E-Sourcing Forum » Pros to Know

Pros to Know - 2007

March 15th, 2007 at 06:28am David Bush - Iasta

This week, Supply and Demand Chain Executive released their yearly Pros to Know list. It is nice to see this list continue to grow and evolve over the years to be more comprehensive and recognize the talents of the very wide spectrum of supply chain technologies and practices. Some could be critical that the list has grown too much, but I think it is great that so many different people can be recognized in a fast moving and evolving profession.

The major categories are:

Practitioners - Purchasing professionals that exhibited very compelling and industry leadership roles within different functions of supply chain.

Providers - Executives from supply chain technology and service providers, as well as from the consulting and analysis worlds, have played a vital role in promoting Supply Chain as a strategic function within the enterprise, both by addressing C-level leaders at industry conferences and in the media, and by providing the key enabling tools that supply and demand chain professionals can leverage to achieve the kind of bottom-line impact that gets the function noticed in the boardroom. For that reason, this year, as in the past, Supply & Demand Chain Executive is recognizing the following 2007 Provider Pros to Know for their contributions in elevating Supply Chain within the enterprise.

Demand Management/Forecasting & Planning
Sourcing & Procurement/Spend Management
Fulfillment/Logistics
Consulting/Analysis/Education
Enterprise Systems/ERP

The Bloggers - “New media” are playing an important role in raising both the expertise of supply chain professionals and awareness of the increasingly strategic nature of Supply Chain in the enterprise. In the “blogosphere,” a network of Web logs, or “blogs,” authored by a growing number of industry veterans is playing its part by offering analysis of current events and trends, as well as a healthy dose of best practices. The blogs are sometimes serious, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, occasionally self-serving — the bloggers often are executives at solution providers, and other blogs are sponsored by solution providers — but almost always insightful and frequently entertaining. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 “Blogger” Pros to Know for their contribution to spreading the supply chain gospel.

Former Practitioners - Before they became consultants and software company executives, many Provider Pros started by working in the trenches, learning their supply chain craft and honing their supply management skills as executives at leading companies. These Pros know firsthand the challenges facing today’s supply chain leaders, and today their experience helps their customers understand how to raise the profile of Supply Chain within the enterprise. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 “Former Practitioner” Pros to Know for their contributions to transforming the image of Supply Chain in the corporate environment.

Supply Chain Greens - The term “green supply chain” has been around for more than a decade, but rising energy costs and growing concerns about the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment have conspired more recently to bring heightened attention to green supply management strategies and practices. As companies look to “do good” even as they “do well,” Supply Chain will become an increasingly vital partner to C-level executives searching for synergies between operational efficiency and environmental responsibility. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 “Green Supply Chain” Pros to Know for their contributions to the theory and practice of green supply chain management.

Indirect Spend Gurus - Got indirects? Of course you do. Indirect goods and services comprise from 35 percent to 50 percent of a company’s spend, according to CAPS Research. Yet, despite the size of this spend, CAPS has reported that “there is strong evidence that the percentage of indirect spend items that are strategically managed is quite low.” The upshot: indirects represent a significant “quick hit” opportunity for Procurement and Supply Management to bring substantial cost savings to the bottom line. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 Pros to Know — “Indirect Spend Gurus” for their contribution to highlighting this important class of spend and promoting new ways to reign in the indirect monster.

Public Sector Supply Management Evangelists - Governments and government agencies at all levels have always operated some of the most complex supply chains in the world, and yet only in recent years have public sector Procurement and Supply Management organizations begun to achieve recognition as a strategic contributor to the overall success of public policies. With this recognition has come an increased need to bring best-in-class practices to government supply management operations. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 Pros to Know — “Public Sector Supply Management Evangelists” for their contributions in promoting supply chain excellence in the public sector.

Service Supply Chain Gurus - Companies that continue to treat the service supply chain as a cost center are likely to be losers as more and more of the new revenue opportunity shifts to after the initial sale. And yet too few enterprises today have elevated their service supply chain and reverse logistics operations to the level of a strategic function within the corporation. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 Pros to Know — “Service Supply Chain Gurus” for their contribution in bringing greater visibility to this increasingly critical segment of the supply chain.

Extended Enterprise Gurus - In the past, many corporate leaders believed that the supply chain stopped at their factory gate or the loading dock of their stores. Today’s leading C-level executives understand that they must view their suppliers as an integral part of their own “extended enterprises” if they are to survive in a “supply chain vs. supply chain” global economy. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 Pros to Know — “Extended Enterprise Gurus” for their contribution to educating the industry on the integrated role that a strong, diverse supply chain plays in ensuring the long-term success of the enterprise.

Financial Supply Chain Evangelists - Enterprises for some time have been focused on optimizing the physical supply chain — the physical movement of goods from one location to another. But more recently enterprises have begun to devote increasing attention to understanding how they can improve, and better leverage, their financial supply chains to both drive efficiency and more profitably manage their cash flow. Supply & Demand Chain Executive recognizes the following 2007 Pros to Know — “Financial Supply Chain Evangelists” for their contribution to putting the spotlight on the opportunities — and challenges — of better managing the financial supply chain.

And…this year, we hit the Exacta with both myself (The Bloggers) and Jason Treida (Indirect Spend Guru) selected. If I could only get him to write more than 1 blog per year so the rest of the world could experience his incredible levels of genius…

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Entry Filed under: General, Supply Management Best Practices, Technology / SaaS, e-Sourcing Marketplace

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