The Rebound

Abe Eshkenazi and Bob Trebilcock launched The reBound in the spring of 2020 with a simple goal: In the thick of the pandemic, let’s highlight the best of what’s happening in an industry grappling with labor challenges, parts shortages and unpredictable shutdowns.   After four years and nearly 70 guests, now was the time to look back at those guests and events that left a lasting impression on us as ASCM charts a new course for the podcast. Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts. And thanks for your support.

On this episode of The reBound, Stephanie Cannon joins Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review, to discuss a new approach to mid-mile deliveries in the e-commerce supply chain. Cannon is the senior vice president of operations excellence and collaborative innovation at Pitney Bowes, where her team is working with the startup community to bring in high levels of automatic sortation and robotics to its distribution centers and now autonomous trucks to deliver parcels from its distribution centers to USPS depots in several states. Cannon explains why one of the world’s leaders in global shipping and mailing decided to adopt autonomous trucks; how it worked with a solution provider to design a system for autonomous deliveries; and how it piloted and is now rolling out the fleet of trucks in multiple locations.

The shortage of supply chain talent, especially on the line, isn’t new: It just became more visible during the pandemic. What’s more, with baby boomers retiring every day, it’s only likely to become more of a challenge in the future. What’s a supply chain manager to do? The answer is to begin looking for talent among overlooked and underutilized communities. On this episode of The reBound, Tim Engstrom joins Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review, to discuss a new approach to recruitment. As the SVP of supply chain at Essendant and an adjunct professor at Elmhurst College, Engstrom and his team have developed a playbook to bring people with disabilities, second chance hires and veterans into operations. They have also launched a program to train and educate young hires with the potential to lead. The results are impressive.  

One of the lessons from Apple’s wild success in the years following the introduction of the iPhone is that it pays to be an innovator. Today, every company worth its salt is looking to get some of that innovation magic. In the supply chain, Maersk (www.maersk.com) is investing in innovation  to maintain its competitive edge. On this episode of The reBound, Yujie Su, head of product innovation at Maersk, joins Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review, to explain how the world’s largest global shipping and logistics company is working with startups in its innovation center to develop new solutions using NextGen technologies.

Not that long ago, self-driving, autonomous trucks might have seemed like something out of The Jetsons. Or a logistics manager’s dream. Today, autonomous vehicles may not yet be mainstream, but they are beginning to find a home in the supply chain, especially in sunny southwestern states. Broader adoption is in the foreseeable future.   On this episode of The reBound, hosts Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review, explore the bottlenecks, barriers and benefits to autonomous fleets with Aaron Campbell, the go-to-market lead for the autonomous technology group at Daimler Truck North America.

If your supply chain seems more complicated than ever, you’re not alone, according to Arun Kochar, a partner with the consulting firm Kearney. As Kochar sees it, we’ve entered a new era of dynamic supply chain management, one in which organizations are more dependent than ever on their suppliers as well as service providers such as contract manufacturers, 3PLs, cloud-based software providers and outsourced partners for planning and procurement. Think of it as Supply-chain-as-a-Service.    On this episode of The Rebound, hosts Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review, explore with Kochar what makes dynamic supply chains different, along with the four key components to the Supply-chain-as-a-Service model.

Geopolitics. AI. Risk and resilience. Those were just three of the trends that shaped supply chain management in 2023 and are sure to have an impact in 2024.   On the last episode of The Rebound for 2023, hosts Abe Eshkenazi, CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management, and Bob Trebilcock, consulting editor of Supply Chain Management Review discuss the current state of supply chain management, and where the profession is heading in 2024. It is, without question, one of the most exciting times to work in the supply chain. Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts. And, click here if  you missed our last episode, where GE Appliance’s Alison Seward discussed the 3D transformation at one of the country’s largest manufacturers of appliances.  

On this episode of The reBound, Alison Seward, the executive director of manufacturing quality, walks us through how a 3D digital model of operations is at the heart of GE’s transformation; and delivering industry-leading results. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host. Just about every organization worth its salt is in the middle of a digital transformation, about to start one or making plans to digitalize its supply chain. GE Appliances, one of the country’s largest manufacturers of appliances, is no different. Since adopting a new, consumer-driven business model in 2017, GE Appliances has been on a journey to develop a digital ecosystem that will take its operations, the quality of its products and the skills of its workforce to a new level of performance.   And, click here to learn more about ASCM’s Certified in Transformation for Supply Chain certification, designed to equip current and future leaders with the skills to manage an end-to-end transformation.

Listen in as Supplier.io’s Aylin Basom discusses the state of supplier diversity, sustainability and ESG initiatives in today’s supply chain.   On this episode of The reBound, Aylin Basom, CEO of Supplier.io, discusses her firm’s latest research into supplier diversity and sustainability initiatives, and why the best companies continue to invest in these programs. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host.  In recent years, supplier diversity and sustainability have risen to the top of the To Do list for supply chain managers. And, according to research from Supplier.io, there’s a good reason: Supplier diversity, for instance, is delivering value by building more reliable supplier bases, creating access to innovation and by preparing organizations to meet the needs of a more diverse customer base.  

Listen in as Arup’s Catarina Carvalho discusses the rise of mega cities and the reasons supply chain managers need to rethink their strategies for serving urban customers.   On this episode of The Rebound, Catarina Carvalho, Americas East Cities Logistics and Ops leader for the global consulting firm Arup discusses how population growth and the expansion of mega cities is transforming logistics in urban areas. ASCM CEO Abe Eshkenazi and SCMR Editor Bob Trebilcock host.  Drive around any major city anywhere in the world and it’s impossible not to notice the pileup of double parked trucks and parcel delivery vehicles snarling traffic. If you don’t happen to live in a mega city, it’s easy to shrug it off as traffic coming with the territory. But there are implications for supply chain managers: The Wall Street Journal estimates that urban congestion costs the trucking industry $74.5 billion and leads to about 1.2 billion hours of delay annually. Add the dramatic increase in parcel deliveries associated with e-commerce fulfillment, and it’s no surprise that cities, especially in Europe, are limiting when trucks can come into the city and what types of vehicles can be used for deliveries. Those limits could be coming to your neighborhood next.    On this episode of The Rebound, Arup’s Catarina Carvalho discusses the challenges of urban logistics, the potential impacts of new regulations and strategies supply chain managers should consider when doing business in a major city. It’s time to pay attention to urban logistics.   Be sure to listen wherever you get your podcasts.