JAMSHEDPUR।
XLRI’s Conclave Committee hosted its Operations and Supply Chain Conclave – CLOCKSPEED 3.0 on 25th March.
CLOCKSPEED 3.0 aims to provide a platform for sharing best industry practices and their views on what strategies the organizations can implement to navigate their organization through these turbulent times and make them future-ready through a series of interactive panel discussions and keynote addresses by industry leaders.
The conclave was held hybrid – offline pre-lunch and online post-lunch with Ms. Sanjana Varshney, Mr. Mohammed Adeeb, and Mr. Shivank Chaudaury as student moderators. Students Ms. Sarayu Nair, Ms. Shilpita Panigrahy, Mr. Sohrab Faraz, and Mr. Nishit Rastogi was host and co-host for the event.
It started with the inaugural address by Prof. Alok Raj, XLRI Jamshedpur. In his address, he mentioned that collaboration between industry and academia is important. If we are really looking for a partnership, it surely does involve industry and professors, but most importantly, it involves the students, who are the future employees and leaders. It is a dialogue between the parties. Conclaves like this can serve as the beginning of the dialogues. He also mentioned that Indian business is moving towards global practice. The cutting-edge practice of tomorrow is going to come from India, and academia has a key role to play in that.
It was followed by the Chief Guest Speaker Mr. Subhash Arya, CEO APAC, TESLA POWER USA. He stressed that Supply chain Management is the backbone of the world’s functioning. We should think globally but take the local environment into consideration while taking business globally. The speed of execution is important in Supply chain management. Everything in Supply chain management is interrelated and has importance. Technology plays a very important role in demand capturing and many other Supply chain activities.
It was followed by a panel discussion on the topic “Supply Chain Analytics: Shaping the future of Logistics and Supply Chain Management” by Mr. Milind Kanetkar, Managing Director / Principal, Chainalytics, Mr. Abhay Srivastava, President Operations, Mankind Pharma Ltd, Mr. Soumov Kundu, Operations Director- East, DHL Supply Chain India Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Puskar Mukherjee, Vice President & Head of Supply Chain, Emami Agrotech Ltd., Mr. Rajneesh Raman, Founder & COO, Celcius Logistics Solutions Pvt Ltd., and moderated by Ms. Sanjana Varshney, PGDM (GM) XLRI Jamshedpur.
Mr. Milind Kanetkar, Managing Director / Principal, Chainalytics, attended the event. In his speech, he gave importance to google mobility. The need of the customers can be determined by Analytics and the company should focus on executing and implementing that. Learning and mitigating risks associated with particular data should be facilitated. One should make sure that one should develop processes for the same.
This was followed by Mr. Abhay Srivastava, President Operations, Mankind Pharma Ltd. Highlighting the challenges in the Supply Chain environment, Abhay mentioned “risk 35 years back was a one-liner in board meetings. After a few years, its management became a business need of the hour. After covid, risk has come to the dashboard. Risk has become quantifiable; with that, it has become one of the KPIs of the company report. Over the role of ML in the Supply Chain, he reacted by focusing on various analytics along with ML for taking the decision.
It was followed by Mr. Soumov Kundu, Operations Director- East, DHL Supply Chain India Pvt. Ltd.,. Mr. Soumov during the panel discussion on the application of Data analytics for supply chain operations mentions “In the application of Data analytics there are two parts: The machine side and the Human side. When we are spending money on ML, we are spending money on the analysis and presentation of the data. But they are still data points. The insights to be derived from the whole exercise is where the human side comes up.”
It was followed by Mr. Puskar Mukherjee, Vice President & Head of Supply Chain, Emami Agrotech Ltd.,. Mr. Puskar began the debate by stating that analytics must be integrated into the company’s overall strategy, not just the supply chain, and that ownership should flow from the bottom up. Every firm is actively pursuing a move to data-driven analytics. He underlined that all company errors are costly, but supply chain process errors are far more so. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of business cases for conducting ESG and data initiatives. Whether to pursue the analysis of the past or adopt analytics for the future remains a topic of ongoing debate.
It was followed by Mr. Rajneesh Raman, Founder & COO, of Celcius Logistics Solutions Pvt Ltd. Mr. Rajneesh highlighted that more than the analysis of the data, the source of the data is important. He emphasized that for any certain decision implementation, the authenticity of the data is of much importance otherwise it may lead to failure. He talked about how organizations should be aware of how to utilize data points. The utilization of software used for data analysis should be made keeping in mind small businesses. At times, such businesses become a victim of short-term vision and don’t focus on long-term gains, hence, such software targeted toward small businesses would help the ecosystem.
The second panel discussed “Importance of ESG in Supply Chain Management” by Mr. Ranjan Sinha, Global Solution, and Implementation, Envision Enterprise Solutions America Inc, Mr. Senthil Indiran, Head & Sr. Director – ERP Supply Chain Practice, Oracle Global Services Center., Mr. Parasuram S. Chavakula, Vice President & Head Supply Chain, Hikal Ltd, and Moderated by Mr. Mohammed Adeeb, PGDM (GM) XLRI Jamshedpur
The speaker Mr. Ranjan Sinha, Global Solution and Implementation, Envision Enterprise Solutions America Inc, stressed the need to adopt sustainable business practices for all companies. He said that “ESG principles should be inculcated into the product design phase to identify the ESG-related risks with the lifecycle of the concerned product. The selection of Raw materials for a product design has an enormous impact on the carbon footprint of the product concerned. Use of principles of Circular Economy can further enhance the sustainability of that concerned product.”
It was followed by Mr. Senthil Indiran, Head & Sr. Director – ERP Supply Chain Practice, Oracle Global Services Center attended the event. On the question of the benefits of incorporating ESG in the supply chain for both the company and the society, Mr. Senthil Indiran mentioned “ESG’s main motive is to ensure that the business conducts their business responsibility. So, the overall idea is that society benefits, and we are doing all the right things in all three aspects of the environment, society, and having the right governance policy. He also mentioned “The first important benefit for business is the continuity of the business with your customers. We should look at it from the risk perspective and see if we are going to lose business if we do not adopt this way “
It was followed by Mr. Parasuram S. Chavakula, Vice President & Head Supply Chain, Hikal Ltd, by emphasizing that ESG may initially be perceived as a cost, but it will result in long-term value and that ESG has become a differentiating factor for businesses today. He underlined the importance of evaluating the current circumstances and developing short- and long-term organizational objectives based on this evaluation. In addition, he stressed how firms strive to exceed regulatory standards because they understand the importance of business continuity and further discussed how risk assessment and mitigation have evolved into an ongoing process.
The third panel discussed “Global Supply Chain Collaboration through transparency” by Mr. Shubhankar Chatterji, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Cummins India Ltd, Mr. Rajiv Bhattacharya, Chief Operating Officer, V-Xpress (A Div. of V-Trans India Ltd), Mr. Vijay Shetty, Vice President and Global Head of Distribution and Logistics, Alkem Laboratories, Mr. Shashi Shekhar Tripathi, Co-Founder, eShipz.com, and moderated by Mr. Shivank Choudaury, PGDM (GM) XLRI Jamshedpur
This was followed by Mr. Shubhankar Chatterji, Chief Supply Chain Officer, Cummins India Ltd, saying “In this very VUCA world, if organizations have to stay ahead in the world, they need to be the winner in transparency across all the factors. Sharing of data, strategies, and technologies should be across the value chain. Trust should be built across the value chain for transparency to exist in the organization with the common aim of winning together. Using prevalent technologies, Blockchain, RFID, GPS, and AI for the product’s traction from end to end has become a mandate throughout the Value Chain. The use of these technologies also makes data access transparent throughout the organization.”
It was followed by, Mr. Rajiv Bhattacharya, Chief Operating Officer, V-Xpress (A Div. of V-Trans India Ltd), by emphasizing the significance of maintaining transparency throughout the supply chain, domestically and internationally. The second essential factor is establishing stakeholder trust and connecting organizational objectives with it. He stated that since technology is at the forefront of the Supply Chain today, visibility and transparency of all data and product movement are paramount. Using technologies like Blockchain and API facilitates automation, that is leading to a better-controlled environment where inventory levels can be predicted. The use of blockchain in the Supply chain is in its infancy, but it has a promising future.
It was followed by, Mr. Vijay Shetty, Vice President and Global Head of Distribution and Logistics, at Alkem Laboratories, and he talked about the need for close coordination and cooperation between the various verticals of SCM, Production, Marketing & Sales to efficiently fulfill customer demands. He also said that the “Use of technology can increase the operational efficiency of a company.” He also highlighted the advantages of integration of ERP systems of a company and its Distributors. This provides the company the information about its product stock availability in the market with its distributors. This in turn enables companies to optimize their demand forecasting models and production plans.
It was followed by, Mr. Shashi Shekhar Tripathi, Co-Founder, of eShipz.com. According to the speaker, Tools, and technology are required to increase visibility and trust between the company and the supplier. Eventually, these factors will enhance the supply chain efficiency and reduce environmental impact. He shared multiple real-life examples from his rich experience and the latest work methodologies (empowered by multiple technologies) used in eShipz.com to connect the dots between different parties and update customers with real-time progress. He emphasized the importance of a consolidated approach that connects the system and empowers everyone (Stakeholders).
The grand event was concluded with a Vote of Thanks by Mr. Akash Raj Shukla, General Secretary, Placement Committee of XLRI summarizing the whole session & bringing it to a delightful close.
