet been ordered, meaning there is no part number for it yet, the "Planned Footprint" function determines a rough indicator of its future CO2 impact through production and transport.Besides the implementation of this new solution, there is another innovation: the Flexible Survey solution has been integrated into Strategic Risk Management. Such linking of the solutions creates a seamless user experience.From now on, there are three possible ways to select suppliers for the survey:draw a "Circular Area" on the map and select all suppliers in the marked zoneuse the "Polygonal Area" to draw a polygonal area and thus define the suppliers to be addressed even more preciselyselect suppliers regardless of their location using various filter criteriaThe email addresses of the recipients of the survey are drawn from the Business Directory and thus do not have to be entered manually. Supply Chain CollaborationIn Supply Chain Collaboration, we start off 2023 with three new features:From now on, individual supplies can be tracked at the level of purchase order delivery schedules across all processes — from demand to goods receipt booking. This also simplifies the connection to customers with Oracle ERP systems.When creating transport and advance shipping notifications for the loading address, the supplier can now create an address book and this way increase data quality.If a supplier user only works with selected customers via SupplyOn, he can now individually adapt and restrict the e-mail notifications to the customers he is responsible for. Supplier Quality ManagementIn the Technical Review solution, the user now has more options for selecting the system status and for displaying longer texts. In addition, a comment function has been added to the measures overview. This makes it even easier for the customer and supplier to exchange information on a measure level.When managing objects in SupplyOn Project Management, the selection of objects to be revised has been considerably simplified for administrators: the additional upload function speeds up the process significantly. InvoicingThere are also some new enhancements in the area of invoicing. To better support the individual workflows of suppliers, it is now possible to manually close billable items (without generating invoices within SupplyOn). This allows suppliers to close items that have been invoiced outside the platform and to keep their list views up to date or adjust them at a later date.The second innovation is designed for Mexican suppliers, as they must have domestic invoices and credit notes approved by a state authority (Servicio de Administración Tributaria "SAT") before they can be forwarded to the customer (so-called "clearance procedure"). Invoicing will also support this process in Mexico in the future and thus optimally accompanies the prescribed workflow. AirSupplyIn the last Program Increment, a helpful feature was implemented in 9S Practical Problem Solver (PPS): Within the PPS document, the supplier can now assign the added problems to the root cause entries under "Step 4 - Identify root cause(s)".The customer has the advantage that he can see at a glance which problems contribute to the root causes. He thus helps his supplier to process the PPS document quickly. So many innovations! Stay tuned for the next update on SupplyOn's new features that will be available in three months.

Use Cases

Deutsche Aircraft: joint drive for a more sustainable and resilient supply chain

With the D328eco™ aircraft, the innovative German aircraft manufacturer Deutsche Aircraft shapes the future of aviation as groundbreaking, forward-looking platform. Therefore, sustainability is a key topic for the company – not just in the D328eco, but also across the supply chain.A resilient and sustainable digital supply chain is essential for the complex production ramp-up. In this context, Deutsche Aircraft is pursuing the ambitious goal of 100% paperless, fully digital control of the entire supplier network, with partners who share the values of Deutsche Aircraft.In order to successfully implement this strategic goal for its global network of almost 90 suppliers in the shortest possible time, Deutsche Aircraft has opted for the SupplyOn collaboration platform which is well established in the manufacturing industry.SupplyOn as a strategic partnerSupplyOn supports Deutsche Aircraft in digitally managing collaboration processes with suppliers and establishing structured communication. SupplyOn not only offers sophisticated, industry-specific solutions and processes, but also access to a global network of over 140,000 companies, a large proportion of which are dedicated suppliers to the aerospace industry.SupplyOn also recognizes the responsibility to reduce its impact on the world and is highly committed to the principle that business can and must be a force for good. These are the best prerequisites for Deutsche Aircraft to map its supply chain in a sustainable way and electronically from end to end.Step by step to a digitized, sustainable supply chainIn the first step on the way to a sustainable supply chain, the focus was on digitizing the tendering phase in order to select competitive and innovative bidders. The comprehensive digitization started with the involvement of the approximately 30 strategically most important suppliers involved in the development and construction of the prototype. These will supply the top 20 components.In the second step, the final assembly line in Leipzig/Halle will be included in the digitization of the processes. The aim is to expand the group of suppliers until 2026 to almost 90 companies by the time serial production starts.Fully digitized final assembly — 100% paperlessFollowing the digitization of the tendering process, Deutsche Aircraft also plans to optimize other processes in the supply chain – first and foremost joint product development. For this purpose, SupplyOn offers Project Management, a structured, template-based development process in which all phases of development can be handled in a structured manner via one central tool.This way of work is based on the process known in the automotive industry as Advanced Product Quality Planning – in short APQP – which has been tried and tested for many years.The concession process, which can be used to obtain approval for parts that deviate from the specification, can also be handled efficiently and transparently via SupplyOn.This is an essential step towards Deutsche Aircraft‘s vision of working with the highest quality suppliers in the long term in order to achieve excellence and sustainability not only in product development but also in the company‘s overall processes. Our strategic goal is to fully digitize our supply chain. We chose to work with SupplyOn because we know that with this partnership, we can effectively achieve this ambitious goal.Maximilian FahrDirector of Supply Chain, Deutsche Aircraft GmbH About Deutsche AircraftFounded on the proud legacy of Dornier and Germany’s high reputation for engineering, quality and innovation, Deutsche Aircraft is the new specialized German aircraft original equipment manufacturer (OEM).Deutsche Aircraft builds on the legacy and expertise of 328 Support Services GmbH, the type certificate holder for the Dornier 328 aircraft (D328®). Deutsche Aircraft will enable the further development of the D328® platform, leverage future technologies and competencies to produce a more capable, economical and environmentally friendly aircraft and will thus lead the way for the future of aviation in the transition to zero-emission flight.In collaboration with the German government, Deutsche Aircraft is leading the way to a new era of clean aviation and addressing the need to protect our planet to inspire future generations to fly in a way that is greener, safer and more efficient.

SCM Insights

2022 supply chain recap – expert ramblings from “boots on the ground” experiences

It's always important to take a look back before moving forward. Doing this keeps us from that brain fog thing of wondering why we walked into the kitchen for the third time in a row and still forget to turn off the oven. In 2022 there was a lot, and even though 2020 and 2021 seemed like they morphed together to make one extra-long, exceptionally insane, and challenging year, 2022 felt like an extension of that in many ways. I'd liken it to a roller-coaster (and I mean the kind of broken down, roller-coaster at an abandoned amusement park with monsters chasing it, ala Scooby Doo) with the non-stop events, war, more covid and health issues, insane weather, strikes, raw material shortages, price jumps and still fearful of those murder hornets. Before Covid, when a random person would ask what I did for a living, and I said supply chain software for automotive, aerospace, and complex manufacturing, I'd immediately see their eyes glaze over and then dart around looking for a quick exit. Supply chain sounded boring or too complex, and even more, the software for it. "Kind of a specialty," I'd remark and smile to myself, as the average person had no idea just what pressure went into the day of a buyer or supplier in supply chain. Supply chains take center stageThen Covid hit, and supply chain was now a household term. Suddenly, I felt like I was in that 1979 EF Hutton TV commercial, except for the supply chain. People actually wanted to listen about supply chain software. In fact, I'd find myself engaged in long conversations about supply chain matters and essentially saving the world. Even my kids were talking about it. Especially when I'd come home from grocery shopping and I'd turn up with their favorite food or snack requests missing from the grocery store run. Topics would range from worker shortages, safety, illness, raw materials, strikes, printed packaging, inks, crops, and transportation, to name a few. I'd explain what I already knew and then try to figure out what exactly was going on.As a dabbler in creative writing, I couldn't even make some of this stuff up. It was sometimes perplexing why some things just went missing for months and not others. But we muddled through like everyone else; people and companies got creative and resourceful. It was impressive to watch it unfold. By the end of 2022, even with all the chaos, things started to feel normal-ish again, and the world opened up further. Companies needed solutions, and my calendar was booked up for introductions and demos. Supply chain was up front and center now. By fall, I was also able to attend quite a few sold-out industry conferences as well. Speakers, experts, and attendees clamored; we had all been cooped up for way too long and needed desperately to connect the way we used to. We had a thirst for more knowledge about the state of supply chains and thoughts on the future. The vibes were much more different; it was high energy, focused, with a scent of desperation for real change. From meetings with prospective customers, customers, and industry conferences, what was once a mere "pie in the sky" wish of real supply chain collaboration was now, even more, a much-needed reality. We needed to propel supply chain management into the future, not just to be efficient and manageable but to sustain the lives of companies.2022 needs recapResiliency"Resiliency" is a term that has been tossed around before the pandemic, but in 2022 I found it to be the theme of the year when it comes to supply chain. However, resiliency doesn't necessarily mean the same thing for everyone. The list goes on: strong supply chain, access to inventory, reduced costs, backup suppliers, and insight into trends, issues, and challenges. So, what does it mean to have a "resilient supply chain" to you? TransparencyEven before the global pandemic, supply chains were volatile. In the complex manufacturing world, buyers/planners would forecast and put their orders into suppliers around the globe, and suppliers would accept them. For automotive and aerospace, that could be a year-plus lead time or even longer. Until the promise date arrives and there are no parts, or perhaps if an advance ship notification (ASN) is generated, there is literally no status on the supplies that are ordered. When a part is missing or late, chaos ensues, right? Things like production shutdown can occur, late orders, and essentially, ultimately, affect the bottom line. VisibilityOne of the biggest things I heard over and over again at conferences and from prospects was having greater "visibility" into their supply chains all the way to tier N. The statement, "we don't know who our suppliers are, " became a constant concern. Of course, the goal is to plan better, and especially OEMs and top-tier suppliers want the ability to know things even before their suppliers do in order to plan better and make informed proactive decisions. SustainabilityI remember when sustainability was the buzzword back in the 90s. I worked on quite a few sustainability statements for customers. Everyone seemed to have a goal about sustainability by the year 2020. That came and went, and the global pandemic made us go backward on this initiative, more disposable everything, personal protective eqipment (PPE), shortages, expedited orders, and transit. After all this, we are trying to get back on course to reduce our carbon footprint while being profitable. Stay tuned for more tips, tricks, ideas, and ramblings.

Welcome to the SupplyOn Blog

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Supplier Community Event: relevant CO2 information for suppliers — for the first time live from the studio