Event Preview: SCi Week 2019

‘Your path to end-to-end intelligent supply chains: Efficiency, visibility and agility.’

There’s no doubt that companies can greatly benefit from intelligent end-to-end supply chain management. After all, who wouldn’t want greater interoperability and transparency as well as stronger, more manageable supplier relationships? The issue is that not every company knows the best way to approach this and it becomes harder to achieve as supply chains become more complex, particularly for those spanning across the globe.

This year’s Supply Chain Industry Week (SCi Week) in Berlin will be addressing this issue, along with topics such as digital transformation, customer centricity and omnichannel supply chain optimization. I was lucky enough to have been invited to cover day 1 & 2 of the 3 day event as part of a new media partnership between the ATSC blog and SCi Week. Over 300 VP/ head level supply chain executives will be attending, including 75 speakers from the likes of IBM, Siemens, Danone, L’Oréal, Continental Automotive and many more.

But before I give you the lowdown on the event, you can read the agenda for yourself here.

One thing that stood out to me about the event is its unique structure; the event consists of several different learning formats. There are a number of presentations, key notes, interactive discussion groups and plenary discussions and debates throughout the conference on day 1 & 2. On the third day, there will be post-conference workshops which cover and summarize many of the topics being discussed during the conference. And, of course, there will be plenty of opportunities for networking (I hope to see you there).

What I’m looking forward to most

Day 1-

On day 1, the conference will be kicked off by a few plenary sessions, including keynotes and presentations from Continental Automotive, Siemens and IBM. Out of all of the morning sessions I am most looking forward to speaker Sven Markert’s presentation “A Siemens case study: Leading digital transformation: from roadmap to execution.” Markert, Siemens’ senior VP of Supply Chain and Logistics, will be talking about how to develop a roadmap to weave robotics, automation, AI and analytics into a company’s end-to-end supply chain transformation using this practical case study.

Later on in the day, attendees will have the opportunity to get involved in interactive group discussions. One IDG session that caught my eye is titled ‘supplier relationships & integration for end-to-end supply chain visibility.’ The group will be discussing the development of unified systems and how to integrate suppliers and vendors into these systems. At the very end of the day, there will be a plenary panel discussion, where logistics experts will be discussing how to adapt to new demand from manufacturers and retailers. The panel will also include clients to provide a broader perspective and insight into end-customer requirements.

Day 2-

I’m very excited about the panel debate on day 2. The topic for the debate is how Brexit is impacting companies’ supply chain strategies and what measures supply chain leaders are taking to prepare themselves for every possible outcome – an ubiquitous topic right now. As I am from Britain myself, I am constantly bombarded with news about Brexit (and the royal family), however, it will be refreshing to hear the views of industry professionals.

I’m sure I will attend numerous presentations and sessions on day 2, but one of the keynotes I will make sure to go to is on “rethinking supply chain fulfillment- managing unconventional e-commerce and on-demand ecosystem supply chains.” Factors such as the growth of e-commerce, new climate-friendly regulations and the Amazon effect all bring about new challenges for companies, but it’s important that the industry starts to use these challenges and changes as opportunities.

Be sure to follow me @NHSuppliesNews and @scindustryweek on twitter for live updates from Berlin.

You can use our discount code ATSC10 to get 10% off tickets when you register online.