LONDON, U.K., September 29, 2022

Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo 2022 London: Day 3 Highlights

We are bringing you news and highlights from the Gartner Supply Chain Symposium/Xpo, taking place in London through today. Below is a collection of the key announcements and insights coming out of Day 3 of the conference. Here’s a summary of happenings from Day 1 and Day 2.

On the closing day of the conference, we are featuring how leaders are mastering human-centric work design, ways consumer products supply chains are innovating and adapting during a critical period of market change, and three things CSCOs can learn from military logistics leaders on supply chain resiliency. Be sure to check this page throughout the day for updates.

Key Announcements

The Future of Work Reinvented

Presented by Dana Stiffler, Distinguished VP Analyst, Gartner

The competition for supply chain talent rages on for both hourly and salaried roles alongside a once-in-a-lifetime shift in where, when, how and why we work. In this session, Dana Stiffler, Distinguished VP Analyst at Gartner, explored how leaders are mastering human-centric work design and employment value propositions that retain and engage current employees and attract new ones.

Key Takeaways

“55% of salaried employees answered in a survey that whether they can work flexibly will impact their decision to stay at their current organization.”
“Myth: Serendipity is the key ingredient of innovation. Fact: Asynchronous, independent work is just as important to innovation.”
“Supply chain planning roles have a hiring difficulty score of 10 out of 10. This is putting candidates in the driver’s seat to be choosy, whether desiring more money, more flexibility or both.”
“Radical flexibility – that is team- and individually-determined flexibility – is not just what employees want, it's also what makes them better performers by 18%.”
“85% of candidates seeking employment say that it’s important for them to work for an organization that sees them as a person and not just an employee.”
“77% of candidates say that it is of high importance that their employer provide opportunities to learn skills that make them more broadly employable.”

Learn more in the Gartner Q&A: “What Does the Future of Work Look Like in Supply Chain?”

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Consumer Products Supply Chains: Innovating and Adapting Amidst Accelerating Change

Presented by Thomas O’Connor, VP, Team Manager, Gartner

Consumer products companies are going through a critical period of change as market dynamics are shifting and supply chains are balancing resilience with efficiency. In this session, Thomas O’Connor, VP, Team Manager at Gartner, identified the key trends impacting consumer products supply chains, and how companies are reinventing their supply chains to drive growth and profitability.

Key Takeaways

“Consumer products supply chains are being tasked with changing at warp speed due to a volatile, uncertain and ambiguous operating environment, while maintaining their margins and customer service levels.”
“88% of consumer products businesses are investing, or plan to invest, in making their supply chain more agile.”
“63% of consumer products supply chain leaders are expected to maintain margins while meeting expanding demands like sustainability, agility and innovation.”
“Most consumer products companies going direct-to-consumer (D2C) are utilizing third-party providers with D2C expertise and operational capability, such as order tracking, inventory management and order fulfillment.”
“A D2C business model requires a very different operating model when compared to traditional B2B approaches across areas such as forecasting, logistics, product availability and reverse logistics.”

Three Things CSCOs Can Learn From Military Logistics Leaders on Supply Chain Resiliency

Presented by Leo Creger, Senior Director Analyst, Gartner

With a focus on mission accomplishment, the military is not known as a lean and cost-efficient supply chain operation. Being prepared for a crisis is the result of developing a playbook, running simulations, and mitigating constraints before they occur. In this session, Leo Creger, Senior Director Analyst at Gartner, provided CSCOs with a strategic approach to increase resiliency by planning and practicing responses to supply chain disruptions.

Key Takeaways

“Supply chain leaders fall significantly short in developing actionable and realistic plans to positively influence supply chain resiliency.”
“Companies need to treat supply chain business continuity with the same importance as process improvement by dedicating resources to the effort.”
“Disruptions can occur at any time and the ability for an organization to seamlessly transition through disruptions with as little impact to the customer is the investment return you seek.
“Current supply chain disruptions have had nothing to do with the common issues most companies plan for.”
Supply chain leaders can learn 3 things from military logistics leaders:
- Identification of potential threats
- Developing deliberate response and action plans
- Wargaming their plans

View coverage from Day 1

View coverage from Day 2

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