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APAC PODCAST #5


At a macro level, supply chains are being discussed strategically more than ever before. Across Asia Pacific, supply chains are experiencing a series of key trends including white-collar automation, greater supplier collaboration, decentralization and digitization as companies tackle the diverse challenges stemming from the pandemic. There is also a further focus on sustainability and ethical sourcing as consumers are more conscious of where their products are coming from and how they are being sourced.


Supply chains are also still coping with challenges from bottlenecks created from single-sourced manufacturing during the pandemic. Hence, many manufacturers are looking to reduce risks by sourcing in multiple markets and decentralization. Covid-19 has also accelerated the need for supply chain digitalization. According to a recent Fortune poll, 75% of CEOs said they were accelerating their digital plans to adopt new supply chain technologies such as AI, blockchain and IoT. Even so, these trends are still expected to result in a high demand for supply chain and security professionals at all levels of the logistics and distribution process.


TAPA APAC’s latest podcast invited speakers Tony Richter, Founder of Bastian Consulting, and Roger Lee, Board Member of TAPA Asia Pacific, to share their thoughts and expertise on the current trends in supply chain recruitment and education.


Skills for technology vendor selection and data analysis


When asked about the impact on recruitment, Tony highlighted two current trends: “One of the big things right now is vendor selection for technology – having the skills to determine which partner or vendor to work with is really important. In previous times, there were only a few systems to choose from but now we’ve got all these specialist functional tools for all levels of the supply chain. Being able to determine


Value chain recruitment and best practices


the right vendor and having the right skills to decipher a system’s capabilities, aligned to the needs of the business, is clearly very important.”


Secondly, at an analytical level, identifying the problem correctly and interpreting data are the major skills companies are looking for now. “Data analysis or interpreting data was very different 15-20 years ago. Machines can crunch numbers much faster than humans can. So, it is not so much a case of ‘what is the number?’. The question now is ‘what do we do with the number?’ What is the insight, and can we define the actual problem or opportunity more accurately?” Tony added.


Value Chain Recruitment is defined as a broader connection between supply chain sales, commercials and IT. Business functions are traditionally in silos. Now, because of customer expectation and the heightened need for data exchange, the value chain focuses on the entire customer experience cycle and the connectivity between functions. It is almost impossible for functions to be separated now, and this is how businesses should operate, listeners heard.


“We encourage our clients to have a clear, easy to understand process and timeline that can be communicated externally and internally. There should be an alignment of the skills required, which is often conflicting between HR and the hiring department. We focus on process transparency and on being honest with candidates on each employer’s expectations to provide the most realistic view of the job,” Tony Richter stated.


Another challenge is the lag in training due to rapid change and development in supply chains. One key concern for training is the practical application of the theories learned in the real world.


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