If you haven’t yet listened to or read about them, take a look at our wrap-up blogs covering past episodes of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast.
June, July and even August have traditionally been laid-back months in the automotive industry, between vacations and major OEMs’ summer shutdowns, but the action never stops here at the Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast. That’s because Cathy Fisher of Quistem, Jan Griffiths of Gravitas Detroit and I never miss a beat when it comes to breaking down the auto supply chain with actionable insights that will help your business prepare for the next season, fiscal year or 10 years into the future.
That doesn’t mean I haven’t packed in plenty of time to soak up the sun or prepare for my next trail half marathon, but I’ve also been busy catching up on my reading and hope you have, too. Our Delivering on the Promise of Delivery white paper that discusses our vision, “The 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes,” is just as good poolside as it is at your desk!
If you haven’t already, the summer slowdown is also the perfect opportunity to catch up on other great Auto Supply Chain Prophets episodes, starting with the five episodes featured in this wrap-up. Season 2 is now in full swing, but you can find a complete list here. Enjoy!
Episode #32: Why Automating your QMS Improves your Supply Chain Performance
It’s no wonder that automotive supply chains are more complex than most considering roughly 30,000 components go into the average vehicle. Tiered suppliers, manufacturers, distributors and service vendors must work together like a well-oiled machine to drum out a top-quality product that satisfies regulatory requirements, but that can be difficult when there are so many moving pieces.
To complicate matters further, supply chains continue to grow in complexity as new companies and customers join the fray. Cathy, Jan and I agree that one solution is to integrate quality with automated controls that can identify and correct problems before they occur, and that’s just what PennEngineering did with QAD’s Enterprise Quality Management System (EQMS).
In this episode, we welcome back Mike Payionk, Quality Control Program Manager at PennEngineering, to learn more about his experience with an automated EQMS and how it helped standardize best practices, automate processes and bring data from various locations and legacy systems into a centralized database.
“This is our culture now. When a customer calls, we do this, then we do this, then we do that. You can easily see that no steps are missed because it’s automated,” explains Mike.
Click here to listen to the full episode and read the PennEngineering case study to learn more.
Episode #33: Transforming the Auto Supply Chain Workplace Through Engagement, Communication and Gamification
The factory floor and the digital technologies we use in our everyday lives are colliding in new and exciting ways, and I have to say that I’m a big fan – especially when it translates to a higher level of employee engagement and satisfaction. I’m talking about the connected workforce, a pillar of Industry 5.0 and a new set of tools being delivered into the hands of manufacturers via QAD Redzone.
If you’re wondering exactly how gamification translates to higher worker productivity, this is the episode for you. We catch up with Kevin Shayer, Vice President Operations and Supply Chain at Allied Wire & Cable, where there’s an iPad at every workstation, Apple TVs display progress like you’re at the big game and contacting a co-worker is as easy as sending a text.
Younger generations love the solution, productivity is at an all-time high and everyone wins when the team does well, explains Kevin, but “the one group that has won the most with our new connected workforce solution is the customer.”
Click here to listen to the full episode.
Episode #34: Navigating Supply Chain Challenges in the EV Startup World
I think our Chief Product and Marketing Officer Carter Lloyds summed it up well when he said, “We find that when a manufacturer starts to think about the right ERP solution and supply chain processes, they’re already two years behind schedule.”
This is especially true of the electric vehicle industry right now, where innovation is moving at lightspeed, competition is fierce and startups have to move out of the lab and into the mass market very quickly. The landscape for EV startups is vastly different than that of traditional original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) who are familiar with a more relaxed time-to-market cycle and have processes in place to scale production when the time comes.
Few understand the challenges facing EV startups – or how to overcome them – as well as Andreas Bareid, head of e-mobility at QAD. In this episode, he shares his formula for success and establishing supply chain management and ERP systems is top among them.
“Get rid of Excel and get rid of JIRA to manage your supply chain and to manage your quality. They are tools that are not able to scale, they will break,” explains Bareid. “You need to lean on the knowledge that are within the supply chain solutions for how you enable your suppliers and communicate with them and execute on the supply chain.”
Financing is also a make-it-or-break-it for startups, says Bareid. Different stages of growth require different levels of funding, but one huge bright spot is the availability of tax credits under the Inflation Reduction Act.
Click here to listen to the full episode.
Episode #35: 10x Impact: Revolutionizing the Role of Procurement
Phil Ideson, founder and Managing Director at The Art of Procurement, is on a mission to “10x the impact of procurement” and leaders in the automotive supply chain should pay close attention because his strategy could help you not only save money, but also boost quality, accelerate innovation and build strong relationships with suppliers.
In this episode, Phil discusses what can happen when an organization starts thinking about procurement as a strategic function rather than a simple transaction. The philosophy is especially powerful in the automotive supply chain, explains Phil, because the industry is undergoing transformational change and reliable access to quality components is just as important as cost-efficient sourcing and on-time delivery.
“When you’re looking at EV and autonomous vehicles, the number one role that procurement can play is around innovation,” says Phil, building on a theme we discussed in Episode #34. When the window to bring innovations to market is tight, you can’t afford to settle for status quo.
Click here to listen to the full episode. We also recommend tuning into the The Art of Procurement Podcast hosted by none other than Phil.
Episode #36: The Future of Supply Chain and Quality Management in the Auto Industry
Trends like the rise of EVs, geopolitical tension, human rights violations, supply chain constraints and emerging regulations are making it more difficult than ever to forecast the future, but that’s not a problem for our team here at the Auto Supply Chain Prophets – and it shouldn’t be for you, either.
That’s because we don’t need to know what the future has in store for us to prepare for it. Instead, we need to know that our organizations are capable of change and the best way to do that is by keeping a pulse on our industry and incorporating new technologies and methodologies that will help us stay nimble.
One way we do that is by inviting subject matter experts to bring their unique perspectives to the show, but we also get out into the field to visit your facilities and learn firsthand what’s working and, well, what’s not. If you’re experiencing resistance to change or struggling with outdated systems, I can assure you that you’re not alone.
With that being said, we’ve been listening to your feedback and decided to take a timeout with this episode to discuss the topics that matter most to you and to take a deeper dive into some recurrent themes on our podcast; Driving systemic change in our industry, MMOG/LE training, MMOG/LE and IATF 16949 alignment, sustainability and building bridges between OEMs and EV startups, with a focus on, of course, the vision in our Delivering on the Promise of Delivery white paper.
Click here to listen to the full episode.
Want to learn more? Visit the Auto Supply Chain Prophets website to download and catch up on all the latest podcast episodes.
This article was co-written by Cathy Fisher, founder and president of Quistem, LLC.
