Roadmap to Auto Supply Chain Success

Auto Supply Chain Prophets

At the heart of The Prophets’ vision are “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes.” What are they? Find out, and see the future yourself. Click here

In this episode, hosts Cathy Fisher, Terry Onica, and co-host, Jan Griffiths share a roadmap to success in the automotive supply chain. The roadmap comprises five crucial steps that aim to help organizations prepare for the future and thrive in the industry. Step one involves identifying the 24 essential supply chain processes, crucial for success. Steps two and three emphasize the importance of assessing competencies and providing training for a knowledgeable and skilled workforce. In step four, they highlight the significance of adopting a strategic supply chain mindset, and step five explores the benefits of technology and automation.

Throughout the episode, the hosts provide valuable insights and examples to inspire and guide listeners on their journey toward supply chain success. Don't miss out on all of these insights and real-world examples that can propel your supply chain toward profitability and success.

Themes discussed in this episode:

• The Strategic Roadmap
• Identifying the 24 Essential Processes
• Assessing Competencies and Providing Training
• Adopting a Strategic Supply Chain Mindset
• Importance of Collaboration
• Leveraging Technology and Automation
• Urgency in Embracing Change

Featured on this episode:

Name: Cathy Fisher

Title: Founder and President, Quistem

About: Cathy’s firm helps its clients, particularly automotive manufacturers, eliminate customer complaints and increase their profits. She has worked in the automotive supply chain since the 1980s when she started her career with General Motors.

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Terry Onica

Title: Director, Automotive at QAD

About: For two decades, Terry has been the automotive vertical director of this provider of manufacturing Enterprise Resource Planning software and supply chain solutions. Her career began in supply chain in the late 1980s when she led a team to implement Electronic Data Interchange for all the Ford assembly and component plants.

Connect: LinkedIn

Name: Jan Griffiths

Title: President and Founder, Gravitas Detroit

About: A veteran executive in the automotive industry, Jan previously served as chief procurement officer for a $3 billion, Tier 1 global automotive supplier. As the president of Gravitas Detroit, Jan provides online courses, speeches, podcasts, and workshops to break the mold of command -and-control leadership to help you unleash the potential of your team and allow authentic leadership to thrive.

Connect: LinkedIn

Mentioned in this episode:

The five-step Roadmap

The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes

Episode 32: Why Automating your QMS improves your Supply Chain Performance

Episode 11: Silo is a 4-letter word!

Episode Highlights:

[04:49] Roadmap: Step one - Essential Processes: Cathy discussed the significance of identifying the 24 essential supply chain processes that form the foundation of success in the industry.

[06:28] Roadmap: Step two & three - Assessing Competencies and Providing Training: Terry emphasized assessing the competencies of the workforce and recognizing the need for a knowledgeable and skilled team. And, the next logical step would be investing in training for supply chain professionals, along with AIAG's new training program for the automotive industry.

[08:33] Roadmap: Step four - Strategic Mindset: The fourth step focuses on adopting a strategic supply chain mindset, breaking down silos, and aligning operations for better performance.

[09:43] Roadmap: Step five - Leveraging Technology: Terry delves into the benefits of technology and automation in the supply chain, emphasizing the importance of staying ahead in the rapidly evolving industry.

[15:15] Embracing Change: The need for automotive manufacturers to embrace change and invest in technology and process improvements now. With the industry rapidly changing, delaying transformation can lead to missed opportunities and decreased competitiveness.

Top Quotes:

[07:44] Cathy: “There's definitely a unique language to supply chain in the automotive space. There are some common supply chain terms, but there are also quite a few that are unique. And so that's one of the things that this training that AIAG just released is going to definitely help new people coming into the industry.”

[10:28] Terry: “We need to have systems so that we can get that data quickly. So, we comply with AI. Because I'm hoping, AI is going to be that reason that we finally start to really take technology more seriously, in the business environment in supply chain.”

[15:04] Cathy: “There's a tremendous risk to the overall industry, but also the individual manufacturers by not adopting the automation as part of their quality systems as well.”

[15:37] Jan: “My gut feeling tells me and from the interviews that we've had with Mike is that they made a decision to do it because it's the right thing to do. They didn't do it because they were trying to conform to a standard or something, they just did it because they could see the benefit.”