Supply Chain quotes and the importance of supply chain in the c-suite.

The importance of supply chain in the c-suite is immense. At one time supply chain was an after thought. Now with companies like Amazon, Apple and Walmart showing the importance of supply chain no one can take the credibility away.

“Leaders get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves – and by which they are willing to be judged.” ~Frederick W. Smith, founder of FedX.

”Progress can not be generated when we are satisfied with existing situations.” ~Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota Production System

“I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.” ~Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon.

“The most dangerous poison is the feeling of achievement. The antidote is to every evening think what can be done better tomorrow.” ~Ingvar Kamprad, founder of IKEA

“In God we trust; all others bring data.” ~W. Edwards Deming

“Artificial intelligence will permeate all aspects of supply chain creating capabilities once thought impossible.” ~Dave Waters

“It always seems impossible until it is done.” ~Nelson Mandela

“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change.” ~Stephen Hawking

“Inventories should be buffers for uncertainty, not monuments to indecision.” ~Taiichi Ohno, Father of the Toyota Production System.

“Although still in its infancy, machine learning will be a game changer in supply chain.” ~SupplyChainToday.com

“The information about the package is just as important as the package itself.” ~Fred Smith, Founder ofFedEx.

“Sustainability at Nike means using lean manufacturing and pushing efficiency across our whole supply chain.” ~Mark Parker, former CEO of Nike.

“You don’t have to be a genius or a visionary or even a college graduate to be successful. You just need a framework and a dream.” ~Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computers.

“The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” ~Sam Walton, founder of Walmart.

“Why not make the work easier and more interesting so that people do not have to sweat? The Toyota style is not to create results by working hard. It is a system that says there is no limit to people’s creativity. People don’t go to Toyota to ‘work’ they go there to ‘think’” ~Taiichi Ohno

“Leaders win through logistics. Vision, sure. Strategy, yes. But when you go to war, you need to have both toilet paper and bullets at the right place at the right time. In other words, you must win lol through superior logistics.” ~Tom Peters

“At Wal-Mart, it goes back to Sam Walton and the foundation and business model that we simply operate for less, or everyday low cost. We’re known for operating in a very efficient way and then giving those savings to customers.” ~Mike Duke, former CEO of Walmart

“Almost all quality improvement comes via simplification of design, manufacturing, layout, processes, and procedures.” ~Tom Peters

“It’s critical that we drive the digitization of supply chains because, without it, there will be no transparency; and without transparency, there will be no accountability.” ~Christian Lanng, Former CEO of Tradeshift.

“Every breakthrough business idea begins with solving a common problem. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity. I discovered a big one when I took apart an IBM PC. I made two interesting discoveries: The components were all manufactured by other companies, and the system that retailed for $3,000 cost about $600 in parts.” ~Michael Dell

Great companies understand the strategic importance of Supply Chain and want people with Supply Chain experience in the c-suite.

“Anything you can conceive as a supply chain, blockchain can vastly improve—whether it’s people, data, money or goods.” ~Ginni Rometty, Former CEO of IBM.

“A well trained procurement organization can add major dollars to the organization through cost savings.” ~EverythingSupplyChain.com

The Importance of Supply Chain

“Globalization has some sand in the gears because most of us lengthened our supply chains.” ~Jack Welch, Former CEO of GE.

“Supply Chain is like nature, it is all around us.” ~Dave Waters

“Products can be easily copied. But a supply chain can provide a true competitive advantage.” ~Yossi Sheffi

“Machine learning and deep learning are game changers for supply chain automation.” ~SupplyChainToday.com

“The best supply chain is one that has no beginning and no end.” ~Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr.

“It is impossible to improve any process until it is standardized. If the process is shifting from here to there, then any improvement will just be one more variation that is occasionally used and mostly ignored. One must standardize, and thus stabilize the process, before continuous improvement can be made.” ~Masaaki Imai

”The supply chain stuff is really tricky.” ~Elon Musk

“The fastest way to lose market share is to have inventory in the wrong place.” ~Doug McMillon, CEO of Walmart.

”Game changers for supply chain automation, artificial intelligence, big data, 3D printing, IoT, predictive analytics, Blockchain.” ~SupplyChainToday.com