“I used to jokingly say that the supply chain used to be in a building’s basement, and in the healthcare space, it was right next to the morgue.” Judy Webb-Hapgood, former Chief Supply Chain Officer at the University of Miami and University of Miami Health System, doesn’t mince her words. “COVID-19 happened and suddenly everyone knew what the supply chain was,” she tells us. “I believe that has made this space a much stronger environment and career field.”
Supply chain transformation
Over the past few years, those operating within the supply chain industry have had a front-row seat to unprecedented transformation. In truth, the COVID-19 pandemic was a key enabler for supply chain transformation. In 2020, supply chains were significantly impacted amid national lockdowns, which stopped the flow of raw materials and finished goods while also affecting manufacturing too. Organizations without backup plan were in serious trouble. However, out of disruption came opportunity and supply chain leaders were well placed to respond.
Now, no longer is the supply chain cast aside. In fact, the industry is widely regarded as an essential part of business strategy. But the seismic change the sector has seen over the past few years has also meant the requirements of a Chief Supply Chain Officer has had to shift too.
“A more well-rounded leader is needed to lead supply chain today” – Judy Webb-Hapgood, former Chief Supply Chain Officer, University of Miami
“We are now not only experts in logistics, distribution and manufacturing, but we have to understand so much more,” admits Webb-Hapgood. “This could be the geopolitical environment, or financial implications, whether it’s tariffs or inflation, and then you also must try to do some predictability and analytics. A more well-rounded leader is needed to lead supply chain today. You used to be pigeonholed whether you were an expert in transportation or in distribution, etc, but now you really need to know all of that for the entire lifecycle of supply chain. That’s exciting because it gives supply chain leaders an opportunity to broaden our knowledge base and our impact on the entire world.”
Today, supply chain leaders are in C-suite alongside CEOs and board members discussing the company’s strategy. While this set up is a far cry from a decade ago, Webb-Hapgood explains that this opportunity is something that she has taken in their stride. “It allows us to solve those problems and provide options for the organization as they move forward,” she explains. “It’s a super exciting time to be in supply chain because we have a seat at the table for the first time and are directly impacting an organisation’s profit. We’re looking at their strategy and what the 5 to 10 year plans will be look like and how supply chain for contribute to that plan. Before supply chain was an afterthought and now we’re not, we are an important part of that team going forward.”
Embracing digital
Digital transformation isn’t new. Companies have been searching for ways to adopt AI into operations to boost efficiency and achieve cost savings for the past few years. However, what is changing is how these innovations are being adopted into workflows and processes. Webb-Hapgood reveals there is still a real fear within the workforce that AI will take jobs away instead of simply making day-to-day life easier.
“People are still a little scared about how new technologies will affect them,” she tells us. “When I look at what AI and automation are doing, it’s eliminating the mundane non-rewarding jobs and freeing up people to be more critical thinkers and to be able to innovate and push the envelope. A lot of my staff are so busy doing all these mundane, repetitive tasks and they are not using their creativity to drive innovation. I believe that for us to be more efficient, we’re going to need to embrace new technologies. The environment’s changing so rapidly that we are going to have to be a little more agile and resilient.”
However, technology is not without its limitations. Humans are still required and are an important part of the equation to ensure the end result is actually enhanced. Webb-Hapgood believes that as AI matures, humans must follow suit and develop in partnership with technology. “This is the part where smart, skillful people are still needed to be behind every part of automation and AI,” she says. “It’s not 100% accurate, but neither are humans because we make mistakes too. As technology gets better, so will people’s critical thinking skills. It’s something I’m very excited about.”
Sustainable future
With an eye on reducing carbon emissions and achieving net zero, there is a significant amount of noise about the importance of operating a sustainable supply chain, accelerated in part due to legislation and changing customer expectations. However, when it comes to the academic and healthcare space, Webb-Hapgood believes there is still work to be done.
“Everyone’s talked about sustainability for the longest time but in the healthcare and academic space, I think we’re a little behind on sustainability,” admits Webb-Hapgood. “I love coming to events like Manifest Vegas because in the transportation and distribution world, they are really driving it. It’s important to look at how you can repurpose waste and why you should go green. I love seeing how these leaders and companies are coming up with ideas on resource management!”
“People are still a little scared about how new technologies will affect them” – Judy Webb-Hapgood, former Chief Supply Chain Officer, University of Miami
It is fair to say that supply chain’s recent past is not linear. Issues such as the aforementioned pandemic, wars, wildfires, tariffs, and more have all left their marks. According to Webb-Hapgood, having gone through some of the geopolitical challenges that it has over the past decade, supply chain leaders have been forced to develop a robust backbone to tackle a variety of hurdles.
“There have been so many unforeseen issues to overcome for the supply chain,” she states. “I think that’s actually made us a lot more resilient and versatile to approach future problems. You should notice how quickly the supply chain has been able to pivot – it is something that we weren’t able to do before. I jokingly said before COVID-19, managing the supply chain was like trying to turn the Titanic – it would take us forever to adjust. But because of all these things, we’ve had to adjust and become more resilient. All the lessons learned from past issues are going to allow us to make changes a lot quicker to be able to still meet the requirements, mission, and achieve a resilient supply chain at the same time.”
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