Melik Sevis, Planning and Procurement Director at Nurol Makina (NMS), explores the strategies driving the company’s nimble approach to supply chain sustainability and optimisation in the ever-evolving defence sector.
also in this edition
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Welcome to the August 2024 edition of CHAIN Magazine.
he summer holidays are in full swing and the staff here at the iThink Media have all thoroughly appreciated the air conditioning here in our head office on the sporadically sunny British days we’ve enjoyed so far.
We’re bringing you three exclusive interviews this month, along with the latest global supply chain news and features.
Our community consists of C, V and D level executives from a wide range of industries. A unique blend of thought leadership interviews and features that cover digital transformation, supply chain, procurement, logistics, technology, AI and sustainability. CHAIN
For our cover interview this month, I welcomed the chance to speak to Melik Sevis, Planning and Procurement Director at Nurol Makina. We dive into the strategies driving the company’s nimble approach to supply chain sustainability and optimisation in the ever-evolving defence sector ( Richard Evans, Head of Digital Supply Chain at Delaware, joins me to discuss aligning new technologies with common sense to shape modern supply chains at the leading tech consultancy
I sit down with Tamer Afr, CEO of Big Boy, who divulges his insights into acting as a brand steward, while also engaging in a deep discussion on the roles of menu innovation, supply chain strategy and commitment to operational excellence taking place at the iconic American restaurant
Our features this month include shining a light on the top transportation companies for women ), considering seven of the major challenges facing the freight and logistics industries ), reporting the new partnership between DHL and Envision to promote ), covering how GA Telesis and Alitheon plan to transform the ), exploring PepsiCo and Yara’s partnership to decarbonise crop production ) and announcing Antheia’s new funding to support ingredient manufacturing in the p100
We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Taoufik Samaka, Global Category Manager at Vodafone Procurement Company in Luxembourg, and former Chief Procurement Officer at Telia Company, Uzbekistan, as the guest in our spotlight feature (
Please enjoy our latest edition. As always, if you would like to be considered as an interviewee or you have a story for us to include, please do get in touch.
editorial@ithink.media connect with me on LinkedIn.
Evans on how Delaware is shaping the modern supply chain with technological innovation
Big Boy CEO Tamer Afr highlights the company’s menu innovation, supply chain strategy and commitment to operational excellence
Melik Sevis, Planning and Procurement Director at Nurol Makina (NMS), explores the strategies driving the company’s nimble approach to supply chain sustainability and optimisation in the ever-evolving defence sector.
he company has the production capability to build these armoured vehicles in-house, with the use of tailored equipment substructures.
NMS has secured its position as a 4x4 tactical vehicles segment leader in Turkey – combining design and technology alongside principles of national and international development, social benefits and environmental protections.
For Melik Sevis, Planning and Procurement Director at NMS, the company’s success is a direct result of the work its dedicated employees have put in.
“We are acutely aware of the fact that our strength lies in our family of employees,” says Melik. “Their ability to blend new innovations in the defence sector with our values and history has made the company what it is today, and it’s an approach that has been shaped by over 40 years of engineering experience.”
Melik’s interest in supply chain management stemmed from studying industrial engineering at university, and today, his primary initiative has been integrating the company’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) system with its supply chain process – improving the company’s operational efficiency and decision-making speed.
However, Melik explains that any development in the supply chain has to align with the company’s overall mission.
“Our vision is to fulfil customer expectations globally, with a supply chain structure that efficiently transports goods from the stores to the point of conceptions,” says Melik. “This optimises both time and cost in project requirements.
“The supply chain is constantly evolving on a global scale, and our mission is to maintain a sustainable framework that satisfies the expectations of our stakeholders while continuously evolving alongside our
supply chain, our strategic partners and our solutions.”
Melik stresses that the cornerstone of NMS’s nimble supply chain is a thorough end-to-end strategic approach, where seamless integration and quality permeate the entire operation.
“Our supply chain strategy is designed with end-to-end efficiency in mind,” says Melik. “We take a quality-based approach. We’re not only focused on maximising the benefits of a product, but also the benefits of our supplier and our communications, because it integrates the functions of those related departments interconnected with the supply chain. This establishes a unified and coherent company structure.
“By taking this integrated approach, we can ensure that our supply chain operations are aligned with the main strategic goals of the company. Our priority is enhancing overall efficiency, quality and responsiveness to evolving end-user needs and operational demands.
“This comprehensive approach integrates all phases of the organisation – from day-to-day operations to the overarching strategic initiatives. It’s a holistic strategy, ensuring every element is aligned with NMS’s core objectives. This allows us to ensure that our supply chain is not just a functional aspect of the business, but a strategic asset – allowing us to reinforce our position in the international market. We are always working to guarantee that our supply chain operations are
consistently aligned to support our goals.”
However, especially in such a highstakes industry as the defence sector, there are always risks that can impact the supply chain. Melik emphasises how these potential threats have been major factors in the establishment of NMS’s supply chain strategy.
“When we talk about supply chain, we have to talk about risk,” says Melik. “Life is not a straight line, and we have risks with our supply chain and our ecosystems. You cannot plan anything without factoring in the element of risk.
By defining this risk, and developing a reliable management plan, we can minimise it and plan potential corrective and preventative actions.”
The company classifies its risks into two categories: internal and external.
“The internal analysis framework is rigorously structured around the SWOT technique, which systematically identifies the company's Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats,” explains Melik. “It’s a rational risk, that we can assess with numbers. Typically, this refers to our substructures, facilities and equipment.
These are manageable risks that are reasonable to define, with a short-term solution.
“External risk is more challenging to reconcile. Every project has its unique external risks, especially when our focus is on tailor-made solutions. On an international scale, we carefully define our risks in the areas of supply chain, transport and, most importantly, lead time and economic factors.
“Ninety per cent of our import and export systems are based on defining external risks and taking the necessary action to minimise them, because you
Melik Sevis, Planning and Procurement Director
cannot manage or plan anything without factoring risk. We’re always going to have risks, but the most important thing is defining them at the right time and having a contingency plan in place.”
NMS’s approach to planning, developed over decades of operation, ensures that any potential risk is identified as early as possible.
“In our planning framework, internal processes are meticulously synchronised, supporting and reinforcing our operational activities,” says Melik. “Decentralised tracking is integral to our strategic planning, and ensures these internal operations are aligned with our overall business objectives.
“This enables a structured, cohesive approach to operational planning – making sure that every aspect is
aligned and consistently monitored for potential risks and inefficiencies. Therefore, by integrating these planning components, we can optimise operational readiness, enhance strategic decision making and maintain a proactive stance when anticipating potential challenges.”
Melik’s journey at NMS is a testament to his belief in continuous improvement and innovation. His leadership in adopting LEAN Manufacturing principles, KAIZEN and 5S methodologies across production and planning processes has fostered a culture of excellence and efficiency. Under his guidance, NMS has achieved remarkable milestones, including significant lead time reductions, cost savings and enhanced production capabilities.
For Melik, this approach is reminiscent of a quote by Abraham Lincoln.
“Abraham Lincoln was quoted as saying ‘Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe,’” says Melik. “This quote has shaped the way I have approached planning and strategy throughout my entire career, and it’s a key mantra for the way NMS operates.
“At the heart of any proficient supply chain is detailed planning and the strategic utilisation of resources throughout the organisation. Our successful supply chain is contingent on us implementing a proactive strategy from the start of any approach and making sure any plans are dynamic, catering to both immediate and long-term objectives.”
However, while NMS has developed a robust planning strategy, Melik credits the company’s partners as being a key aspect of its efficiency and effectiveness.
“No company can operate in a vacuum,” says Melik. “In today's fastpaced world, staying ahead of new innovations is crucial. Consequently, partnerships and supplier relations are a key focus for us.
“Every one of our strategic partners has a unique approach and an area of expertise that is instrumental for our success. For instance, in our partnership with CM Automotive we’re able to access specialised automotive technologies and innovations, helping us implement more sophisticated solutions in the production process.
We manufacture and design the best Central Tire Inflation (CTI) systems in the world, with over twenty-five thousand units in the field today across 15 applications. Military trucks, fire engines, tractors and commercial buses have all benefited from deploying our all-terrain mobiliser.
Current challenges in the marketplace and new applications have motivated CM Automotive System Inc. to redesign its CTI system. This new effort will provide a wheel valve to improve the warfighter’s survival when operating a vehicle in the combat zone. The wheel valve isolation feature will shut down and isolate a flat tyre for inflation and deflation. The warfighter can then inflate the remaining tyres to the survival tyre pressure for escape.
Similar design modifications are needed to include other applications. Such applications provide for driving through rivers or saltwater exposure. The manifold and the wheel valve require water-tight assemblies and internal treatment of all surfaces. In a similar application for a 4x4 vehicle, the dash did not have enough room to mount the CTI controller. We replaced our standard controller with a newly designed eight-button switch-pack controller, at approximately half the size.
Moreover, these operating buttons on the switch-pack are large: .908” x.908” and, therefore, can be activated from the cab with the warfighter using arctic gloves. The switch-pack controller is compact, lightweight and has multiple built-in LEDs for each button, indicating the position.
“Our strategic partnerships are crucial for enhancing operational efficiency and leveraging diverse expertise. Another particularly notable partnership has been with Skydex. Skydex facilitates the integration of advanced materials and technologies into new products.
“Their expertise – particularly in the defence industry – enables us to build durable products and rapidly adapt various technological solutions. Because of this collaboration, we’ve
been able to get products to market quicker and strengthen our position in the industry.”
According to Melik, now the company has forged a prominent position in the defence industry, NMS’s natural next step is sustained growth – with plans to expand on a global scale.
“Our headquarters are based in Ankara, but our current focus is on developing our international presence,” says Melik. “We founded NMS UK last
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year, and our base in Hungary was founded three years ago. We’re actively expanding our supply chain network in a global arena and strategising our future development.
“These coordinated efforts are pivotal in enhancing the company’s operational reach and establishing a robust, interconnected supply chain. We have our vision, and now we need to nurture that for the decades to come.
“By leveraging the strengths of each location, the company is not just broadening its competition capabilities but reinforcing its market process and responsiveness to regional demands. The strategic integration of these facilities allows us to build a cohesive operational framework, enabling our knowledge to better allocate resources, streamline our supply chain process and enhance the efficiency across borders.
“This expansion is a key component of the company’s long-term vision, aligning our commitment to innovation with the value we place in customer satisfaction. As we move into this new phase, NMS is positioning itself to capitalise on global opportunities, anticipate market trends and respond proactively to the dynamic demands of the industry –ensuring our sustained growth as a competitive player in this sector.”
Learn more at nurolmakina.com.tr/en.
“Every year, I try to be a part of educational programmes, conferences or seminars with my former university,” says Melik. “I’ve been in the student’s position, and I want to try and show them shortcuts and give them some information on what to expect. I’ve worked in supply chain and production for 18 years, so showing people different paths into this industry is a hugely rewarding experience for me.
“When I’m giving these talks, I always try to emphasise the importance of being well-rounded. It’s not just about the knowledge or the expertise you have, but your life experience, your communication skills and your personality. If you’re interested in management positions in this industry, it’s not just about your technical knowledge, but your emotional intelligence as well.”
Connect with Melik
The Women in Trucking Association has released its 2024 list of transportation companies that it recognises as being outstanding workplaces for women.
Each year, the organisation recognises leading companies across the transportation industry as outstanding workplaces for women. To qualify for inclusion, companies must demonstrate support for gender diversity, provide accommodations for family
and work-life balance, and offer competitive compensation and ongoing training.
Below are some of the leading companies making the transportation industry more accessible for women:
“To support gender diversity and equality, the (Fedex) company invests in diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI)”
FedEx was founded on a peoplefirst philosophy. The company’s diverse workforce is full of exceptional women who work in roles across the company, including drivers, freight handlers and leadership positions. To support gender diversity and equality, the company invests in diversity, equality and inclusion (DEI) and development programmes, alongside policies that ensure hiring and promotions are based purely on merit.
Women make up more than 13% of Schneider’s drivers and 40% of its leadership roles. This year, the company saw an increase in the number of women diesel technicians hired in its shops across America. The company offers internal programmes,
including the Schneider Women’s Network, which demonstrate its commitment to ensuring women’s success in this industry.
Sysco is a top company for women in the trucking industry due to its commitment to diversity and inclusion initiatives. It fosters a supportive work environment with opportunities for career
advancement and provides resources for skill development. The company also values work-life balance, offering flexible schedules and benefits that cater to diverse needs, making it an ideal choice for women seeking opportunities in the trucking industry.
Women at Uber Freight are supported with extensive
programmes and resources that further their career advancement and development as leaders. Beyond Uber Freight’s robust benefits and flexibility, the company established spaces where women can find support, solidarity and opportunities for continuous growth. Powering global mobility, Uber Freight works to ensure that everyone can move freely and safely.
For more than a decade, Volvo Group has worked diligently to increase inclusion and improve the gender balance of its business and the transport and infrastructure industry. With a target of 35% women amongst all employees and leaders by 2030, the company is committed to building an inclusive workplace which welcomes bold, creative
“The company (walmart) offers expanded fertility and family-building benefits catering to women's needs”
and boundary-pushing people who are eagerly committed to empowering creativity in all its forms. By actively reviewing and challenging existing policies, practices, and processes, the company strives to ensure its offerings truly meet the needs of an ever-evolving workforce.
Walmart offers a supportive environment for women in transportation. The company offers expanded fertility and family-building benefits catering to women's needs. Walmart’s Associate-to-Driver programme also presents a unique career advancement opportunity, demonstrating its commitment to inclusivity and employee growth.
Source: Women in Trucking Association
Richard Evans, Head of Digital Supply Chain at Delaware, on the technological innovations shaping the modern supply chain.
Located in over 20 countries, technology consultancy Delaware’s cutting-edge solutions and work with key partners like Microsoft and SAP have enabled the company to deploy innovative solutions for clients worldwide.
Chain Richard Evans, Delaware’s expertise lies in the company’s ability to apply emerging technologies seamlessly to a client’s circumstances.
“We help our customers become better at running their supply chains,” says Richard. “We help them innovate, and we help them apply these innovations to their key problems. I’ve always been curious about how the physical and digital worlds meet, and in this role I’m helping clients solve problems that directly address that concept.
“Very often, we turn to technology to solve our problems, but at Delaware we like to apply a lens of common sense –one informs the other. Because if you’re having technology make decisions that are impacting real world safety, you need to be very comfortable that you’ve got a model that works, and will continue to work years down the line. Our approach is taking the data the technology provides us, and working out what the next best step is based on that information.”
Alongside this strategy, Richard has been paying attention to the key trends shaping the supply chain industry, and the way this is impacting clients’ specific needs.
Richard. “We’re seeing significantly more focus on hyper-personalisation within the supply chain. In our personal lives, there are so many more products available now where you can get your name on them or your own logo. Services are customised to your tastes and preferences. This concept is spilling over into our professional expectations, meaning that everyone across the supply chain is having to react faster to create these tailored products or services, especially with demand rising.
“A lot has changed recently,” reflects
“This is particularly challenging in relation to current geopolitical uncertainties. In some cases, companies are having to significantly adapt and redirect inputs, transforming their supply chain completely. With any disruption, the impact is far reaching. If an incident reduces capacity in a major shipping route, it’s not just affecting everything on the one ship causing the incident, but all the goods on the ships stuck behind it.”
“We partner heavily with SNP – they are incredibly helpful with data mapping, even in cases where master data is changed significantly”
One crucial area people don’t typically think about when considering disruptions, Richard suggests, is internal supply chains.
“We do a lot of work with companies in asset intensive industries, such as energy and heavy manufacturing,” says Richard. “When you see news relating to the supply chain, it’s typically about end stock and raw materials, but what people don’t often think about is the spares and the inventory that you need to keep those machines running.
“What we’re looking at the moment with one particular customer right now is their internal supply chain and maintenance spares, because they’re a business that does a lot of maintenance out in the field. This is where VertiGIS comes in for us, because they help us visualise geospatial characteristics of an operating environment.”
As an SAP Gold Partner, SNP has been supporting companies worldwide to carry out business and data transformation projects in their SAP systems for over 25 years.
SNP’s selective data transformation platform CrystalBridge® and approach, known as BLUEFIELD™, provides a streamlined and efficient approach to managing data within your SAP landscape.
At SNP we understand that supply chain companies have a unique set of challenges and requirements when it comes to SAP data transformation projects.
Supply chain operations generate large volumes of data, and managing the velocity at which this data is created, processed and transformed can be difficult.
Preserving accurate and consistent master data across the supply chain is crucial. Challenges arise in harmonising master data across different systems and ensuring its accuracy.
Maintaining continuous operations is crucial for supply chain companies and extended periods of downtime are not an option.
CrystalBridge® and BLUEFIELD™ offer many benefits associated with supply chain operations:
A thorough scan of your systems means you know exactly what you are working
with, and what you need to do. Focusing on migrating specific data, essential for ongoing or upcoming operations rather than migrating entire data sets, minimises the complexity and time involved in the migration. It reduces data volume and helps focus efforts on transforming the data with the highest business impact.
Customisation of data transformation processes to meet specific business needs enables companies to define rules and criteria for data transformation, aligning data to business requirements. This streamlines mandatory elements of migration journeys.
Selectively transforming and loading only the necessary data guarantees optimal system performance, ensuring systems operate efficiently and deliver timely and accurate information to support supply chain processes.
Identifying data in your system with archiving potential – or even decommissioning entire legacy systems and moving them to more cost-effective, easily accessible storage solutions –ensures compliance and slows down future data growth. The ability to set up retention management, legal hold and data destruction provides additional peace of mind.
Supply chain companies require continuous operations. Our nearzero downtime approach minimises
system downtime during the transformation process. A selective data transformation (SDT) approach means business interruptions are kept to an absolute minimum resulting in no impact on business as usual.
SNP provides companies with the agility to adapt to changing business needs. Flexibility to selectively transform and update data allows for quick adjustments to accommodate evolving requirements in the business landscape.
Selective data transformation reduces the amount of data being processed and migrated. This, in turn, can lead to cost savings in terms of storage, processing power and overall infrastructure requirements. It also removes several pre-project steps – meaning only investing time in the things that add value and are relevant to your future state.
By transforming and preparing data in a structured manner, SDT facilitates more accurate and meaningful reporting and analytics. Supply chain companies can derive valuable insights from their data, enabling better decision-making, forecasting and strategic planning. Our data integration software, SNP Glue, helps to bridge the gap between SAP and non-SAP data by smoothly providing SAP data to your cloud innovation platform in real-time and in a format ready for analytics.
Enterprise spatial management solutions by VertiGIS.
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Synchronise your spatial data with SAP and other systems (SCADA, ERP, CRM) using VertiGIS Integrator and benefit immediately from consistent data sets and efficient map-centric workflows in both systems.
“VertiGIS does a really good job at mapping out those networks – whether it’s pipes, substations or dams”
Global software development company
VertiGIS has been a key partner for Delaware in this endeavour, providing a visual aid to efficient operational planning.
“VertiGIS helps us visualise assets,” explains Richard. “If you take water companies as an example, they might need to repair a pipe. But a pipe is not physically accessible, it’s underground. So we need to know where it’s rooted to conduct those repairs, and VertiGIS does a really good job at mapping out those networks – whether it’s pipes, substations or dams – and bringing it into a real-world context. It’s crucial to get this right, because if you dig in the wrong place, you have the potential to release hydrocarbons unexpectedly. But with VertiGIS, we can plan things objectively and execute it correctly the first time.”
Technological innovations such as this have been critical for Delaware, and the company is now exploring the use of automation solutions to help clients build more efficient supply chains.
“At its heart, Delaware is a technology company, and keeping abreast of the latest innovations from our partners, including SAP and Microsoft, helps our
clients deliver their best outcomes,” says Richard. “We’re running a really interesting investigation at the moment, to attempt to reduce the amount of spares in our clients maintenance supply chains. These spares sit in vans and consume energy as they are moving around the country, so an innovative, operational redesign and the setting of stock levels will help to reduce working capital and obsolescence and also consume less energy on a day-to-day basis.”
So, what technologies are Delaware leveraging for this investigation?
“We’re looking to SAP’s MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) capability, to ensure we’re getting stock levels right,” says Richard. “This is a reasonably straightforward form of AI, because it’s going to involve a forecast – but instead of forecasting sales, we’re forecasting consumption into work orders to inform decision-making about stock levels.
“Another phase of this process involves utilising our key partnerships to connect Microsoft Copilot with SAP, democratising the way people can interact with enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. If someone
needs to know how much stock is in a location, or when the next purchase order is arriving, then they type that into the system and can easily access it. We don’t want our clients having to waste time on complex processes when all they want is a piece of information.
“We first began this process when we integrated Microsoft Teams with SAP around six years ago, but the technology at the time didn’t have the capability to use context when answering a question. That’s been a really exciting development for not just us, but Microsoft and SAP, because no one’s ever done this before.”
Here, Tim Rowe, Head of Microsoft Strategy at Delaware, joins us to explain how these exciting developments are transforming the end-to-end supply chain.
“With this in mind, we have built a groundbreaking solution connecting Microsoft Copilot and SAP’s platforms. In essence, this will allow you to have a conversation with SAP and allow us to deliver a true end-to-end business process. With our current assets, you can create purchase orders, query master data and send order requests, all from Microsoft Teams. You can even create a new customer and associated sales orders in Microsoft Dynamics CRM, and appear in SAP virtually instantly.”
“As a business, we’re working to implement solutions based on SAP and Microsoft Dynamics,” says Tim. “During Sapphire 2024, SAP announced they are going to prioritise collaborative ERP by integrating Joule with Microsoft CoPilot. For me, this acknowledges many business processes start and finish outside the traditional boundaries of an ERP platform and therefore, combining the power of both platforms will enable a genuine step change in process efficiency.
Tim sees the use of AI in this new tool as being particularly transformative in streamlining processes such as this.
“CoPilot for Finance is a Microsoft application to support Accounts Receivable processes such as sending an email requesting payment, with supporting sales invoices, without leaving Microsoft Outlook. Something that once may have taken half an hour – can now take thirty seconds. And Delaware is the first partner in the
world to build this connector to SAP Public Cloud.
Microsoft and SAP we can make these processes even easier.
“Generative tools can significantly reduce the time taken on tasks like this, and by building a tool to connect
“SAP and Microsoft both do a great job in providing rich capabilities for automation. But while those capabilities stop within the boundaries of that application, business processes typically do not. We want to automate from the very first touch point and take it from that initial demand through the entire business process. That’s the difference.”
By implementing these processes, Delaware is able to prioritise helping clients with streamlining solutions.
“Our focus is on efficiency,” says Richard. “We’ve developed our own, internal version of ChatGPT that we use to help us prepare answers for bids that we’re working on, which helps us from a company standpoint. Outside of that, we’re trying to warm people up to using conversational language models to help them in their day-to-day lives.
“It doesn’t have to be groundbreaking, but if AI can save you ten minutes of your time, then you’ve got ten minutes to do something else. It’s really that simple. There’s always going to be purists that want to do things manually, but having an eye on the future is what improves business outcomes.”
A part of this planning for future development, Richard explains, is the company’s partnership with German IT consultancy SNP Group.
“We partner with technology providers to deliver the right solution to our clients,” says Richard. “If I categorise the technologies we use into two areas, we have the technologies that help deliver products efficiently, and the technologies that are used in operations after a big project has gone live.
Tim Rowe, Head of Microsoft Strategy at Delaware
“In the case of the first area, we’re seeing more and more businesses transformed through acquisitions and divestments – these are significant events in a company’s history, and our current technological capabilities offer a rich opportunity for harmonisation.
“The actual methodology used can vary depending on the context of the merger or the acquisition, but we utilise our partners such as SNP with their CrystalBridge® product to help us accelerate these transformations, because it allows for a much simpler data journey between two systems.
“We partner heavily with SNP – they are incredibly helpful with data mapping, even in cases where master data is changed significantly. In some cases, it’s just the only thing that will do the job. If a client has a complex data
journey they need help with, that’s where we’ll go first.
“Our partnerships with leading companies – SAP, Microsoft, VertiGIS and SNP being key examples – are crucial. We’re not trying to be a one stop shop for every technology, but we want to be able to connect clients with key players.”
This work in connecting clients is underpinned by Delaware’s commitment to utilising AI, which has come at a crucial time, explains Tim.
“There have been five waves of innovation since the Industrial Revolution,” says Tim. “We are now in the sixth. Each wave gets shorter than the previous one, and they each have a material impact on power, transportation and communications.
“What history has shown us is that when we have these waves of innovation, we tend to overestimate their impact in the short term, but drastically underestimate their longterm impact. Things start to happen really quickly once you get to that tipping point, which is where we are with GenAI.
“When we’re looking at this as a company, we’re looking at how people and companies are embracing this technology. There are a broad range of use cases, and many businesses are targeting low-hanging fruit – primarily customer service, knowledge and content generation.
“At Delaware, we have to respond to that. So, we’ve developed a four-step process to guide our clients through the adoption of generative AI, starting with an exec briefing to make sure the board understands what this technology is, where and how it can be used and how it can be taken into production.”
The company has implemented AI solutions in several client areas – this includes GenAI solutions to create product marketing materials for a large European pharmaceutical business, enriched distress signals for marine vessels to sanction reports for a bank.
These innovations, alongside Delaware’s key partnerships, gives Richard an optimistic outlook for the future of the company.
“The beauty of Delaware is that, due to the nature of the company, we can never be sold,” explains Richard. “That’s why a lot of clients come to us, because when they’ve worked with previous consultancies that have then merged with another company or been acquired, the tone changes. We’re not going to do that.
“Our approach to clients is founded in the knowledge that we’re running the company today for the people who are going to be working in it tomorrow. There’s a community feel here that can’t be found anywhere else.”
Learn more about Delaware at delaware.co.uk.
“In the last few years, I’ve picked up mountaineering and indoor climbing,” says Richard. “I look at screens for a living, so once I’m done with work I don’t want to sit and play video games all evening. Instead, I’ve been prioritising physical activity outside of work, and taking any opportunity I can to get out in the outdoors.”
“My daughter recently graduated with a degree in chemistry from the University of Leeds,” celebrates Richard. “My wife and I have always encouraged her to take self development opportunities, and she’s off to Cambodia in a few weeks to become a diving instructor, because she’s interested in going into marine conservation. We’ve always instilled the importance of living your best life, because you never know what’s going to happen.”
Richard recommends the book Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as If Your Life Depended on It by Chris Voss.
“This book is a sales and negotiation training manual, written by a former hostage negotiator,” explains Richard. “It’s an interesting read, because of the experiences he’s had. I’ve been listening to it as an audiobook on long car journeys, which is a great use of that time.”
Connect with Richard
Exploring some of the key challenges logistics companies –
challenges facing freight and and how to solve them.
With the turbulent nature of the global freight logistics industry, businesses operating must understand the potential challenges to prepare, adjust and thrive.
In this article, we evaluate current problems facing the freight and logistics industry alongside the strategies key players are employing to stay competitive.
The volatility in fuel costs, shifts in supply and demand and geopolitical uncertainties are leading to price fluctuations in freight and logistics, one of the most pressing challenges currently facing the industry. To mitigate this issue, it’s crucial for businesses to adopt robust risk management strategies.
Dynamic pricing models and long-term contracts with suppliers can provide some stability, but companies must stay agile and responsive to market changes.
Another critical area freight and logistics companies must navigate is regulatory compliance. With an increasing number of regulations at local, national and international levels, staying compliant can be a complex process. Companies need a dedicated compliance team to monitor changes
freight and operating in this sector challenges facing them
in regulations and ensure that all operations adhere to the latest standards. Failure to comply can result in hefty fines and disruptions in operations, making this a nonnegotiable area for businesses.
While new technologies are revolutionising the freight and logistics sector, the initial investment
and the need for skilled personnel to manage these technologies can be a barrier for some businesses. However, the right technologies can lead to significant improvements in tracking shipments – optimising routes and enhancing overall supply chain visibility. With the plethora of options available, it’s important to make sure any new investment fits your business’s ethos and overarching strategy.
“The right technologies can lead to significant improvements in tracking shipments – optimising routes and enhancing overall supply chain visibility”
The complexity of coordinating multiple suppliers, varying lead times and fluctuating prices can make sourcing a formidable task. Businesses need to adopt a holistic approach to sourcing, considering not just cost but also reliability, sustainability and supplier performance. Advanced procurement tools and platforms can aid in managing these challenges more effectively.
With an increasing awareness of environmental issues, sustainability is becoming a significant priority in freight and logistics. To integrate sustainability into your company’s sourcing strategy, ensure you are selecting ecofriendly suppliers, optimising transportation routes and investing in green technologies. This not only helps in regulatory compliance but also enhances the company's reputation and appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.
Global supply chain disruptions, such as those caused by natural disasters, pandemics or political unrest, pose a
“Meeting customer expectations and maintaining high service levels are paramount in the freight and logistics industry”
significant risk to freight and logistics operations. Because of this, businesses need robust contingency plans and diversified sourcing strategies to manage potential issues. Building a resilient supply chain that can adapt to unforeseen disruptions is crucial for maintaining business continuity.
expectations
Meeting customer expectations and maintaining high service levels are
paramount in the freight and logistics industry. In order to stay competitive, businesses must focus on enhancing their customer service capabilities. This includes timely delivery, real-time tracking and effective communication. Investing in customer relationship management (CRM) systems and training staff to handle customer inquiries efficiently can significantly enhance service levels.
Tamer Afr, CEO of Big Boy, on the menu innovation, supply chain strategy and commitment to operational excellence taking place at the iconic American restaurant brand.
As the first restaurant to embrace the farmto-table concept in the US, and the home of the original double-decker burger, iconic American eatery Big Boy is no stranger to innovation.
he company was established in 1936 by Bob Wian in Glendale, California. The original Big Boy was a hamburger stand named Bob’s Pantry, but the company has grown and evolved significantly since then.
Today, Big Boy is one of America’s most iconic brands, with a rich history and cultural legacy, boasting appearances in several films, a comic series written by Stan Lee and even celebrating a national Big Boy Day.
When working with such a wellestablished brand, making significant changes can be a challenging task – which is why CEO Tamer Afr views himself as a steward, rather than a boss.
“We’re stewards for this brand, to protect it for the next generation,” says Tamer. “This company has so much history, and people have so much love for it. When we acquired the brand in 2018, we knew we wanted to take
Tamer Afr, CEO of Big Boy
the company to a new level, while retaining the elements that people love. There are so many incredible things about this brand, and we want to bring the love people have for Big Boy and share it on a national and international scale.”
As Tamer and his senior leadership team began the process of guiding this historic brand to even greater heights, the first thing they looked at was menu innovation.
“When we came on board, we immediately hired R&D chefs,” says Tamer. “We wanted to develop the menu and take it into today’s taste profile, but without losing the nostalgia of our signature items. Over the past five and a half years, we’ve gradually eliminated items and highlighted new options that fit the flavour profile of today’s generation.”
However, these innovations would not be possible, Tamer points out, without the implementation of new technologies.
“We were recently at the National Restaurant Association (NRA) show in Chicago,” says Tamer. “They were showcasing new AI applications for back of house – from flipping burgers and cooking French fries to running the kitchen, managing orders and analysing inventory. These are the exciting new industry trends we have to stay aware of if we want to continue to expand, especially in the wake of current labour shortages. We’re always looking at ways to be global ambassadors of innovation. Whether
that’s developing new technologies testing AI or implementing robotics.
“This Big Boy brand is incredibly precious to us, and these new technologies give us the opportunity to test new concepts. As a brand of significant size, we have a 130,000 square foot facility where we produce a lot of our own food, and the innovations we’re doing here wouldn’t be possible without the new technologies we’ve implemented.
“It’s a whole new world out there on what you can do with food, and as we continue to grow and become a more global brand, we want to protect our farm-to-table business model that’s been in place for over eightyfive years. And the way to protect this model is by aligning ourselves with new technologies.”
Implementing these new innovations and concepts has been a long time coming for Tamer and his team. Shortly after acquiring the company, the COVID-19 pandemic began, grinding any developments to a stop. However, Tamer credits this challenging time as helping him shape his relationship with key vendors.
“We learned a lot during the COVID-19 pandemic,” reflects Tamer. “For a restaurant brand, it was particularly challenging. It shut down nearly all of our restaurants, but we still had running costs. We had only acquired the company a year and a half previously, so while it was a huge shock to all of our plans, I believe it
“Becharas Brothers has been our coffee supplier for five decades”
made us stronger, nimbler, and made us work harder to find methods of promoting the brand’s growth.
“A big challenge was a shortage of supplies. Since then, we’ve invested heavily in our purchasing department, opened up new lines working with vendors and tightened our relationship with our core vendors.”
Two of these core vendors are Becharas Brothers Coffee Company (Becharas Brothers) and Metropolitan Baking Company.
“Becharas Brothers has been our coffee supplier for five decades,” says Tamer. “People who have been coming to Big Boy for years swear by our coffee and, by building this long-term partnership, we’re now in a position where we can look into a way to get Big Boy coffee into grocery stores. By having signature products like this we’re able to add value to our customers and develop our brand even further.
“Obviously, we make a lot of burgers and sandwiches, so our bread
“We pride ourselves on the quality of every individual ingredient available to our customers in our menu items, so our longstanding partnership with Metropolitan Baking Company is vitally important to us”
and rolls are a core component of our menu,” adds Tamer. “We pride ourselves on the quality of every individual ingredient available to our customers in our menu items, so our longstanding partnership with Metropolitan Baking Company is vitally important to us. We don’t just want to source products for the sake of sourcing products – we want to ensure that we are meeting the high-quality standards we set for ourselves, and our customers have for us.
“To meet these ambitions, it’s essential to have strong partners that not only understand the quality metrics you’re trying to achieve but can also deliver that quality reliably.”
As the company emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s now turning its focus to employing the use of new automation technology to nurture its operational strategy.
“We’re always striving to improve operational excellence,” says Tamer. “We’re using technology wherever we can, and AI is helping us make significant improvements. So many things in the business can be automated now – the cleanliness of our
restaurants, the heat levels and an AI solution for the cook times with our burgers.
“The aim of deploying these technologies is to make it simpler for people to do their job and turn out a quality product. Our next phase is considering how we can utilise emerging technologies to improve the guest experience.
“We’ve always been a family brand, so one of our main concerns is making the experience better for children. In our restaurants, we will be offering a digital comic to kids, and they can download colouring books – which is obviously more sustainable than printing them out.”
Big Boy’s focus on sustainability is something the company is prioritising as part of an ongoing commitment to community involvement and mindful decision-making. This effort has involved working with environmentally conscious vendors, reducing food waste and increasing the use of recyclable packaging.
“We want to ensure that we’re being a good partner to the world around us,”
Since 1945, Metropolitan Baking has crafted premium bread products for some of the finest restaurants, schools, institutions and retail establishments in Michigan and the surrounding states.
Our products include sandwich breads, variety breads, rolls, buns and much more. We service venues from family-style and fast-food eateries to upscale elegant restaurants, and offer competitive pricing and efficient reliable services to satisfy all of your bread product needs.
We are dedicated to providing high-quality baking products to our customers, meeting their expectations of flavour, texture, weight, appearance and food safety. Our goal is to provide our customers with the best tasting, highest quality, safest, authentic and legal products and services – all while delivering exceptional value along the way.
Our production processes consider all technical, commercial, safety and environmental requirements. We achieve this through a strong customer focus, striving for continuous improvement, a commitment to teamwork, training for all our employees and the implementation of procedures that are part of our quality system. Our commitment to food safety and security is built into this entire programme.
Metropolitan Baking is committed to continual improvements in every facet of our business. We believe that our people are critical to our company and are a critical component to our ability to satisfy our customers. To that end every employee is trained to fully understand requirements of their position and to perform their job to the best of their ability. Our focus is on offering customers a rewarding relationship through the ability to be true to our promise.
Our competitive pricing, premium product line and efficient services ensure that all of your bread, bun and roll product needs are met.
says Tamer. “And to do that, we always try to give back. We’ve started giving away food bags to make sure our food doesn’t go to waste, we’ve established our own foundation to help local communities and we’re aiming to bring in these practices throughout all areas of the business.”
However, this focus on ethical practice isn’t the only thing Big Boy is in the process of implementing. Looking ahead, the company is hoping to champion increased brand awareness and a period of sustained growth – on a national and global scale.
“We’re currently in discussions regarding a few acquisitions,” says Tamer. “These would not only expand our national footprint, but our discussions with international partners could bring the brand overseas. We’re currently overseeing growth in Southeast Asia, with the goal of opening 1,000 stores in the region, and we opened a store in Thailand last year as part of this endeavour.
“In the Americas, we want to continue developing the drive-thru concept within our brand. We’ve got four locations currently under development, and we’re hoping to deploy it across the business.
“But I think for us, our biggest focus is diversification. Big Boy is an iconic brand. A friend of mine messaged me recently when he was out for dinner with a friend and his sixteen-yearold daughter, and she was wearing a vintage Big Boy t-shirt. It shows the
power of the Big Boy brand and how far-reaching it is. The legacy literally spans generations.
“We have a dedicated following, and the younger generation knows our iconography but doesn’t always realise who we are. So we’re focusing on developing that nostalgia element, while simultaneously engaging younger customers, to get our brand out there.
“I have four children, with a fifth on the way. In my head, I like to hang onto the fact that my seven year old thinks Big Boy is the best restaurant in the world. And if I can just get a bunch of seven year olds thinking the same thing, then I think we’ll be okay.
“From a merchandising standpoint, you’re going to be seeing a lot more of us in movies, TV shows and even a prominent video game. We’re also
prioritising getting our product in grocery stores to push the brand out there. I get emails all the time about people asking when our signature items will be available in stores, which is absolutely our biggest push at the moment.
“We’ve also expanded our commissary production into pizza. We do pizza production for restaurants, and Michigan is a great place to be for this because it’s a hub of restaurants –Domino’s and Little Caesars® to name but two.
“So many Michigan brands are exploding and growing right now, but they don’t have production capabilities. So we thought: why not help them out? We’re building manufacturing rooms in our facility as we speak, and we’re so excited for this next step.”
Learn more about Big Boy here.
Tamer celebrates everything his father, Dr. Mostafa Afr, has built.
“I recently lost my father,” says Tamer. “He was the chairman of our board, but he was my partner too. I couldn’t have learned anything, or gotten anywhere in life if it wasn't for him.
“He loved this brand. He would have loved the fact that we just celebrated the 88th birthday of the company and that we have a National Big Boy Day. What he loved most was giving back to the community, as well as nurturing the community we built internally.
“He treated the employees as a family, and our team has shown loyalty to this brand through a global pandemic – because they don’t work for me, we all work for the brand. We like to make sure everyone has a voice, and this approach was instilled by my Dad, which has carried through even after his passing.
“He always wanted to do the right thing, making sure customers had a positive guest experience, but also focusing on the employees and what’s important to them. As we progress into our next phase of operations, we want to do it in his honour, including launching a Big Boy University, with full training programmes for employees.
“Being able to work side by side with him and seeing him push our operational team to the excellence they’ve demonstrated has been an honour. He’s touched so many hearts, and his actions resonated with so many, and I think a huge part of our employees’ loyalty stems from him. I’ll always be so proud to be a family-based company, and to have taken this journey with my Dad.”
The partnership covers four main areas: logistics solutions, Sustainable Aviation green energy and the joint development of a Net Zero Industrial & Logistic
Aviation Fuel, Park.
DHL Group (DHL) and leading global green technology company Envision Group (Envision) have signed a strategic partnership agreement to foster a comprehensive cooperation in logistics solutions and mutually accelerate the progress of sustainability targets.
The partnership covers four main areas: logistics solutions, Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), green energy and the joint development of a Net Zero Industrial & Logistic Park. The partnership will combine DHL Group's extensive logistics expertise with Envision’s knowledge of renewable energy solutions, aiming to accelerate the advancement of environmental energy initiatives. Both companies are committed to sustainability with targets to reach net-zero emissions.
SAF is a key focus area in the scope of this partnership. Both companies
recognise SAF as a critical component in reducing carbon emissions in air transportation and advancing the decarbonisation of the aviation industry, with DHL aiming to increase the SAF mix to 30% by 2030.
In this strategic collaboration, Envision will provide SAF for DHL, supporting the logistics company's goals of reducing carbon emissions while securing global supply. Envision will also explore renewable feedstock sources and technology routes to continuously advance decarbonisation in the air transportation sector.
Tobias Meyer, Chief Executive Officer at DHL Group, and Lei Zhang, Chairman of Envision Group
“The transportation sector, mainly sustainable fuel, represents a critical frontier in the transition to zerocarbon emissions but is currently trailing targets largely due to high costs associated with green hydrocarbons and their derivatives,” says Lei Zhang, Chairman of
Envision Group. “Envision aims to address this cost barrier through systematic technological innovation, revolutionising the production of SAF products, and facilitating the largescale industrial development of this ‘new oil’ to support global efforts towards carbon neutrality.”
Additionally, Envision will provide comprehensive green energy transition solutions, including electricity, to support DHL's renewable energy goals through focused green power procurements.
The agreement establishes DHL as a key strategic partner for Envision's
development plans, leveraging DHL's extensive network across over 220 countries and territories to support Envision’s goals in entering new markets for renewable energy. As Envision’s preferred logistics partner, DHL will deploy fully integrated logistics solutions to improve efficiency and quality,
“The agreement establishes DHL as a key strategic partner for Envision's development plans, leveraging DHL's extensive network across over 220 countries and territories to support Envision’s goals in entering new markets for renewable energy”
“By leveraging our unparalleled logistics expertise and unique global network, we are committed to supporting Envision in their international expansion and logistical challenges”
Tobias Meyer, Chief Executive Officer
at DHL Group
ensuring seamless global supply chain management, and comprehensive support in navigating regulatory requirements and operational challenges.
Envision and DHL will also explore opportunities for the joint development and construction of a Net Zero Industrial & Logistic Park across various industry sectors. The Net Zero Industrial Park is a new class of industrial parks which are fully powered by a comprehensive clean energy solution and integrates the supply chains of several industries, such as electric vehicle and battery manufacturing.
The Park aims to advance new electric power systems models and foster green industrial ecosystems, while ultimately expediting the global green transition for customers. Initially launched in China by Envision, it is now expanding to Europe, the Middle East and beyond,
with the support of DHL, providing innovative solutions for global zero-carbon transformation.
“The partnership framework with Envision represents a further step towards global sustainability leadership for DHL Group,” says
Tobias Meyer, Chief Executive Officer at
DHL Group.
“By leveraging our unparalleled logistics expertise and unique global network, we are committed to supporting Envision in their international expansion and logistical challenges. Together, we will lead the change
in integrating green technologies and optimising supply chains, setting new benchmarks for sustainable innovation and global environmental impact through the energy transition.”
Source: DHL Group
GA Telesis and Alitheon have announced a secure aircraft parts, determine authenticity
transparency, traceability and and aerospace industries partnership to transform how stakeholders authenticity and meet global regulatory requirements.
GA Telesis, a global leader in aerospace ecosystem solutions, and Alitheon, a pioneer in optical AI for no-touch serialisation, have joined forces to integrate Alitheon's cutting-edge optical AI technology, FeaturePrint®, into WILBUR, GA Telesis's industry-leading Web3-enabled Parts Provenance and Records Platform.
ILBUR will provide a revolution in securing aircraft and parts authenticity, while driving maximum levels of aviation data security within the sector. This collaboration will empower stakeholders to meet the highest standards for product documentation and verification set by all global regulatory bodies.
This also promotes a new level of safety across the entire
aviation and aerospace supply chain by ensuring the irrefutable verification of products. Starting with raw materials and continuing forward with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), heavy maintenance facilities, logistics, airlines and parts suppliers, WILBUR and FeaturePrint® will enhance traceability and identification of aircraft parts throughout the entire aircraft lifecycle.
The combined technology addresses aircraft parts previously manufactured, and serves as a forward-looking provenance verification system (PVS) and process for the transfer of assets within the supply-chain.
FeaturePrint® addresses critical challenges in the aerospace
industry, including counterfeit and grey market goods, untraceable items and misidentification of physical products. By leveraging standard industrial cameras or mobile phones, FeaturePrint®'s algorithms create a unique digital fingerprint based on the minute surface details of each physical item.
Just like human fingerprints, these digital ‘FeaturePrints®’ are inherently unique and persistent. This technology eliminates reliance on removable tags, QR codes, data plates, labels and paperwork –which are susceptible to damage, loss, manipulation and fraud.
The aviation industry has an increasing need for transparency and trust to avoid security risks – particularly in the form of counterfeit parts and materials entering the supply chain. GA Telesis's WILBUR platform uses a patented data tokenisation process where irrefutable surrogates are created for the actual information.
“Incorporating
Alitheon's FeaturePrint® into our WILBUR platform will establish the ultimate standard of traceability and provenance for aviation industry stakeholders”
Jason Reed, President of the GA Telesis Digital Innovation Group
With the addition of FeaturePrint®, the solution serves as an objective source of truth combining the power of web-3 based partlevel data, and the connector between physical parts and their digital identities. By replacing outdated part traceability methods reliant on paperwork, tags, QR codes and NFC chips, the combined WILBUR – FeaturePrint® technology ensures irrefutable verification.
“Incorporating Alitheon's FeaturePrint® into our WILBUR platform will establish the ultimate standard of traceability and provenance for aviation industry stakeholders,” says Jason Reed, President of the GA
“By integrating FeaturePrint® into WILBUR, this industry gains a new level of trust and safety”
Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Alitheon
Telesis Digital Innovation Group. “The combination of our technology and extensive market presence, along with Alitheon's optical AI technology, will empower the aviation industry to address significant challenges.
As the aviation industry evolves, transparency throughout the value chain is becoming increasingly critical. The enhanced GA Telesis platform will empower stakeholders to meet the highest
standards set by the OEMs, airlines and aviation authorities around the world. Together, we will usher in an era where fraudulent aerospace documentation and aircraft parts not only become obsolete, but impossible.”
“FeaturePrint® was developed to establish transparency, traceability and trust using nothing more than a photo,” says Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Alitheon. “This empowers high-
consequence industries to provide the provenance and verification their customers deserve. In the aerospace sector, where safety is paramount, companies and the flying public must have assurances that every part installed on an aircraft is authentic, legal, and correct. By integrating FeaturePrint® into WILBUR, this industry gains a new level of trust and safety.”
Source: GA Telesis
The long-term partnership will support farmers with crop nutrition programmes and aims to build a more sustainable food system.
PepsiCo Europe and Yara recently announced a long-term partnership spanning multiple countries in Europe, aimed at providing farmers with crop nutrition programmes to help decarbonise the food value chain.
As part of the partnership participating PepsiCo Europe farmers will be equipped with bestin-class crop nutrition products and advice as well as precision farming digital tools. This will allow them to increase nutrient use efficiency (NUE), boost yields and reduce the carbon footprint of their crops. Yara, the leading crop nutrition company in Europe, will supply PepsiCo with the products and services.
Yara will deliver up to 165,000 tonnes of fertiliser per year to PepsiCo, covering around 25%
of their crop fertiliser needs in Europe by 2030. These fertilisers will be mostly Yara Climate Choice fertilisers, which include low-carbon footprint fertilisers produced from either renewable ammonia or low-carbon ammonia via carbon capture and storage (CCS), currently under construction in Yara Sluiskil.
The mix will also include Yara’s standard premium nitrate-based mineral fertilisers produced using natural gas, which have a carbon footprint that is around 50% lower than most non-EU fertilisers thanks to the use of catalyst technology. The aim of the partnership is to
upgrade to Yara Climate Choice fertilisers over time as production scales up and technologies mature so that all of the 165,000 p.a. tonnes are Yara Climate Choice fertilisers by 2030.
The collaboration underlines the companies’ shared commitment to building a more sustainable food
system in line with the European Union’s climate targets. At the same time, it will support farmers through transition costs to ensure their livelihoods are not adversely impacted.
“This partnership with Yara aligns with our end-to-end transformation known as PepsiCo Positive (pep+)
“This partnership with Yara aligns with our end-to-end transformation known as PepsiCo Positive (pep+) and will be critical as we transition towards the net-zero food system of the future”
Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo Europe
and will be critical as we transition towards the net-zero food system of the future,” says Archana Jagannathan, Chief Sustainability Officer at PepsiCo Europe. “Targeting Scope 3 emissions is central to our pep+ agenda, but it can be one of the most challenging areas to directly influence. Providing our farmers with fertilisers that have a lower carbon footprint and supporting them to improve crop nutrition end-to-end will allow us to make a significant step towards our target of achieving net zero by 2040.”
The partnership, which will help drive the adoption of regenerative agricultural practices, will include approximately 1,000 farms, covering a total of around 128,000 hectares across the European Union and the UK. Efforts will initially focus on potatoes, a key crop for PepsiCo, and then expand to other crops such as oats and corn.
As it professes, the partnership will further scale up sustainable nutrient management practices across the PepsiCo farmer groups. This will include full
“We’re excited to work with first movers like PepsiCo to help make this a reality. Decarbonising food production will be critical to delivering on the Paris Agreement – and farmers will play a key role in helping us get there”
Mónica Andrés Enríquez, Executive Vice President for Europe at Yara
season crop and soil data capture and monitoring using PepsiCo’s CropTrak and ML Analytics tool, and will be complemented by Yara's digital solutions offering, for example digital satellite imagery via the AtFarm platform and the MegaLab soil analysis.
“To grow a nature-positive food future and transform our food
system, we need to collaborate across the food value chain,” says Mónica Andrés Enríquez, Executive Vice President for Europe at Yara. “We’re excited to work with first movers like PepsiCo to help make this a reality. Decarbonising food production will be critical to delivering on the Paris Agreement – and farmers will play a key role in helping us get there.”
Source: PepsiCo and Yara
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The pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer has announced $17m in new funding.
Pharmaceutical ingredient manufacturer Antheia recently announced $17m in new funding via a US government project agreement through the Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Preparedness Consortium (BioMaP-Consortium), alongside matching support from new strategic investors.
he combined funding will support onshoring the production of critical pharmaceutical ingredients to the US and accelerating the company’s commercialisation strategy. It includes a nondilutive two-year project agreement up to $11m through the BioMaP Consortium and additional investments from strategic partners, including In-Q-Tel, Inc. (IQT) and Echo Investment Capital (Echo).
IQT connects cutting edge innovation from the private
sector to the US government and its allies to advance national security in the 21st century. Echo is a multistrategy investment firm that connects overlooked domestic resources and infrastructure with world-class founders, ideas and capital to generate exceptional financial and social returns.
“Biotechnology has a critical role to play in US national and economic security,” says Dr. Christina Smolke, CEO and co-founder at Antheia.
“With the support of both the public and private sectors, we can leverage this technology to bolster essential medicine production in the US with an agile, scalable biomanufacturing approach that leapfrogs existing pharmaceutical manufacturing practices.”
The BioMaP-Consortium is a multiple-purpose acquisition
vehicle supporting the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and is composed of pharmaceutical, medical, academic and scientific organisations. It aims to meet the US public health preparedness and response requirements by expanding the industrial and manufacturing base for medical countermeasures.
“With the support of both the public and private sectors, we can leverage this technology to bolster essential medicine production in the US with an agile, scalable biomanufacturing approach that leapfrogs existing pharmaceutical manufacturing practices”
Dr. Christina Smolke, CEO and co-founder at Antheia
As part of the BioMaPConsortium award, Antheia will demonstrate the domestic production of three critical pharmaceutical ingredients at population scale using advanced biomanufacturing processes.
“The US is a leader in biomanufacturing, synthetic biology and computational biology, but there is more we must do to scale these advanced technologies to solve global problems like essential medicine shortages,” says Eugene Chiu, Senior Partner at IQT. “We are excited to support Antheia in advancing the US bioeconomy and building resilient pharmaceutical supply chains.”
“Antheia’s disruptive innovation is dramatically changing the outlook for security and resiliency of our biopharmaceutical supply chains,” says Christian Kanady, Founding Partner & CEO of Echo. “We are proud
“Antheia continues to deliver on its commercial strategy and plans to ship its first orders to customers later this year”
to partner in advancing Antheia’s groundbreaking technologies and importantly renewing the domestic bioeconomy in the process.”
Antheia’s financing news comes on the heels of significant 2024 momentum, including the company’s validated process for its first product, thebaine,
and the opportunity to host US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken at its labs for a discussion on the importance of a robust domestic bioeconomy. Antheia continues to deliver on its commercial strategy and plans to ship its first orders to customers later this year.
Source: Antheia
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Welcome to our spotlight profile feature where we chat with the leaders and innovators in the supply chain, procurement and logistics industries.
For this month’s In the company of… we sit down with Dr. Taoufik Samaka, Global Category Manager at Vodafone Procurement Company, Luxembourg, and former Chief Procurement Officer at Telia Company, Uzbekistan.
A brief summary of your role and what your company does
I work in the telecom industry for Vodafone Procurement Company, where I focus on developing the supplier base while helping the network team to expand and modernise the mobile network across several European and African markets.
How did you start working in procurement?
After graduating I joined Siemens AG as a field engineer and designer. My early work in the field helped me understand challenges on the ground and the gap between what is defined or designed in offices and the reality of implementation. With the increase of my responsibilities to include project management, general management and pre-sales/sales support, my involvement in cost design and pricing activities increased – which included negotiation with our key suppliers.
What has been the biggest highlight of your career to date?
Leading the procurement organisation and delivering critical projects for large global telecom operators in countries with high inflation rates and high corruption perception indexes, occupying the lowest ranks in the Doing Business index.
Which emerging trend do you think will be most crucial in your industry in the next ten years?
Obviously, AI will take a greater role in the procurement function. However, since a considerable amount of data inside organisations is nowadays unstructured, companies must work proactively to structure the data, cleanse it, secure it, and have proper governance in place in order to be ready for the AI era. I also profoundly believe that any business process that could be digitalised, can be handed over partially or fully to AI to manage with the help of robotic process automation, machine/deep learning and big data.
If you could spend a day in the life of another profession, what would it be and why?
I already get to do this in my spare time! It’s very important for me to keep a close tie with academia, as it helps me stay aware and updated regarding new trends, theories and models. Additionally, delivering lectures and giving back to the community provides me with a sense of fulfilment and recognition beyond the professional realm, from the academy and broader community.
Outside work, what helps you feel like the best version of yourself?
What I call the ‘Magic Triangle’ helps me recharge my batteries and renew
my energy: family, academia and sport.
The family is an unimaginable source of love and support, they are our biggest asset.
I am a member of the research centre at Wittenborg University of Applied Science, where I gather regularly with my academic colleagues to discuss research projects and opportunities. I am also a member of review boards for several journals and conferences, with my main responsibility being to review and assess academic manuscripts before a publishing decision is made.
As we advance in age, we need to stay cerebrally active and maintain our body in order to stay in shape. Sport helps me fight stress, distract from daily life and dispel any negative energies. It is also a space for reflection and introspection. My motto is ‘Healthy mind in a healthy body.’
Connect with Dr. Taoufik Samaka