Dear supply chain knowledge worker,

You are the unsung hero who quietly ties the supply chain together. The lubricant on the cogs in the supply chain engine. You smooth the miscommunication and political posturing between functions, align supplier capabilities, introduce new products and manage customer demands. You’re the agility that reacts to the exceptions of which there are so many now. You champion the recovery from stock-outs, all whilst trying to explain to senior leaders; why did this happen? Those brief moments that the supply chain runs smoothly, there is silence, you don’t hear praise. You’re in the spotlights as soon as things go pear shaped. You keep going because you love the supply chain.

Over the years, you’ve been exposed to so many new hot, trending supply chain topics. From big data to data lakes, from control towers to digital twins, from machine learning, via GenAI to agentic-AI. From supply chain risk, to resilience, via anti-fragility, to supply chain viability. Magic Quadrant after Magic Quadrant, you’ve been promised strong supply chain planning visions, and you’ve witnessed the chest beating of those who were supposed to deliver on this vision. You’ve watched supply chain strategies come and go.

And you rightly wonder. What has changed for me?

You’ve been left behind somewhere in the 90’s. You, the supply chain knowledge worker, maybe most noticeably planners, still work like you did 25 years ago.  You have a bachelor’s or master’s degree and tie plans together with a spreadsheet, spend up to 50% of your time on mind numbing data gathering, data tinkering, reporting and you plan, replan, replan every disruption. Your inputs for the S&OE and S&OP meetings are as cumbersome and tedious as they’ve ever been. You are on this endless treadmill to keep up with supply chain disruptions and internal demands. You never seem to be able to catch-up. You are the Sisyphus of the supply chain.

Over the years, you’ve seen the investments and the significant progress in supply chain technology in the physical assets in the supply chain. You’ve watched the rise of automation and digital twins in production facilities, warehouses, autonomous trucks, the introduction of drones and street robots for last-mile delivery. Outside of the supply chain, you’ve witnessed how Waymo, since 2009 developed a fully autonomous vehicle and now runs 450,000 fully autonomous, paid, and driverless, robotaxi rides per week across cities. You know they achieved this because they had a bold vision and clear goals. You’ve watched this type of progress unfold and are right to wonder;

What happened since 2009 for me?

What bold vision and goals do my leaders have for me?

The lack of vision and the stagnation in your role over the last 25 years is a stain on the supply chain profession. It is the big elephant in the supply chain room. It has resulted in wasted human capital, non-engaging jobs, and you nearing a burning-out. Your leaders have failed you. They have not updated your planning operating model since they were climbing the corporate ladder. They have not innovated and elevated your job.

It is time to stand up against this status quo.

It is not good enough anymore for you. It is time to make clear to your leaders that if this does not change, they won’t be able to attract future talent and stay competitive. If this does not change, they won’t retain you!

But before you demand your leaders for a bold vision, a modern operating model and clear goals to achieve this, it is your accountability to be prepared. You have to display a growth mindset, educate yourself and read up on what’s possible, embrace the latest technologies, collaborate with them, and learn with them. Try to have fun exploring with your peers how your ideal future could look like. Imagine how your role could change for the better. Be ready to embrace a changing role. Prepare for the discussion with your leaders and know how to challenge their hollow promise of ‘digital transformation’.

Then…demand change.

It is your turn, it is your time, it is what you deserve!

Supply Chain Knowledge Workers across the world, unite!