{"id":10607,"date":"2022-12-15T08:26:14","date_gmt":"2022-12-15T16:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/?p=10607"},"modified":"2023-01-16T10:47:48","modified_gmt":"2023-01-16T18:47:48","slug":"auto-supply-chain-prophets-podcast-wrap-up-eps-16-20","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.qad.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/auto-supply-chain-prophets-podcast-wrap-up-eps-16-20","title":{"rendered":"Auto Supply Chain Prophets Podcast Wrap-up: Eps. 16-20"},"content":{"rendered":"

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”10608″ img_size=”full”][vc_column_text]If you haven\u2019t yet listened to or read about them, take a look at our wrap-up blogs covering<\/span><\/i> episodes 1-5<\/span><\/i><\/a>, <\/span><\/i>episodes 6-10<\/span><\/i><\/a> and<\/span><\/i> episodes 11-15<\/span><\/i><\/a> of the Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

As we wrap up 2022 and roll into the holidays, I wanted to share summaries of our five latest Auto Supply Chain Prophets podcast episodes. <\/span>Quistem\u2019s Cathy Fisher and I <\/span>agree, supply chain is where the money is \u2013 supply chain costs drive decisions in the automotive supplier ecosystem \u2013 thoughts to keep in mind as we start the new year.<\/span><\/p>\n

The foundation for many of our interviews comes from the best practices presented in our <\/span>Delivering on the Promise of Delivery<\/span><\/a> white paper that covers \u201cThe 24 Essential Supply Chain Processes\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a wrap-up of the latest episodes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Episode #16: The Shift to EVs<\/span><\/h2>\n

In this episode, we\u2019re joined by automotive industry veteran Gary Vasilash, an editor with <\/span>Gardner Business Media<\/span><\/a>. He has spent the last 30 years writing about automotive design, engineering, manufacturing and management. He\u2019s also one of the jurors for the North American Car, Truck and Utility of the Year Awards, quite a singular achievement.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gary talks about the iconic shift to electric vehicles going on in the industry right now. How can suppliers make better contingency plans when it\u2019s nearly impossible to anticipate such situations as the pandemic and some of the other disruptions currently affecting the industry.<\/span><\/p>\n

As technology changes with the introduction of electric vehicles, the landscape of suppliers will change. \u201cI think one of the things that we\u2019re going to be seeing more of as the car companies make more electric vehicles is that there\u2019s going to be an increase in vertical integration\u2026[they\u2019ll be] making more things in-house and [won\u2019t] be as reliant on suppliers\u2026they need to keep their eye on the outsource part, and the insource part, which is a big change.\u201d Gary suggests that auto supply chain leaders must improve digital visibility into operations and into their suppliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

Click<\/b> here<\/b><\/a> to listen to the full episode.<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode #17: The Future is Now for the Automotive Supply Chain<\/span><\/h2>\n

Gary Vasilash continues his predictions and assessments about the future of the automotive supply chain. He suggested that supply chain leaders need \u201cto separate the product from the process.\u201d It\u2019s all in the execution, whether the vehicle is electric, hydrogen fuel cell or internal combustion engine based. With the right resources from a process standpoint, they\u2019ll get costs and profits right.<\/span><\/p>\n

Suppliers are facing the fact that while the powertrain is changing significantly, cars will still need, for example, wheels, glass, body panels, and so forth. \u201cThere will be changes but not everybody will be affected in the same way.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

We asked Gary his thoughts about EV startups: whether they will survive with so many coming on board, will they become niche players, will the OEMs buy them or merge with them. Gary thinks all these options are probable, but the rules may be changing. Some of the current startups may not last, other new companies may arrive on the scene and OEMs will likely adapt different supply chain strategies in response to the EV revolution.<\/span><\/p>\n

Click<\/b> here<\/b><\/a> to listen to the full episode.<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode #18: Addressing Staffing Issues in a Post-Pandemic World<\/span><\/h2>\n

Staffing levels are on everyone\u2019s minds these days, from manufacturers to retailers and consumers. We met with Michele Vincent, Senior Director of Marketing and Sales at MADICORP, a temporary staffing agency that sources high-value and experienced manufacturing talent from across the country. She described the unique business model MADICORP uses to deliver manufacturing staffing. They look beyond the local talent pool and source staff from across the country, bring them into a facility to fill temporary gaps, sometimes for 6 to 9 months, and help manufacturers through a busy season or in an area of low unemployment.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the automotive industry, a sample use case might be to provide labor at the start of a new production line while the company is working out the hiring of full-time permanent workers.<\/span><\/p>\n

An interesting point, Michele commented that Gen Z workers are more interested in manufacturing jobs than millennials. It\u2019s critical for companies to understand their prospective labor pool to attract the best talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

She strongly encourages supply chain managers to learn more about temporary labor services to respond to current shortages.<\/span> \u201cIn this talent market you need to be creative. It\u2019s important to try different things. What\u2019s going to work for a small manufacturer in the Midwest might not work for a large manufacturer on one of the coasts. And so, to be successful at finding talent, you need to try new things. You need to keep up in terms of technology and onboarding.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Click<\/b> here<\/b><\/a> to listen to the full episode.<\/b><\/p>\n

Episode #19: 24 Essential Processes to Build a Foundation of Supply Chain Management<\/span><\/h2>\n

In this episode, Cathy Fisher and I dive headlong into two of the most widely consulted, but notoriously complex protocols for automotive supply chain management: the Automotive Industry Action Group\u2019s (AIAG) Global Materials Management Operational Guidelines\/Logistical Evaluation (MMOG\/LE) and International Automotive Task Force (IATF) 16949. We actually wrote the <\/span>Delivering on the Promise of Delivery<\/span><\/a> white paper <\/span>based on these protocols.<\/span><\/p>\n

The protocols have been in circulation for many years and, in part, describe the connections between quality and delivery, which are so often siloed in practice. In an earlier<\/span> blog<\/span><\/a>, we described how we created our list of 24 essential processes and vetted them <\/span>with the<\/span> AIAG supply chain steering committee, and<\/span> over 50 OEMs and other automotive manufacturers, including OEMs and Tier 1 and 2 suppliers.<\/span><\/p>\n

We organized the 24 processes into five categories:<\/span><\/p>\n