Lively discussions were heard throughout the day as Ti’s
CEO, John Manners-Bell, Joel Ray, head of Ti’s Consultancy practice, Ken Lyon,
Managing Director, Virtual Partners and Advisory Board Member, Transport
Intelligence and Mark Millar, Managing Partner for M Power Associates lead
panel discussions on topics ranging from megacities and the rise of the middle
class to the end of globalization; The implications of 3D and other
technologies for supply chains to catastrophic risk and lastly new models for
supply chains.
“The End of Globalization?” prompted quite a bit of
discussion as Joel Ray and his panelists discussed how globalization has added
complexity and costs into supply chains which has resulted in increased risks.
Among these risks include rising transportation costs, natural disasters,
political instability, long lead times and quality issues.
While much has been written on nearsourcing opportunities in
Mexico, little has been written on nearsourcing within Asia-Pacific. As China’s
consumer market increases, the need for nearsourcing to support this market
will likely rise as well. Among the likely countries that maybe affected
include Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia and Myanmar. In fact, Myanmar was
mentioned with much enthusiasm throughout the conference as the next “big”
outsourcing and manufacturing location.
The topic of 3D printing proved quite popular as Ken Lyon
described this technology as analogous to the personal computer in the 1980s.
Implications for logistics companies still are not all known but one thing that
will likely be affected will be service parts logistics as well as trade flows.
There is also the likelihood of new supply chains due to the increase in
customization. Nearsourcing may increase as a result of this technology as well
as the growth of multipurpose factories.
The three day event was well received by the 100 plus in
attendance. Ti especially thanks Agility and BT for their sponsorships as well
as to all who attended and participated during the conference.
