Supply Chain Movement 52 | Start-Ups & Talents

The main theme of the 52nd issue (Q1, 2024) of the quarterly magazine Supply Chain Movement is Start-Ups & Talents. 

Publication Date: March 8, 2024

12 | Profile Anne van de Poel, Supply Chain Director Northern Europe, Bonduelle

Rooted in the land, producing vegetables together with partner farmers and in close proximity to consumers – that has been the strategy of French family-owned company Bonduelle since 1853. This approach preserves the freshness of the vegetables and minimizes the carbon footprint. On the flipside, this can make company growth difficult when harvests are disappointing. But against the backdrop of today’s ecological and climate challenges, Bonduelle’s conscious choices make it a source of inspiration in the food industry today. We asked Anne van de Poel, Supply Chain Director Northern Europe, about her vision on the role of supply chain.

19 | Checklist for supply chain command centre

According to Gartner, decisions have become 65% more complex since 2020. Executives spend nearly 40% of their time making decisions – and they believe most of that time is poorly used. Analyst firm IDC noted in a 2022 survey that 80% of companies surveyed are working to improve supply chain visibility and 90% their agility. This checklist addresses the right questions to arrive at a supply chain command centre.

20 | Growth spurts are part of life for start-ups

A year ago, Supply Chain Media launched a series of articles on companies partnering with start-ups. What is the current state of play? Are these companies managing to further roll out their start-up solutions? The answer is yes in most cases, according to a roundup by Supply Chain Movement. However, a few have stopped working together. “As a start-up, you always run into difficulties.”

27 | Supply Chain Consultancy not immune to volatility

Due to the numerous extreme economic and geopolitical challenges in the world, there remains a strong need for supply chain consultancy, especially in the areas of Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP), strategy and network design. But the financial picture of the diverse consulting firms in the European arena varies considerably: from growth to under considerable pressure. These are the main observations from the annual survey for the SCM Consulting Subway Map of Europe.

30 | Generative AI will be a game-changer in the start-up market

In recent years, there has been a significant decline in the number of supply chain start-ups appearing in Europe. According to Mathias Bosse, compiler of the Supply Chain Tech Report, one of the reasons is that companies are currently less inclined to serve as launching customers. However, he expects the rise of generative AI to lead to a new wave of tech companies. Supply Chain Media’s annual Maturity Matrix contains a number of new start-ups.

37 | Bottlenecks and leaks in the talent pipeline

The shortage of supply chain talent continues to hamper business. Therefore, much attention is focused on increasing the inflow. However, it is equally important to consider the entire talent pipeline. If companies want to ensure sufficient talent in the future, they will also have to do something about the outflow.

43 | Checklist for denied party screening

Successfully implementing a screening tool helps reduce the risk of fines, minimize audits, fosters sustainable practices, and stay compliant. However, the ROI of sanctions compliance itself is a challenge to measure, as there isn’t always a direct link to revenue generation and projected returns but rather the value lies in avoiding risk and the associated costs of inefficiency.

44 | A company as a human body

Many companies struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing world, especially in these times of economic uncertainty and multiple geopolitical tensions. Agility and resilience are therefore essential – but not all business roles contribute to this, plus there is sometimes insufficient alignment between the various departments. The analogy of the human body provides an enlightening insight into what constitutes a healthy company.

49 | Tesisquare makes AI for supply chain management pragmatic

Tesisquare provides supply chain software for leading companies such as Ducati, Tod’s and Whirlpool. Gianluca Giaccardi and Lorenzo Bollani observe that, due to disruptions, sustainability regulations and the unparalleled advancement of AI, the world has become more complex for these companies. In this article, they explain how Tesisquare addresses these challenges and brings order to the increasing complexity of modern supply chain management.

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