Full Transcript for Leading Through Disruption, Data, and Lifelong Learning with Mark Baxa

and then took it on. 00:04:21.443 --> 00:04:27.383 On a full-time basis. And this has been a tremendous opportunity to scale personally, 00:04:27.383 --> 00:04:31.643 but more importantly, to help people get to where they want to be in supply chain. 00:04:31.643 --> 00:04:35.223 And I couldn't be more delighted to be here. As you know, the supply chain has 00:04:35.223 --> 00:04:39.343 gone under tremendous pressure, both geopolitically and other factors, 00:04:39.343 --> 00:04:41.634 the economy, weather-related events, you name it. 00:04:41.936 --> 00:04:45.223 And we've all had to solve for those problems. And CSEMP has been in the middle 00:04:45.223 --> 00:04:48.733 of it, and the CEO, I'm just delighted to be able to help our entire volunteer 00:04:48.733 --> 00:04:51.114 and paid staff core to help the industry do that. 00:04:51.782 --> 00:04:54.873 All these years I've known you, I had never realized that you were trained as 00:04:54.873 --> 00:04:58.492 a crop scientist. I knew you were full of crop, but that's a different issue. 00:04:59.823 --> 00:05:05.823 Corn and soybeans, absolutely, yes. Seriously, you know, obviously CSC&P has 00:05:05.823 --> 00:05:09.742 a very relevant mission. I'd love it if you'd share some of that with our audience. 00:05:09.858 --> 00:05:16.319 And also kind of how that mission stays relevant in a world where AI is increasingly 00:05:16.557 --> 00:05:20.255 enabling education, challenging the education system. 00:05:20.511 --> 00:05:23.428 Talk a little bit about that in the context of the mission. 00:05:23.962 --> 00:05:30.150 Well, let's start with this surge of growth in technology and what it's enabling people to do. 00:05:30.313 --> 00:05:33.529 It definitely lowers the cost of accessing knowledge. 00:05:33.883 --> 00:05:37.453 The question, though, is, does it eliminate the need for judgment? 00:05:37.453 --> 00:05:39.491 And the answer is absolutely not. 00:05:40.395 --> 00:05:45.091 It does not. And this is where CSCMP comes in, because our mission is even more 00:05:45.091 --> 00:05:48.261 relevant than it ever has been, and certainly not less. 00:05:48.435 --> 00:05:52.580 Because AI or technology can help advance access to information, 00:05:52.882 --> 00:05:55.703 and certainly access to information is power. 00:05:56.045 --> 00:06:00.422 But at the same time, it doesn't necessarily build professional competency. 00:06:00.858 --> 00:06:06.371 And what I mean by that is that, you know, we're here to help people grow throughout their entire career. 00:06:06.371 --> 00:06:10.511 I love President Kennedy's quote. It sticks with me as one of the keynotes that 00:06:10.511 --> 00:06:14.381 I have created and pretty much perfected over time. 00:06:14.381 --> 00:06:19.121 And, you know, he said that man's quest for knowledge and progress is determined 00:06:19.121 --> 00:06:24.233 and cannot be deterred. And that's really where CSCMP stands right now. 00:06:24.373 --> 00:06:29.331 And that is that we are here to help the growth in people's need for knowledge, 00:06:29.331 --> 00:06:31.159 because knowledge is certainly power. 00:06:31.524 --> 00:06:35.913 AI helps with that, but judgment is really key. And you learn how to do that. 00:06:36.081 --> 00:06:40.431 You learn how to assess the information in front of you to validate first and 00:06:40.431 --> 00:06:44.017 foremost, is it true? And if it is true, why is it true, right? 00:06:44.214 --> 00:06:48.381 And then how do we utilize that information? So AI shortens the path to get 00:06:48.381 --> 00:06:52.451 it, but CSCMP really helps people turn that knowledge into wisdom, 00:06:52.875 --> 00:06:54.921 competency, and action. 00:06:54.921 --> 00:06:58.491 And we do that both through our conventional learnings, research, 00:06:58.491 --> 00:07:02.436 but more importantly, the people-to-people interaction. We learn from each other. 00:07:03.089 --> 00:07:08.191 I agree with that. And I certainly think it also kind of validates the answers 00:07:08.191 --> 00:07:11.201 that you might get back. Because let's face it, not everything you get back 00:07:11.201 --> 00:07:14.101 from the internet is always going to be accurate or actionable. 00:07:14.101 --> 00:07:17.143 And CSCMP really helps you ground in that as well. 00:07:17.815 --> 00:07:21.214 So, Mark, you mentioned knowledge, and knowledge is one of four pillars here 00:07:21.214 --> 00:07:22.801 at our Center for Supply Chain Research. 00:07:23.156 --> 00:07:27.207 And being a research center, we're always interested in research, of course. 00:07:27.533 --> 00:07:32.821 One of CS&P's flagship annual research pieces is the State Logistics Report. 00:07:33.384 --> 00:07:37.034 And this here described the operating landscape as an intransition from historic 00:07:37.034 --> 00:07:41.012 disruption to structural recalibration across trucking, rail, and ocean. 00:07:41.465 --> 00:07:45.667 In a market where capacity has normalized, but margins remain compressed, 00:07:45.818 --> 00:07:50.104 what specific operational indicators signal to shippers that long-term carrier 00:07:50.104 --> 00:07:54.050 alignment must supersede transactional spot rate savings? Your thoughts there. 00:07:54.636 --> 00:07:58.560 Yeah, really good question. And I like this question for a lot of reasons. 00:07:58.804 --> 00:08:02.525 It speaks also to my career because I've been faced with these challenges. 00:08:02.879 --> 00:08:07.884 Take cost out of the business, RFP, get the lower cost bids, get them in place. 00:08:08.304 --> 00:08:12.834 Let's document a 10% savings. Easy to do when your procurement peers are breathing 00:08:12.834 --> 00:08:15.377 down your neck to help them take cost out of the business. 00:08:15.592 --> 00:08:18.737 But at the same time, you might be sacrificing the customer. 00:08:19.016 --> 00:08:22.876 So the cheapest load is not the lowest cost load when it fails the customer. 00:08:23.271 --> 00:08:29.354 And our industry today has

reached some form of equilibrium where supply and 00:08:29.354 --> 00:08:34.329 demand seem to have normalized. We're starting to see reports in this area. 00:08:34.602 --> 00:08:37.725 But I will tell you that that has come with a lot of pain. 00:08:37.865 --> 00:08:40.864 And, you know, the number of carriers that have gone out of business over the 00:08:40.864 --> 00:08:44.214 last three years has, you know, let's just not dwell on that. 00:08:44.214 --> 00:08:47.634 It's painful, right? And the other side that's going to be even more painful 00:08:47.634 --> 00:08:50.357 is the economy rebounds and we need that capacity. 00:08:50.850 --> 00:08:53.468 Getting people up and running again is going to be difficult. 00:08:53.840 --> 00:08:56.814 So when it comes to capacity and, you know, the aggregate of that, 00:08:56.814 --> 00:09:00.208 the thing is that I stress is dependable capacity. 00:09:00.469 --> 00:09:05.891 When shippers are looking for optimal performance, you've got to think about the customer first. 00:09:06.216 --> 00:09:09.885 And if you do the right things right, costs will fall out naturally. 00:09:10.239 --> 00:09:14.922 If not, you're going to end up where that $200 savings on a particular load 00:09:15.306 --> 00:09:18.463 costs you $200,000 in customer business. 00:09:18.777 --> 00:09:20.803 So it is a significant increase. 00:09:21.412 --> 00:09:26.835 A big challenge that everyone wrestles with, specifically right now when cash 00:09:26.835 --> 00:09:30.851 preservation is full on and has been for quite a while within business. 00:09:31.008 --> 00:09:33.661 And one of the ways you do that is to take cost out. 00:09:34.061 --> 00:09:39.885 But also that's coming in some cases at the cost of losing customers or unsatisfied 00:09:39.885 --> 00:09:42.496 customers. And that is very difficult to recover from. 00:09:42.850 --> 00:09:46.844 So as costs do surge, fuel prices do rise, 00:09:47.384 --> 00:09:51.595 still the measure of performance is going to be total landed cost, 00:09:51.595 --> 00:09:54.535 total cost to serve, not necessarily individual 00:09:54.535 --> 00:09:58.593 loads or load rates on a transportation mode basis, if you will. 00:09:59.151 --> 00:10:02.675 Thank you for sharing that, Mark. And we think about, you know, 00:10:02.675 --> 00:10:07.865 CSCMP and the unique history of the work that takes place within CSCMP, 00:10:08.285 --> 00:10:10.075 bridging industry and academia. 00:10:10.075 --> 00:10:14.846 And my key role is bridging academia with industry here at Penn State. 00:10:15.421 --> 00:10:19.937 Share with our listeners why that is both unique and beneficial. 00:10:20.581 --> 00:10:26.827 Well, inside the ecosystem of CSCMP, we have three primary pillars of our members. 00:10:26.827 --> 00:10:31.315 One is academia, the other are service providers, and then there's the shippers. 00:10:31.622 --> 00:10:36.467 And you have a lot of blending that goes across that. And when it comes to academia 00:10:36.467 --> 00:10:42.611 and the research that academia does, really it pressure tests what industry thinks it knows. 00:10:42.873 --> 00:10:45.061 It also advances what it should know. 00:10:45.363 --> 00:10:50.357 And it tests that from a validation perspective and industry, on the other hand. 00:10:50.657 --> 00:10:55.092 We pressure test what academia discovers. We see if we can put it into action. 00:10:55.539 --> 00:10:59.507 You can't separate the two. And that's why it's so critical inside of what we 00:10:59.507 --> 00:11:05.197 do at CSCMP that we look at an expanding portfolio of research products. 00:11:05.197 --> 00:11:08.757 We're introducing the freight fraud study. We, of course, you've mentioned the 00:11:08.757 --> 00:11:11.507 state of logistics, which is now in its 37th year. 00:11:11.879 --> 00:11:17.177 But we continue to add other research like the state of the global semiconductor 00:11:17.177 --> 00:11:19.535 supply chain sustainability reports. 00:11:19.778 --> 00:11:23.691 And all of this comes from a collaboration between industry and academia. 00:11:24.039 --> 00:11:28.347 We help the industry by really proof texting whether or not it's a valid opportunity or not. 00:11:28.551 --> 00:11:33.345 So the two come together uniquely and very, very well inside of CSCMP. 00:11:33.612 --> 00:11:39.051 And I'm proud to say that our academic community tells us that this is the place they love to call home. 00:11:39.272 --> 00:11:43.237 From two-year junior colleges, community schools, to four years, 00:11:43.237 --> 00:11:47.037 and of course, advanced education institutions, they're all part of CSCMP, 00:11:47.037 --> 00:11:49.390 and not just in the U.S., but around the world. 00:11:49.703 --> 00:11:52.281 And it continues to grow. So we need each other. 00:11:52.611 --> 00:11:57.667 Industry contributes to live problems, and the data that we generate and the 00:11:57.667 --> 00:12:03.270 scenarios that come out of that are pressure tested by the academic studies that occur. 00:12:03.647 --> 00:12:05.754 We can't do without each other. We need each other. 00:12:06.231 --> 00:12:09.867 I like that. It's really kind of, it speaks to the symbiotic relationship between 00:12:09.867 --> 00:12:14.600 all three parts of the constituents that CSCMP serves. 00:12:15.070 --> 00:12:18.577 Now, Mark, I'm going to shift a little bit and talk about one of your recent 00:12:18.577 --> 00:12:23.437 editorial pieces where you made the point that more data does not really equate 00:12:23.437 --> 00:12:25.170 to better supply chains. 00:12:25.680 --> 00:12:29.992 And I'm curious, you know, if you think about what governance frameworks help 00:12:29.992 --> 00:12:34.643 separate floor level intelligence from just noise 00:12:34.962 --> 00:12:39.223 and that noise being an operational distraction, are there things that you found 00:12:39.514 --> 00:12:43.229 that really create some separation and make that intelligence actionable?

00:12:43.873 --> 00:12:50.072 Sure. And I'll separate data governance away from the overall protection of 00:12:50.072 --> 00:12:57.660 data and who and how we utilize systems inside of a company and what data can be entered and not. 00:12:58.014 --> 00:13:00.812 We'll separate that out. Let's talk really about supply chain. 00:13:01.259 --> 00:13:05.462 The data that's utilized has to really begin, and what I mean by what I wrote 00:13:05.462 --> 00:13:09.646 is the decision has to be with the fact that we have something we need to measure. 00:13:09.884 --> 00:13:13.901 And knowing why we measure it is really key. It's not about the dashboard. 00:13:14.354 --> 00:13:15.863 It's really about the decision. 00:13:16.374 --> 00:13:20.641 And does the data support the decision? So I think about this in terms of, 00:13:20.867 --> 00:13:22.173 if you will, metrics, right? 00:13:22.458 --> 00:13:25.366 What decisions will the information change? 00:13:25.726 --> 00:13:30.642 Who owns that decision? And what required actions come out of those decisions? 00:13:30.642 --> 00:13:32.500 How quickly do they have to occur? 00:13:32.831 --> 00:13:34.799 And really, whether it will be worked or not. 00:13:35.165 --> 00:13:40.581 So nice to have data and information that's there at a fingertip in case we need it. 00:13:41.190 --> 00:13:46.563 Okay, maybe if you can afford to do that, but if it creates non-value-added 00:13:46.563 --> 00:13:50.234 complexity in your business to get that data and to house it 00:13:50.594 --> 00:13:54.019 just because someone thinks or a group thinks it's nice to have, 00:13:54.252 --> 00:13:59.003 if it's not actionable and if it's not something that actually supports business-level 00:13:59.003 --> 00:14:00.843 decisions, either from a cost, 00:14:01.203 --> 00:14:05.843 service, or if you will, risk profile perspectives, there's a lot of tentacles 00:14:05.843 --> 00:14:07.544 into data, right? different forms of data. 00:14:07.898 --> 00:14:10.893 And it's all dependent upon the industry that you're in and the customers you 00:14:10.893 --> 00:14:12.101 serve and their demands. 00:14:12.420 --> 00:14:15.703 But from a supply chain perspective, the data must be measurable. 00:14:15.703 --> 00:14:21.923 It must be information or data that is actionable, and it has to help substantiate 00:14:21.923 --> 00:14:25.633 decisions that add value to the customer and to the business. 00:14:25.633 --> 00:14:26.863 So it's got to be shared value. 00:14:27.228 --> 00:14:31.763 Nice to have in data storage capacity, creating a data lake of lots of volumes 00:14:31.763 --> 00:14:33.813 of stuff just because you might need it. 00:14:33.813 --> 00:14:39.133 Okay, maybe, but making that decision around what data you need and is it actionable 00:14:39.133 --> 00:14:41.943 and is there an owner for that data and is there an outcome, 00:14:41.943 --> 00:14:45.804 an expectation as a result of that, that's what drives success. 00:14:46.124 --> 00:14:50.878 So again, I believe data governance does begin with the decision and not the dashboard, if you will. 00:14:51.574 --> 00:14:56.072 So, Mark, let's talk about 3PLs. So, as you see 3PLs moving beyond transactional 00:14:56.072 --> 00:15:00.090 warehousing and freight hauling into strategic supply chain orchestrators, 00:15:00.456 --> 00:15:02.418 a word that we're hearing a lot of, orchestration, 00:15:02.881 --> 00:15:08.140 what are you seeing regarding CSC&P members evaluating whether a 3PL has a technical 00:15:08.419 --> 00:15:13.432 and operational capability to integrate fragmented networks versus merely acting 00:15:13.432 --> 00:15:14.955 as a transactional provider? 00:15:15.553 --> 00:15:19.327 Well, we have the privilege of working with some really great companies that 00:15:19.536 --> 00:15:24.392 support the work that we do at CSCMP. And whether that's authoring articles 00:15:24.392 --> 00:15:28.382 inside of our magazine, Supply Chain Exchange, writing white papers, 00:15:28.382 --> 00:15:30.234 getting out webinars and sharing. 00:15:30.606 --> 00:15:35.552 There's just really good people here that are thinking through more from a standpoint 00:15:35.552 --> 00:15:40.262 of improving supply chain and smoothing out the business because speed bumps, 00:15:40.262 --> 00:15:44.236 constraints in our pipeline, if you will, unanswered questions. 00:15:44.485 --> 00:15:48.392 Look, today in supply chain, one of the biggest things we've come to realize 00:15:48.531 --> 00:15:52.160 that we're no longer surprised that there are surprises. 00:15:52.369 --> 00:15:55.772 Okay. Question is, who's going to help us with the surprise that we just got 00:15:55.772 --> 00:15:58.516 on Monday morning that we didn't have on Friday afternoon? Okay. 00:15:59.015 --> 00:16:03.417 So orchestration is really key. I think a transactional provider is worried 00:16:03.417 --> 00:16:06.044 about optimizing its invoice, quite honestly. 00:16:06.415 --> 00:16:11.957 A company that really enables itself to be a true strategic partner with the 00:16:11.957 --> 00:16:17.067 shipper that needs its help orchestrating and managing its network truly is 00:16:17.067 --> 00:16:19.662 a value-added strategic supplier. 00:16:19.929 --> 00:16:23.737 And I've dealt with this personally throughout my career, and I've seen good 00:16:23.737 --> 00:16:24.986 and I've seen not so good. 00:16:25.421 --> 00:16:30.857 And it really gets down to corporate philosophy of that 3PL or company philosophy 00:16:30.857 --> 00:16:34.727 and how they want to engage and desire to engage with customers and create a 00:16:34.727 --> 00:16:39.475 value proposition that sticks versus optimizing their invoice. 00:16:39.806 --> 00:16:44.850 And again, it falls on not the shingle or the name, it falls back to people and their systems. 00:16:45.158 --> 00:16:50.167 So an integrated data process, data-oriented process that we talked about earlier 00:16:50.167 --> 00:16:53.883 is valuable,

but really it's about people, enabling people to be better. 00:16:54.127 --> 00:16:58.667 It gets back to even aligning with CSCMP's philosophy and our mission of why 00:16:58.667 --> 00:17:02.606 we exist. A true orchestrator is going to help somebody smooth out the constraints 00:17:02.746 --> 00:17:07.477 in their network as far as getting finished or raw materials from one place to another. 00:17:07.709 --> 00:17:11.547 And they take a real interest in from an intellectual perspective of understanding 00:17:11.547 --> 00:17:15.707 that business so they can help that shipper really improve in the areas that 00:17:15.707 --> 00:17:18.019 they need, you know, if you will, the improvements. 00:17:18.286 --> 00:17:22.947 So this is very valuable. I'd say, Donna, that, you know, our 3PL business as 00:17:22.947 --> 00:17:27.757 a whole and what our members are doing for others on the shipper side are being 00:17:27.757 --> 00:17:30.668 accentuated through what we see them talking about. 00:17:30.801 --> 00:17:34.847 And it truly is more of an orchestration than really a transactional, 00:17:35.085 --> 00:17:36.339 here's how we get stuff done. 00:17:36.914 --> 00:17:42.017 I think orchestrators are critical and it's 3PLs are going to survive versus 00:17:42.173 --> 00:17:45.958 not keep their business based on their ability to satisfy the needs of shippers 00:17:46.144 --> 00:17:47.671 from a strategic perspective. 00:17:48.246 --> 00:17:52.512 Interesting. And some of that may tie into this next question I've got in my 00:17:52.512 --> 00:17:57.082 mind, Mark, which is, you know, if you think about your background before CSEMP, 00:17:57.082 --> 00:18:00.882 and now as you roll that clock forward, you've got this vantage point across 00:18:00.882 --> 00:18:02.705 a broader swath of the industry. 00:18:02.955 --> 00:18:07.802 I'd love it if you could comment on the friction that exists between distribution 00:18:07.802 --> 00:18:11.703 centers and working capital reductions, but at the same time, 00:18:11.906 --> 00:18:13.619 the need to service the customer. 00:18:13.722 --> 00:18:18.072 How should network planners and procurement people, particularly hearkening 00:18:18.072 --> 00:18:19.702 back to your prior experience, 00:18:20.091 --> 00:18:25.641 work to design and buffer the safety stock models, unwind excess inventory, 00:18:25.821 --> 00:18:30.372 and not expose retail or industrial accounts to stockouts? 00:18:30.877 --> 00:18:35.082 Well, sourcing and procurement serves the transactional side of the business, 00:18:35.082 --> 00:18:38.572 the executors, those that are responsible for making things happen. 00:18:38.572 --> 00:18:43.834 And when the two have different goals that are misaligned, you're going to get a lot of friction. 00:18:44.257 --> 00:18:49.732 So first and foremost, a shot at reducing working capital and inventory and 00:18:49.732 --> 00:18:54.312 making it a financial exercise before ever thinking about the customer and

the 00:18:54.312 --> 00:18:57.042 elasticity needed in inventory is a big mistake. 00:18:57.042 --> 00:19:00.852 And companies do fall into that trap, particularly when they're cash-constrained. 00:19:01.432 --> 00:19:06.710 The real benefit comes from an alignment of what the business needs to serve 00:19:06.710 --> 00:19:11.040 its customers to achieve its goals, and then aligning the supplier network as 00:19:11.040 --> 00:19:13.840 well as building of inventory and the pipeline. 00:19:13.840 --> 00:19:17.480 The orchestrators, if you will, who ship and store, store and ship the product 00:19:17.480 --> 00:19:20.850 for you, are all brought together in the same place. 00:19:21.332 --> 00:19:25.366 You know, the mistake is, again, treating inventory like it's just cash, 00:19:25.546 --> 00:19:31.844 cash and use versus thinking about the end customer and the elasticity needed in that inventory. 00:19:32.332 --> 00:19:34.810 We'd all like to know what the customer is going to need tomorrow so we can 00:19:34.810 --> 00:19:38.060 build it and not have any excess inventory. In fact, we'd like to have zero 00:19:38.060 --> 00:19:42.932 inventory, but that's not always the case. In fact, it's rarely the case in many businesses. 00:19:43.176 --> 00:19:47.350 We can shorten up that lead time and reduce working capital stored in inventory 00:19:47.350 --> 00:19:50.275 if we have a more predictable order management process. 00:19:50.542 --> 00:19:55.030 Us, then yes, you know, you can make those steps. But segmenting it out, 00:19:55.030 --> 00:20:01.230 Tom, as you presented it across the entire value chain, it requires right sizing and alignment. 00:20:01.230 --> 00:20:04.790 And it all begins with how we contract the build stuff, you know, 00:20:04.790 --> 00:20:08.590 reinforcing volume to get a reduced price, building inventory, 00:20:08.590 --> 00:20:12.548 not knowing where that inventory or when it's going to be consumed and then having to store it. 00:20:12.879 --> 00:20:17.860 You're only passing along the savings and exponentially making it worse in the 00:20:17.860 --> 00:20:19.345 rest of your value chain, right? 00:20:19.520 --> 00:20:22.780 To the end, you've increased the overall cost to serve and probably have the 00:20:22.780 --> 00:20:24.094 wrong stuff in the wrong place. 00:20:24.280 --> 00:20:27.810 So it really gets back to alignment. And some of the work that we do at CSCMP 00:20:27.810 --> 00:20:32.256 with our members actually focuses in this area. And I'm proud to say we do some pretty good stuff. 00:20:32.674 --> 00:20:34.392 You definitely do. I agree with you. 00:20:34.996 --> 00:20:38.960 So Mark, we're going to go back about a year and a half or so. 00:20:38.960 --> 00:20:43.761 You spoke at our center's inaugural Supply Chain Modernization and Talent Insight Symposium. 00:20:44.110 --> 00:20:47.378 And there was a lot of discussion in those two days around change and transformation. 00:20:47.900 --> 00:20:51.267 We know

as supply chain professionals and academics, we need to be nimble. 00:20:51.836 --> 00:20:55.312 What is CSC&P's role in shaping the supply chain landscape? 00:20:55.939 --> 00:20:59.919 Well, how much time do we have? No, I'm just kidding. So, hey, 00:20:59.919 --> 00:21:03.679 look, we don't predict the future for just one person at CSC and PFAC. 00:21:03.679 --> 00:21:07.849 We don't predict the future. We really prepare professionals to lead through 00:21:07.849 --> 00:21:12.159 whatever is on the road ahead, right? Getting back to our mission is developing 00:21:12.159 --> 00:21:15.608 and educating supply chain professionals throughout their entire career. 00:21:15.793 --> 00:21:17.668 We're kind of that connected tissue. 00:21:17.970 --> 00:21:21.349 Our role is to really as an organization and its members, right? 00:21:21.349 --> 00:21:24.689 Because it's not about the staff that we have. It's not about me. 00:21:24.689 --> 00:21:28.949 It's really about our membership, which is an aggregation of service providers, 00:21:28.949 --> 00:21:34.449 academia, and shippers and their organic intelligence coming together to create 00:21:34.449 --> 00:21:38.719 the next. That if we did any of this work on our own, we couldn't do it, 00:21:38.719 --> 00:21:39.652 right? We need each other. 00:21:39.954 --> 00:21:43.222 So we're really that connective tissue to sense what's changing. 00:21:43.489 --> 00:21:47.369 And we get that from the voice of our members, what they're experiencing, 00:21:47.369 --> 00:21:51.963 and then translating that into credible knowledge and equipped professionals really to act. 00:21:52.230 --> 00:21:56.199 You know, we may not be 100% at that, but we are really aiming to do that. 00:21:56.199 --> 00:21:59.689 We do that through our roundtables, bringing just-in-time information. 00:21:59.689 --> 00:22:02.839 We do that through the research studies looking forward and kind of helping 00:22:02.839 --> 00:22:04.489 people predict what's on the road ahead. 00:22:04.489 --> 00:22:08.039 We do that through our work with the LMI, the Logistics Managers Index, 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:12.529 and both Dale and Zach Rogers, and giving that, you know, explicit opportunity 00:22:12.529 --> 00:22:18.339 for members to hear what's not in the report or a translation so people know what's next. 00:22:18.339 --> 00:22:22.950 So we're that connective tissue to help people navigate what we're going through today. 00:22:23.310 --> 00:22:26.154 And there's a lot that we're going through in supply chain, right? 00:22:26.392 --> 00:22:30.409 And the second point is to still look ahead. Adoption of technologies, 00:22:30.409 --> 00:22:34.829 thinking about how I need to look at the next 30 days from a transportation 00:22:34.829 --> 00:22:38.809 or an inventory or just mode selection perspective. 00:22:39.175 --> 00:22:42.639 All of that is what we do here. And we represent that at the round table level 00:22:42.639 --> 00:22:47.179 and we represent it big time at Edge, which is coming up in Nashville the 4th 00:22:47.179 --> 00:22:48.705 through the 7th of October. 00:22:49.307 --> 00:22:51.744 So, Mark, it really is about the membership, for the members, 00:22:51.744 --> 00:22:55.791 by the members, is what we say. And with such a rapidly changing landscape, 00:22:56.291 --> 00:23:01.144 tell us about CSCMP's role in closing the talent gap required beyond the classroom 00:23:01.335 --> 00:23:03.628 and into that frontline operational competency. 00:23:04.093 --> 00:23:08.539 Well, no doubt mentoring each other and coming alongside each other to support 00:23:08.684 --> 00:23:12.674 each other as wing persons, if you will. No matter what we're going through, 00:23:12.674 --> 00:23:15.209 we provide that safe harbor environment. 00:23:15.528 --> 00:23:18.714 It's one thing where you have to go ask your boss or another coworker about 00:23:18.714 --> 00:23:21.754 how I might solve a problem. They could, depending on who they are, 00:23:21.754 --> 00:23:25.362 they could use that as a positive opportunity or as a gotcha opportunity. 00:23:25.629 --> 00:23:27.330 See, I know better than that person, right? 00:23:27.603 --> 00:23:30.904 When you go outside the four walls of your own company and you go beyond your 00:23:30.904 --> 00:23:35.534 academic learning, you come into our ecosystem and we help you through continuous 00:23:35.534 --> 00:23:40.403 education, helping you, as Stephen Covey once said, sharpen your saw and keep doing it. 00:23:40.745 --> 00:23:44.048 If you're intellectually curious, and I hope you would be in supply chain, 00:23:44.426 --> 00:23:46.829 you're going to thirst for knowledge because that's power. 00:23:47.222 --> 00:23:51.396 We're the place to provide that. So we do that through our research reports, 00:23:51.559 --> 00:23:56.094 our SCPro fundamentals, our SCPro certification, our brand new platform, 00:23:56.094 --> 00:23:59.750 SCPro Global, our collaboration with other education partners. 00:24:00.237 --> 00:24:04.324 We do that through the large landscape of meetings like the academic research 00:24:04.324 --> 00:24:06.861 symposiums and the EDGE conference. 00:24:07.215 --> 00:24:11.094 So it's multifaceted. But the one thing I'll say is learning from each other, 00:24:11.094 --> 00:24:15.724 engaging with each other is probably the most critical part of what we do. 00:24:15.724 --> 00:24:19.954 And that is creating that ecosystem where people can meet and engage in a safe 00:24:19.954 --> 00:24:24.114 way and share their experiences and share their questions and get better knowledge 00:24:24.114 --> 00:24:26.760 than they could even from an AI model, right? 00:24:27.016 --> 00:24:30.412 So that's really why we are where we are. But that's how we help talent progress. 00:24:30.597 --> 00:24:33.639 You can't stop learning in this profession. You absolutely cannot. 00:24:34.115 --> 00:24:37.544 So tell us about the in-person ecosystem that we can

look forward to. 00:24:37.544 --> 00:24:42.474 You mentioned EDGE is coming up October 4 through 7 in Nashville, 00:24:42.474 --> 00:24:45.550 and we've got the Academic Research Symposium on October 4. 00:24:46.096 --> 00:24:51.559 This year, the theme of Edge is the power to move what's next. Tell us more. 00:24:52.023 --> 00:24:57.091 So we are still bringing together what I think is one of the best collection 00:24:57.492 --> 00:25:03.081 of speakers and content anywhere out of any supply chain event. 00:25:03.081 --> 00:25:07.511 And I participate in a lot of places and I say it's the best first and foremost 00:25:07.511 --> 00:25:08.521 because it's ours, right? 00:25:08.846 --> 00:25:12.331 But more importantly, I really truly believe that. So we have picked some of 00:25:12.331 --> 00:25:14.551 the movers and shakers from around the world. 00:25:14.551 --> 00:25:19.111 We have Stuart Whitmire coming in from Schneider Electric, the number one supply 00:25:19.111 --> 00:25:20.971 chain company in the world, right? 00:25:20.971 --> 00:25:24.676 Then we have Peter Larson on the back end, right, as we close out, 00:25:24.833 --> 00:25:29.721 talking about the latest and greatest at Amazon and their supply chain ventures 00:25:29.721 --> 00:25:33.431 and where they're headed and strategic moves in the marketplace and everything 00:25:33.431 --> 00:25:35.003 in between from sustainability. 00:25:35.236 --> 00:25:38.611 We have our academics that are going to be there, as you mentioned, the ARS. 00:25:38.971 --> 00:25:43.489 And really, more importantly, it's a large gathering of common, 00:25:43.750 --> 00:25:47.821 interested people in enhancing the benefits supply chain brings, 00:25:47.821 --> 00:25:51.341 both from a powerful knowledge gathering perspective, but also what's on the 00:25:51.341 --> 00:25:53.363 road ahead, solving critical problems. 00:25:53.677 --> 00:25:55.500 We're also going to be dealing with the problems of today. 00:25:56.057 --> 00:25:59.951 People are struggling. You know, the variability that's introduced by so much 00:25:59.951 --> 00:26:03.551 it's coming from, whether it's geopolitical, elsewhere, it's wars, 00:26:03.551 --> 00:26:05.409 you name it, it's weather related. 00:26:05.641 --> 00:26:09.881 We are in a very dynamic environment. And what really awoken people to this 00:26:09.881 --> 00:26:14.418 is, unfortunately, was the human atrocity of COVID-19. 00:26:14.761 --> 00:26:18.951 We're still living in a very dynamic environment. And EDGE brings a culmination 00:26:18.951 --> 00:26:24.411 of critical thinkers, inventors, and succeeders in these areas to share with 00:26:24.411 --> 00:26:26.527 others. So that's why you have to be at EDGE. 00:26:26.783 --> 00:26:30.196 Super excited to be there. Look forward to seeing Mark and so many others. 00:26:30.422 --> 00:26:34.085 I know a number of our listeners will be there. So thank you, Mark. You're welcome. 00:26:34.803 --> 00:26:38.715 Certainly, EDGE is always a fantastic venue, and we've all enjoyed it. 00:26:39.958 --> 00:26:44.547 The final question I want to ask you is the one that we ask all of our participants. 00:26:44.669 --> 00:26:47.742 If you're driving down that highway of life and there's a billboard that sums 00:26:47.742 --> 00:26:52.342 up your career, your motto on life, your words of wisdom that you would love 00:26:52.342 --> 00:26:56.035 to pass along to others, what does your billboard say? 00:26:56.689 --> 00:27:01.791 My billboard would say, knowledge is power, never stop learning. 00:27:02.424 --> 00:27:07.832 I love it. Great way to wrap us up. So good words of wisdom to not only pass 00:27:07.832 --> 00:27:11.312 along, but certainly it's what you're living every day at CSC&P. 00:27:11.312 --> 00:27:14.487 We really, really appreciate you sharing that with us. 00:27:15.108 --> 00:27:19.072 My pleasure. My pleasure, Tom and Donna. Thank you. Mark, a pleasure to have 00:27:19.072 --> 00:27:23.943 you on today. Unpacked, insights hosted by the Penn State Smeal Center for Supply Chain Research. 00:27:24.262 --> 00:27:28.146 And we look forward to seeing you and many others in Nashville before long, 00:27:28.303 --> 00:27:30.491 October 4th through 7th. Thank you, Mark. 00:27:30.810 --> 00:27:32.598 You're welcome. I do as well. Thank you both. 00:27:33.575 --> 00:27:37.372 Thank you for listening to Unpacked, insights hosted by the Penn State Smeal 00:27:37.372 --> 00:27:39.092 Center for Supply Chain Research. 00:27:39.092 --> 00:27:42.410 For more information about support opportunities, research engagement, 00:27:42.550 --> 00:27:44.252 our professional development portfolio, 00:27:44.572 --> 00:27:48.232 and to explore valuable networking and benchmarking insights shared through 00:27:48.232 --> 00:27:55.632 CSCR's dynamic forums, please visit smeal.psu.edu forward slash CSCR.