SC BestPractice.Club Meeting - Midlands, June 2024

Best Practice Club Summer Member Meeting

Planning & Logistics Transformation
11TH JUNE, MIDLANDS

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30+ Supply Chain Leaders

15+ Roundtable Discussions

20+ Expert Contributors

Agenda Summary

Presentations & panels:

Keynote Panel: Strategic Logistics Partnerships for Transformation

- Leveraging the LSP relationship as a key to transformation

- Reframing functions and divisions as customers of logistics

- The implications for digital transformation and innovation

Case Study: Lessons Learned in Automation from Asda & others

- What have been the results of recent automation initiatives?

- Key steps in planning automation transformations

- Implementation best practices

How a Focus on Safety Led to Operational Excellence at Royal Mail

- Safety, similarly to sustainability, is often seen as a necessary trade-off with operational excellence and profitability but should it?

- How safety engaged employees and led to operational excellence at Royal Mail at a time of declining demand and mass lay-offs

- How can other logistics businesses leverage safety to raise all standards?

Case Study: Inventory & Cashflow Optimisation and Using Ai at JD Wililams, Jacamo and Simply Be

- How product and brand strategies shape stock planning and cashflow

- Taking a commercial trading approach to transformation

- How Ai can improve retail & logistics operations

See Full Agenda

Roundtable Discussions:

Network design & simulation

beyond lean / low cost network design strategy: incorporating resilience, service, sustainability and growth objectives
using simulation to get the right balance of outsourcing, multi-sourcing and global vs. regional footprints
managing multi-channel, multi-market and multi-layer complexity

Integrating financial & supply chain / operations planning

What causes the gaps between strategy & execution?

- disconnected, siloed & misaligned planning processes: e.g. IBP is supply chain oriented with a goal of reconciling demand with supply whereas XP&A is cross-functional and aligned to financial targets

- lack of true 'cost-to-serve' analysis due to missing or disconnected data

- resilience & sustainability 'blind spots': plans based on traditional, narrow contexts that fail to account for less visible business risks

- lack of agility in response to disruption due to sequential decision-making processes, lack of consolidated data or scenario simulation capabilities

How is XP&A different to IBP?

- all data and planning processes on a single platform to enable simultaneous planning processes & business partnering, aligned to strategic & financial goals

- end-to-end insights and 360 degree view on the implications of events or decisions

- faster & better decisions supported by predictive analytics

Planning process intelligence & optimisation

visualising processes as the foundation for root cause identification, compliance and efficiency opportunities
real-time process monitoring to spot deviations and track KPIs
model 'what if' scenarios to evaluate plan options

Scalable and seamless freight collaboration for resilience

securing critical supply
overcoming supplier inertia and tech stack overload
building capability progressively when ready and able
quantifying the benefits of freight collaboration

Connecting complex planning environments with a digital twin

addressing some common misconceptions of what a digital twin is and what's involved in developing one
digital twins as 'sandboxes' where stakeholders can model plans and build cross-functional understanding
integrating outputs from connected planning spaces into existing tools and processes
striking the right balance between developing in-house capabilities and harnessing external expertise
small steps that any supply chain could take towards developing a digital twin

Strategic supplier relationships for value-add innovation & collaboration

a single source of truth for multi-tier supplier relationships
strategic supplier collaboration for sustainability, technological, product and process innovation
identifying potential suppliers for emerging capabilities, near-shoring or dual-sourcing

Using WMS with AI/ML and RPA to drive innovation

why WMS is often underestimated as part of supply chain's digital transformation journey
how AI/ML and RPA can be used to harness transactional data and drive process design, automation and innovation
how to transition and implement without missing an order

Eliminating the bullwhip effect in multi-stage manufacturing supply chains

why an extra 1% forecast accuracy won't help with inventory optimisation
deploying de-coupled buffer stocks to eliminate the bullwhip effect and focus on the actual demand signal
overcoming cognitive biases and planning orthodoxy as part of change management

Integrating supply chain sustainability with long-term competitiveness

why sustainability is often regarded as just additional cost in the current operating model
how can sustainability inform the development of new strategies and operating models that underpin long-term profitability
how to navigate from immediate commercial imperatives towards a sustainable supply chain model

Executing the plan for performance impact

what's stopping better forecasts and plans being executed to drive improved performance?
how to collaborate effectively with your supply network for effective execution
incorporating resilience and sustainability

Eliminating the bullwhip effect in multi-stage manufacturing supply chains

Why an extra 1% forecast accuracy won't help with inventory optimisation
Deploying de-coupled buffer stocks to eliminate the bullwhip effect and focus on the actual demand signal
Overcoming cognitive biases and planning orthodoxy as part of change management

Harnessing transactional data to drive process design, automation & innovation

Why warehouse data is often overlooked as a key resource for digital transformation
How AI/ML and RPA can be used to harness transactional data and what you can do with it
How to implement without missing an order

Weathering the tariff storm: strategies for supply chain resilience

How far could the impact of tariffs extend?
How to assess which suppliers in beyond tier 1 will be affected?
A silver lining?: the opportunity to improve overall supply chain resilience

Practical examples of how a digital twin improves supply chain resilience

Addressing some common misconceptions of what a digital twin is and what's involved in developing one

Some recent use cases including circularity, flow optimisation and contingency planning

Striking the right balance between developing in-house capabilities and harnessing external expertise

Small steps that any supply chain could take towards developing a digital twin

Global transport optimisation and resilience in a volatile world

Securing critical supply
Striking the right balance between resilient and lean transport
Strategic LSP collaboration for customer service

Strategic supplier relationships for value-add innovation & collaboration

Why a singular focus on the numbers won't cut it in a post-pandemic world
No more pinning jelly to the wall: structure as the key for SMART supplier collaboration
Real-time engagement for actionable insights

Talent and skills strategy for future-ready teams

Identifying skills gaps today and in future
Attracting and retaining talent
Holistic and continuous training from entry level to leadership

See All Discussion Topics in Detail

Highlights

Currently showing highlights from our Autumn '24 meeting. Check back or register interest for updates.

Kudzai Mhembere

Logistics Contracts & Performance Manager

Nathan Bower

Fmr Senior Director Engineering & Network Capacity

Steve Thorp

Managing Director

Touchstone

Aaron Barnes

Fmr Regional Director & Managing Director

Matt Dawson

Fmr Group Merchandising Director

Chris Dixon

Managing Director

Bio & Topic

Chris Dixon is the Director of Unipart Consultancy, bringing over 25 years of experience in supply chain management across various senior roles in logistics, commercial, and project and programme management.

In his current position, Chris leads Unipart Consultancy's offerings in supply chain, business transformation, programme delivery, and sustainability, developing new consultancy propositions to drive enduring transformation and performance gains for clients.

Under his leadership, Unipart Consultancy has been recognized among the UK's leading management consultants by the Financial Times for multiple years, reflecting the team's dedication and expertise.

Chris is committed to advancing sustainability practices, as evidenced by partnerships like the one with Riskoa, aiming to drive meaningful change and create lasting value for clients and the environment.

He holds a degree in Business Administration and is recognized for fostering collaborative environments that promote growth and adaptability in rapidly changing markets.

James Moffatt

Director

Clare Bottle (tbc)

Chief Executive

Chris Dixon

Managing Director

Bio & Topic

Chris Dixon is the Director of Unipart Consultancy, bringing over 25 years of experience in supply chain management across various senior roles in logistics, commercial, and project and programme management.

In his current position, Chris leads Unipart Consultancy's offerings in supply chain, business transformation, programme delivery, and sustainability, developing new consultancy propositions to drive enduring transformation and performance gains for clients.

Under his leadership, Unipart Consultancy has been recognized among the UK's leading management consultants by the Financial Times for multiple years, reflecting the team's dedication and expertise.

Chris is committed to advancing sustainability practices, as evidenced by partnerships like the one with Riskoa, aiming to drive meaningful change and create lasting value for clients and the environment.

He holds a degree in Business Administration and is recognized for fostering collaborative environments that promote growth and adaptability in rapidly changing markets.

Register interest

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Full Agenda

Following research and input from prospective participants, we confirm the final agenda 2 months beforehand. Register your interest to receive updates.

09.30 - 10.00: Registration

Pick up your eco-friendly badge and check your personalised agenda for the day. Grab a tea, coffee, juice or water and fuel up for the day.

10.00 - 10.30: Keynote Panel: Strategic Logistics Partnerships for Transformation

- Leveraging the LSP relationship as a key to transformation

- Reframing functions and divisions as customers of logistics

- The implications for digital transformation and innovation

Kerryn Haynes

Former Commercial Director - Global Supply Chain Operations

Specsavers

Until recently, Kerryn was Commercial Director - Global Supply Chain Operations at Specsavers. Kerryn has a background in both finance and supply chain as an S&OP Operations Director in FMCH, Publishing, Retail and Industrial companies.

Kerryn will share her experience of how finance and supply chain can work more effectively together to achieve the company's strategic and financial goals.

Giovanni Milani

Business Transformation Consultant

Accenture

Gio is a polyglot and a polymath with a background in engineering as well as being an author and artist. Gio is similarly holistic in his approach to business and supply chain transformation, having worked internationally with multiple key functions (including finance, procurement, HR, IT, engineering, supply chain and commercial) to help businesses adapt to evolving challenges.

Gio will join the opening panel on finance and supply chain convergence, in particular, bringing his experience of how tighter markets, thinning margins and fragile supply chains are being tackled across short, medium and long-term horizons and why improved collaboration - particularly around inventory liquidity and working capital flexibility - is key.

10.30 - 11.15 Roundtable Discussions (1/3)

Hear how other, similar supply chains are approaching critical challenges to build confidence that your on the right track or, perhaps, think whether you need to change tack.

Multiple discussions take place concurrently throughout the day. Each participant selects their top discussion topics from these main themes (see below). We create individual agendas to optimise the discussion groups for each topic.

See All Discussion Topics in Detail

11.15 - 11.45: One-to-one Meetings, Break & Networking

Rather than leave you guessing, we'll suggest other participants that you share interests and challenges with to discuss over coffee.

11.45 - 12.15: Case Study: Lessons Learned in Automation from Asda & others

- What have been the results of recent automation initiatives?

- Key steps in planning automation transformations

- Implementation best practices

David Evans

Head of Supply Chain Innovation & ex-Unilever, Merck & GSK

David is currently Co-Founder, COO and Head of Supply Chain Innovation at Oii.ai or Orchestrated Intelligence. He previously held leading supply chain innovation roles at Unilever, Merck and GSK.

David noticed how planning configurations and parameters often didn't fully take into account the costs associated with planning decisions which are substantially driven by the operating model and network configuration. That led to his work with Oii to empower planners to meet their strategic goals by using mathematical optimisation to find and maintain the optimal network configuration to maximise service whilst minimising cost.

12.15 - 13.00: Roundtable Discussions (2/3)

Hear how other, similar supply chains are approaching critical challenges to build confidence that your on the right track or, perhaps, think whether you need to change tack.

Multiple discussions take place concurrently throughout the day. Each participant selects their top discussion topics from these main themes (see below). We create individual agendas to optimise the discussion groups for each topic.

See All Discussion Topics in Detail

13.00: One-to-one Meetings, Lunch & Networking

More ideas about who you'd find useful to connect with during the buffet lunch.

14.00 - 14.30: How a Focus on Safety Led to Operational Excellence at Royal Mail

- Safety, similarly to sustainability, is often seen as a necessary trade-off with operational excellence and profitability but should it?

- How safety engaged employees and led to operational excellence at Royal Mail at a time of declining demand and mass lay-offs

- How can other logistics businesses leverage safety to raise all standards?

Rachel Sellers

Head of Supply Chain - Fresh

Morrisons

Rachel has been with Morrisons since 2019 joining as a Supply Chain Development Manager and rising to her current role as Head of Supply Chain - Fresh.

Rachel previously held roles in both academia and consulting as well industry roles focusing on forecasting, planning and budgeting.

14.30 - 15.15: Roundtable Discussions (3/3)

Hear how other, similar supply chains are approaching critical challenges to build confidence that your on the right track or, perhaps, think whether you need to change tack.

Multiple discussions take place concurrently throughout the day. Each participant selects their top discussion topics from these main themes (see below). We create individual agendas to optimise the discussion groups for each topic.

See All Discussion Topics in Detail

15.15 - 15.30: One-to-one Meetings, Break & Networking

Dig deeper into common challenges with others in a similar position.

15.45 - 16.15: Case Study: Inventory & Cashflow Optimisation and Using Ai at JD Wililams, Jacamo and Simply Be

- How product and brand strategies shape stock planning and cashflow

- Taking a commercial trading approach to transformation

- How Ai can improve retail & logistics operations

Jason Bunce

Former Vice President Supply Chain Analytics Enablement

Colgate-Palmolive

Jason led the transformation of Colgate-Palmolive's digital analytics capabilities, developing a process-centric approach to identify and implement appropriate goals, approaches and technologies.

During that time, Jason focused on data literacy as a key enabler for successful transformation to overcome the trepidation that teams sometimes have towards AI-enabled tools and equip them with the skills to incorporate them into the daily work.

16.15 - 17.00 Networking & Drinks

Reflect on the key takeaways from the day and what you're going to do differently tomorrow over drinks.

Register interest

Roundtable Discussion Topics

Following research and input from prospective participants, we confirm the final choice of discussion topics 1 month beforehand. Register your interest to receive updates.

Network design & simulation

beyond lean / low cost network design strategy: incorporating resilience, service, sustainability and growth objectives
using simulation to get the right balance of outsourcing, multi-sourcing and global vs. regional footprints
managing multi-channel, multi-market and multi-layer complexity

Integrating financial & supply chain / operations planning

What causes the gaps between strategy & execution?

- disconnected, siloed & misaligned planning processes: e.g. IBP is supply chain oriented with a goal of reconciling demand with supply whereas XP&A is cross-functional and aligned to financial targets

- lack of true 'cost-to-serve' analysis due to missing or disconnected data

- resilience & sustainability 'blind spots': plans based on traditional, narrow contexts that fail to account for less visible business risks

- lack of agility in response to disruption due to sequential decision-making processes, lack of consolidated data or scenario simulation capabilities

How is XP&A different to IBP?

- all data and planning processes on a single platform to enable simultaneous planning processes & business partnering, aligned to strategic & financial goals

- end-to-end insights and 360 degree view on the implications of events or decisions

- faster & better decisions supported by predictive analytics

Planning process intelligence & optimisation

visualising processes as the foundation for root cause identification, compliance and efficiency opportunities
real-time process monitoring to spot deviations and track KPIs
model 'what if' scenarios to evaluate plan options

Scalable and seamless freight collaboration for resilience

securing critical supply
overcoming supplier inertia and tech stack overload
building capability progressively when ready and able
quantifying the benefits of freight collaboration

Connecting complex planning environments with a digital twin

addressing some common misconceptions of what a digital twin is and what's involved in developing one
digital twins as 'sandboxes' where stakeholders can model plans and build cross-functional understanding
integrating outputs from connected planning spaces into existing tools and processes
striking the right balance between developing in-house capabilities and harnessing external expertise
small steps that any supply chain could take towards developing a digital twin

Strategic supplier relationships for value-add innovation & collaboration

a single source of truth for multi-tier supplier relationships
strategic supplier collaboration for sustainability, technological, product and process innovation
identifying potential suppliers for emerging capabilities, near-shoring or dual-sourcing

Using WMS with AI/ML and RPA to drive innovation

why WMS is often underestimated as part of supply chain's digital transformation journey
how AI/ML and RPA can be used to harness transactional data and drive process design, automation and innovation
how to transition and implement without missing an order

Eliminating the bullwhip effect in multi-stage manufacturing supply chains

why an extra 1% forecast accuracy won't help with inventory optimisation
deploying de-coupled buffer stocks to eliminate the bullwhip effect and focus on the actual demand signal
overcoming cognitive biases and planning orthodoxy as part of change management

Integrating supply chain sustainability with long-term competitiveness

why sustainability is often regarded as just additional cost in the current operating model
how can sustainability inform the development of new strategies and operating models that underpin long-term profitability
how to navigate from immediate commercial imperatives towards a sustainable supply chain model

Executing the plan for performance impact

what's stopping better forecasts and plans being executed to drive improved performance?
how to collaborate effectively with your supply network for effective execution
incorporating resilience and sustainability

Many of these topics also run as 60-minute online discussions. See our regularly updated calendar for details...

See All Upcoming Sessions (online & in-person)

Participants

Participants are Heads of Supply Chain / Logistics / Planning / SC Finance / Transformation, predominantly UK-based, cross-sector, typically from £100m+ T/O supply chains at different levels of maturity. We carefully manage session participation to ensure optimal best practice-sharing among compatible groups based on their shared characteristics and interests.

Previous Participants Include....

Liz Munro

Supply Manager West Europe

Mark Turner

Supply Chain Manager

Marion Lemkens

Demand Manager Europe

Suki Bhullar

Supply Chain Director

Anne-Marie Broderick

EMENA Demand Manager

Natalie O'Hara

Global Central Planning Manager

Jon Elsmore

Supply Productivity Director

Russell Dandie

Supply Chain Senior Manager

Karin Strom

Head of Logistics

Tom Charles

Value Chain Policy Manager

Cameron Roberts

Sr Director Demand Planning EMEA

Jack Dibben

Supply Chain Director

Michelle Lord

Inventory & Supply Chain Manager

Jennifer Boyd

Supply Chain Transformation Manager

Steve White

Supply Productivity Director

Matt Angell

Global Supply Chain Director

Ercan Uz

Regional Demand Lead, EMEA

Marie Zamecnikova

Digital Tech Lead

Neil Westwater

Head of Demand Planning

Martin Mirimo

Lead Supply Chain Manager

Daniel Maddox

Head of Inbound Flow

Selina Williams

Transformation Director

Ste Kurzeja

Head of Inbound Supply Chain

Sara Brennan

Positive Business Director

Andy Devlin

Senior Director, Supply Chain

Mo Hussain

Head of Demand & S&OP

Michael Brady

Head of Food Supply Chain Transformation

Suleyman Nezih

Kocaman

Global Supply Chain Director

Mike Pocock

Demand Planning Manager

Catarina Nascimento

Planning Improvement Manager

Henry Godber

Head of International Supply Chain

Angelo Bernardinello

Head of Demand Planning

Damian Bates

SC Optimisation Manager

Martin Corner

Head of Supply Chain Management

Ian McIntyre

Strategy & Transformation Lead

Adam Grimwood

Head of SC Performance Delivery

Colin Synott

Sourcing Supply Director

Bassem El-Dessouky

Senior Business Process Expert

Karl Robinson

Head of Supply Chain

Iain Harris

Head of Demand Planning

Cibele Ceciliato

Global Demand Planning Manager

Nick Green

Supply Chain & Operations Director

Lorna Forbes

Head of Supply Chain Transformation

Charles Zerbib

Head of Planning & Innovation

Dave Crellin

Global Fulfilment Director

Matt Normington

Head of EMEA Demand Management

Dave Allen

Value Stream Director

Sergio Rosa

Demand Planning, EMEA

Edward Osborne

Group Operations Director

Yasemin Akalan

Planning Manager

Anand Patil

S&OP Leader

Maeolissa Rogers

Group SC Project Manager

Jonas Söborn

Head of Customer Excellence, Northern Europe

Kamish Mirza

Head of Group Supply Digital Enablement

Ify Ngoka

VP Risk & Governance

Dan Bird

Global Director Supply Chain

Cedric Plettinx

EMEA Supply Chain Director

Samantha Roper

Senior Director, EMEA Planning

Kudzai Mhembere

Logistics Strategy Lead

Rachel Sellers

Supply Chain Development, Planning & Analytics

Request Participant List

We can provide job titles and company names of members currently confirmed to join based on legitimate interest at our discretion.

Testimonials

Venue

The venue is in central Birmingham with nearby access from a national rail station. Full details will be provided when you confirm your participation.

About BestPractice.Club Meetings

With traditional conferences, you usually don't know who else will be there or who would be good to connect with. Networking can be awkward which is why it often comes to randomly meeting people at the coffee stand. Presentations may contain useful insights but tend to be abstract, high level and overly polished, skimming over the really useful bits. Communication is mostly one-way, with little opportunity to contextualise or clarify key points. If, despite these challenges, you find inspiration and make some new contacts, what's the lasting impact once you're back at work and dealing with day-to-day challenges?

Before

Regular Conference

Information about speakers and sponsors but little or no insight into who the other participants will be

BestPractice.Club Meeting

Access to a live participant list
Online sessions on similar discussion topics
Participant profiles detailing current priorities, maturity levels and operating context

During

Regular Conference

One-size-fits all or, perhaps, different streams to choose from
No idea whether the person sitting next to you could be your most useful connection there
Unstructured / random networking, structured networking with vendors or requests to meet via an app

BestPractice.Club Meeting

Individual, personalised agendas with discussion sessions optimised by maturity and comparability of context
Codified badges which help to identify common interests, even if you've never met before
Curated or 'match-made' networking with 121 meeting suggestions based on common interests

After

Regular Conference

Contact even from people you didn't meet
Little or no continuity, limiting your ability to turn inspiration into transformation

BestPractice.Club Meeting

A single follow-up email from people you did meet, usually referencing something you already discussed together
Regular best practice-sharing online sessions to support your transformation journey by engaging with others at a similar stage

Keeping It Real

We keep the focus on real-world, practical experience. Through case studies and interactive discussions, participants hear directly about what's working, what challenges were overcome and how.

High Relevance

You select the discussion sessions you are most interested in. We invite your input about what you'd like to be addressed to maximise relevance for your context and current focus areas.

Trusted Environment

You know in advance who else will be attending the meeting and who will be joining each of your selected sessions. The whole setup is designed to foster openness and candid, high value exchanges.

Personalised Networking

Each participant completes an interests profile which helps us to suggest 121 meetings as part of your personalised agenda and helps you to identify others who would be useful to connect with.

Roundtables & Discussions

We believe that everybody can bring something to the table whether it's first-hand experience or good questions which is why we structure the day in a way that maximises interaction and sharing.

Ongoing Contact

In-person meetings work in tandem with our regular online discussions to support ongoing best practice insights and networking, providing opportunities to soundboard with your peers each step of the way.

Upcoming online discussions

Registration & Pricing

Practitioners

Permanent employees of supply chain organisations

Senior Supply Chain Practitioners*

FREE

Register interest

Early

31st March - 2nd May

£99 + VAT**

Register - early

Register interest

Regular

3rd May - 30th May

£199 + VAT**

Registration closes 13th November

Register - regular

Register interest

* Senior Practitioners with a role in defining and delivering best practices contribute by joining roundtable discussions and exchanging your best practice experience with your practitioner peers. Limited places available and must be agreed in advance with BestPractice.Club

** VAT does not apply for employees / representatives of UK-registered entities as BestPractice.Club is EU VAT registered. Please provide your company's VAT ID when registering

Terms & conditions

- Registrations are non-refundable after the respective deadlines

- BestPractice.Club reserves the right to decline or cancel registrations at its sole discretion

- Registrants are invited to state their preferred topics after registration is confirmed

- The final agenda is confirmed on 20th October after which registrants are invited to select their preferred sessions. BestPractice.Club reserves the right to make all and necessary changes to the agenda as required at its sole discretion