WHY THIS MATTERS IN BRIEF

In this keynote session with the global leadership team of BuyIn futurist Matthew Griffin discusses how technology is changing the future of supply chains and procurement, and the impact they will have on company operations.

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Firstly, a big thank you to Beatrice Felder, the CEO of BuyIn, a $20 Billion joint venture between Deutsche Telekom and Orange Business Services that centralises both organisations global procurement activities under one umbrella, for inviting me to present on the Future of Supply Chains to their hundred strong global leadership team in Paris, France.

In a world where the words Polycrisis and Permacrisis are spoken in the same sentences it’s no stretch to say that over the past year purchasing goods and services of all kinds has not only become more difficult – as trade wars rage and as supply chains choke – but also more costly as we see historic rates of global inflation. But, despite this BuyIn managed to be one of very few organisations that outperformed their KPIs and peers as bulk buying and forward buying of everything from computer hardware to IT services paid dividends for them.

The Future of Supply Chains, Leadership Session, by Matthew Griffin

However, as the riots about the increase in pension age raged throughout Paris and as the 80,000 tonnes of stinking garbage that lined the streets burned and lit up the skies, in what was a clear example of supply chain disruption in action, it was clear they weren’t sitting on their laurels as we looked ahead to what the next five years will or could bring.

As we looked to the future though, as we see historically high energy prices eventually being reined in, and as many central banks raise interest rates to tame inflation, it’s highly unlikely in the coming years that we will see a return to normal. Because normal, as it was, pre-COVID-19 and pre the war in Ukraine, no longer exists.

When we look at the future of supply chains there’s a lot to explore – whether it’s the move to a bi-polar world where Belt and Road Initiatives (BRI), corporate blacklisting, standards bifurcation, strategic dislocation, trade wars, and a weakening global reserve currency are the norm, or whether it’s the impact of friend shoring, shifting global value chains, or the disruptive potential of technology to flatten and eliminate supply chains. And explore it all we did …