Masters of orchestration

Supply chain has moved from the shop floor to C-suite level.

Seasoned supply chain professional Abe Eshkenazi intended to visit Australia to deliver a keynote at MEGATRANS. With the event now postponed until 2021, Abe delivered his keynote virtually. MHD reports.

Abe Eshkenazi is the CEO of the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). Launched under Abe’s leadership, ASCM is built on the foundation of APICS.

The topic of Abe’s keynote is professional development, and why continuous professional development in supply chain roles is now more important than ever.

Abe believes that supply chain roles are no longer tactical. He says we’re currently witnessing a transition from the tactical activities into a much more aligned, highly integrated activity.

“Supply chain managers used to be a subject matter expert with functional competency. However, now you need to have more strategic imperatives to be able to understand how the organisation fits from its vendors all the way to the customer, and the customer’s customer,” Abe says.

Abe says this is exasperated by recent activity around COVID-19. “Four months ago, when most of us were in a room with other professionals across our organisations, many didn’t know what we did. The conversation was around questions about what we supply, what products, when and how. However now the conversation has changed. We are now being asked to defend ourselves,” Abe says.

Supply chain professionals are being asked to explain delays and outages rather than explain what they actually do, Abe says.

According to Abe, as little as six years ago supply chain was seen as a function. “We were called upon when there was a problem, but now we play a crucial role

in mitigation and recovery. This is something we will see become even more important during and after COVID-19,” he says.

Supply chain has moved from the shop floor to C-suite level. “There is a significant need for qualified supply chain professionals and the expectation for these professionals has changed dramatically,” Abe says.

For Abe, being a subject matter is now the price of entry. “Roles and responsibilities are now beyond expertise. We need professionals who can collaborate, are cross functional, adaptable, and responsible. There is no better example of this than COVID-19,” he says.

Abe offers the metaphor of an orchestra leader and says supply chain professionals are now masters of orchestration.

SKILLS SHORTAGES AND CAPABILITY GAPS

In the mid 1990s, there was only half a dozen universities offering a bachelor’s or master’s degree in supply chain. Now there are more than 500 offering courses of these kind globally, Abe says.

However, of these graduates, Abe says only one in six is actually ready to work in a supply chain role straight out of university.

There continues to be issues around over qualification in certain areas and under in others. Abe says, most skills are overweighted in tech and data, but the problem comes when there is a requirement to assess that information and apply key learnings from the data.

“By 2025, there will be a shortage of two million workers across the supply chain, and that doesn’t include any issues around the current disruption,” he says.

Yet, supply chain graduates have a very attractive starting salary, second only to engineers, Abe says. In addition to high starting salary, more than 90 per cent of

“This pandemic has demonstrated the value of supply chain professionals like no other time. Our healthcare professionals will make sure we are safe and healthy, but our supply chain professionals will ensure that our economy can sustain individuals and be critical in our ability to live healthy and productive lives. ”

graduates are placed after their studies, demonstrating the high demand in the market.

SUPPLY CHAIN AS THE KEY TO RECOVERY

As we move towards the road to recovery in a post coronavirus world, Abe says that supply chain professionals will be in demand more than ever before.

“This pandemic has demonstrated the value of supply chain professionals like no other time. Our healthcare professionals will make sure we are safe and healthy, but our supply chain professionals will ensure that our economy can sustain individuals and be critical in our ability to live healthy and productive lives,” Abe says.

Every industry has felt the impact of COVID-19, and Abe says it will be interesting to see what normal looks like when we start to see supply and demand return to predictable levels.

“One thing that has changed is the public perception of supply chain, there has been a lot more interest in the work that we do. I think this is here to stay. We might see more developments across sustainability, particularly when it comes to conscious consumerism and what that might mean for supply chain operations,” Abe says.

With increased demands on supply chain professionals, Abe says professional development and education is now more important than ever. ■

Australasian Supply Chain Institute has been a Premier Channel Partner for APICS for over 60 years. For more information about the best rates and local deliver of APICS certifications and study in Australia, visit: www.asci.org.au or subscribe to the Information Pack for pricing and class schedules.