Art of Supply

Recessions are more common than most people realize. We have had 12 recessions in the last 75 years and 4 in the last 30. Some were caused by wars, and others by tech and housing bubbles, but they each left their mark on the American people and businesses. What everyone wants to know today is whether another recession is on the horizon? Many signs point to an increasing probability of recession, m...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner makes a thorough and data-driven examination of the current baby formula shortage. Although the earliest news coverage started in January of 2022, we actually have to go back to September of 2019 to fully understand the source of the crisis parents are facing today. From out of stock rates that have been increasing since November of 2021, to plant...

Governments and regulators across the globe are stepping up their oversight of corporate operations so they can drive more ethical and environmentally sustainable business practices. Each effort to uncover harmful and unethical business practices - such as environmental degradation, unfair or unsafe working conditions, and modern slavery – increases the challenge for procurement and supply chain p...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner answers the question so many of us have been thinking since the news broke on April 25th that Elon Musk and Twitter had come to an agreement to allow the company to be taken private: What happens now? We'll leave the social and journalistic implications to the pundits, but buying a company as big as Twitter is far more complicated than buying a Tes...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner wonders whether CEOs have to – or even can – love their customers. What does that require from executives and what happens if they are unable to muster such a personal emotion in the workplace? In most B2C companies, but especially in retail, there are some key differences between the 'typical' CEO and his or her customers. From age to gender, annu...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner thinks back through one of the core concepts from the March livestream featuring Koray Kose and Rik Vera: moving from the old economy to the new economy – and making the most of the time between. As you might guess, the old economy was marked by transactions, economies of scale, and clear boundaries between what was 'in scope' for corporations and...

The distance between the United States is far, and that statement remains true whether you are describing geography, culture, or business practices. But how much of what we have been led to believe about the country with the world's second largest economy is true and how much is hype? We decided to ask someone who is there, making a living bridging the gaps in supply chains and understanding betwe...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner gets back to basics to address one of the dominating news stories and business concerns today: inflation. What is it, what causes it, and isn't there SOMETHING we can do to make It stop??? Listen in for a refresher on the basics, some examples of how it connects all of the different major forces in the economy, and some strategies and tactics you c...

People and companies talk about technology constantly, but they don't know what to do with it. Fortunately, procurement is in a position to be an initiator of supply ecosystem relationships that are trust-based even though they are distributed. To achieve this, we will have to de-hype technologies by looking beyond the surface - which, in most cases, is a thin digital frosting on the same old cake...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares a special interview with Constance Jones, Senior Director of Network Delivery Services at NMSDC. NMSDC is the National Minority Supplier Development Council. They are responsible for certifying minority-owned business so that they can strengthen their partnerships with corporate supplier diversity programs. Kelly conducted this interview as...

In this week's Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner takes two ideas, both desirable, and asks if they can co-exist. One is paradigm shifts, and the other is expertise. It is easy to see that people don't like change, but are we rewarded for building up expertise in the exclusion of new ideas? Do we build walls around our mindset and point of view that make us impervious to paradigm shifts? To unders...

In this first Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner takes the newspaper dominating conflict in Ukraine and looks at the active role some companies and leaders from private industry have played so far. While companies have gotten involved in armed conflicts before, it has usually been indirect – as suppliers to the government or respondents to official orders and sanctions. In 2022, however, large glo...

Supply chain risk management is at the top of every corporate priority list right now. And while businesses have never had a time free from risk, the stakes are so high right now that the issue has become all-consuming. Since it is not an option to wait the risk out, wise organizations are investing in their own resilience and partnering with suppliers to strengthen their options. Today's business...

Of all the initiatives to grab the headlines over the last two years, none has united the global business community like the call for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). For procurement and supply chain teams, supplier diversity presents an opportunity to make an immediate difference in traditionally underrepresented communities and to ensure that their commitment stands the test of time. supp...

Dial P regulars know that when you 'dial p' you get procurement - usually. But sometimes, p is for payments and credit card processing. Keeping in mind that one company's payments become another company's cash flow is absolutely critical in today's hyperconnected supply ecosystems. All procurement professionals need to know how multiple forms of invoicing and payment work – and how they can suppor...

Everyone wants their customers to have a good experience but being able to live up to that standard consistently and at scale is not easy. Ideally, someone will take responsibility for creating positive experiences no matter the exact requirements. In this Dial P for Procurement livestream, Kelly Barner and Scott Luton are joined by Crystal Villareal, Member Services Manager at Una, and Philip Ide...

In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, produced in partnership with Una, hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton welcome Anthony Clervi and Kris Lance with Una to the podcast.

Collaborating with suppliers isn't easy - and it doesn't always come naturally either. One silver lining to the last 18 months is that there are plenty of opportunities to work together, whether procurement is helping suppliers or vice versa. If done right, those opportunities will become relationships that offer significant value for both parties well into the future. In this episode of Dial P fo...

Although industries and supply chains are increasingly global, the cultural norms that prevail in each region vary. As we begin to work within those regions, it often becomes apparent that there are cultural differences at the country and even city or regional level. Each person has to be aware of their own cultural background as well as how those tendences align with the people they work with. Ja...

In this episode of Dial P for Procurement, hosts Kelly Barner and Scott Luton welcome Jacob Gorm Larsen and Marcell Vollmer to the show.

There are many paths people follow to start a career in procurement, but not a single one of them is a straight line. Although this can present challenges from a skills consistency perspective, more often than not, it actually serves to expand what procurement is capable of by ensuring that the team has a broad range of perspectives and experiences. Over the last decade or so, procurement has ceas...

These days, it seems like everyone is in the risk business. From high consumer expectations to the challenging final mile, and from ships stuck sideways in far away canals to an uncertain global economy, all business decisions come with elevated risk. But - and this is a BIG BUT - the riskiest move of all is giving in to the fear. Risk may 'live' in the supply chain, but as the key relationship-ho...

Many business leaders have added an emphasis on 'experience' in their approach to management. There is user experience, customer experience, and - from a procurement and supply chain perspective - a supplier experience. Each one of these needs to be understood and fostered before the associated relationships can live up to their full potential. In this episode, based on a Dial P for Procurement li...

Procurement is currently being faced with two parallel challenges: to improve the supplier experience and also to improve the quality of the data that we gather from and make available to suppliers. One challenge is relational, and the other is transactional, but we have to address them both at the same time if we are going to realize the full ROI of either. In this podcast based on a Dial P for P...

In this inaugural episode of Dial P for Procurement, program co-hosts Kelly Barner (Buyers Meeting Point, Art of Procurement) and Scott Luton (Supply Chain Now) welcome two professionals who have put their procurement and supply chain experience to work in the service of others. Anna McGovern is the Chief Supply Chain Officer at the Food Bank for New York City and Kathy Fulton is the Executive Dir...