Our recent Forum in Heidelberg, hosted at SAP world headquarters and sponsored by Avnet EM brought together various thought leaders from our industry.  Interviews capturing their wisdom are now available by clicking on the mic below (requires Apple QuickTime).

Presentation content from the research and case presentation from our Quarterly Forum speakers are also available to members here.

Key Insights from May Quarterly Forum in Heidelberg Kathleen Geraghty & Douglas Kent, InForum
Voice of the Customer Shaping Distribution's Supply Chain Solutions Brian Wilken, Avnet EM
Shift to End to End Process Solutions to Enable Value Chain Visibility Patrick Lemoine, SAP
HP's Insights on Innovative Sustainability Christian Verstraete, HP
SAP Reducing Carbon Footprint in Walldorf James Farrar, SAP
Avnet Anticipating Customer Requirements for the Environment Georg Steinberger, Avnet

Q1'09 Quarterly Forum

The Agenda for Q1'09 Forum in Atlanta, GA included:

• Latest research on Outsourcing Logistics and Supply Chain Activities
  Dr. C. John Langley, Professor of Supply Chain Management at Georgia Tech and author of numerous books and articles will deliver his view of outsourcing practices in electronics relative to other industries. Are there best practices outside of high tech that we can learn from? This presentation will be followed by a facilitated member discussion on alternatives to 3PLs and 4PLs and the changing shape of our supply networks.
• Reducing Supply Chain Risk for Cisco Systems in the Current Climate
  John O’Connor, Director, Supply Chain Risk Management for Cisco Systems, is an innovator and thought leader in the emerging discipline of supply chain risk management. John will share Cisco's vision, strategy and tactics for delivering the most resilient supply chain in its industry. This is an opportunity to hear first hand how an industry leader and one of our own member companies is making significant progress. Attendees will be guided through a risk management exercise to apply concepts to potential risk in their own supply chains.
• Managing in the Downturn; a Candid View of Decisions We Are Making in 2009
  Quarterly Forum Senior Analysts are investigating how OEMs, Suppliers and EMS companies are approaching the fundamental decisions in our businesses as most markets face a contraction in the year ahead. Has due diligence for customers or suppliers changed? How has planning adapted to the market conditions? What outsourcing decisions are under the microscope now? When we recover from this cycle will we regret these decisions or realize they were long overdue?
• Global Supply Chain Predictions for 2009 in the High-Tech Electronics Sector
  This annual study reveals the Top 10 Trends for the global electronics supply chain within 2009 providing a practical outlook to the challenging year ahead. Get the predictions first and digest the likely events which will shape our industry sector. Douglas Kent, global supply chain expert serving as Chairman of the Supply Chain Council’s European Leadership team, faculty at University of Monaco and France's ESC Lille - School of Management as well as President of eKNOWtion, a supply chain consultancy will deliver the results of the study and his predictions for 2009.

Q4 '08 Quarterly Forum

The Agenda for Q4'08 Forum in San Jose, CA included:

• Electronic Manufacturing Outsourcing Report: Five-Year Forecast of EMS and ODM Industries
  Forum Senior Economist and Consultant, Matt Chanoff is producing the always insightful Five Year Forecast for EMS / ODM. Matt’s perspective as an economist continues to give this forecast very relevant context with more insights on our global economy and how this will impact the electronics industry. Subject matter experts from the vertical segments have been invited to add their experience and projections, so this will be another information rich report for the member community.
• TFI Environment Reports: One on Electronics Reuse and Recycling (sponsored by Sims Recycling Solutions) and another on the sustainability steps taken by the consumer electronics industry.
  Pamela Gordon will present these new TFI Environment Reports to both inform members about best practices and stretch them to continually escalate their strategies for high-return, beyond regulations environmental performance for products, logistics, facilities, and suppliers.This study will be complimented by a presentation from Oracle providing insight on meeting environmental regulations effectively and efficiently.A panel discussion of members will then discuss the best practices presented, and how to overcome challenges.
• State of Supply Chain Risk Management in Electronics Industry
  Forum Senior Analyst , Hitesh Attri has researched an area that is high on the lists of executives and managers everywhere. The increased globalization of the industry combined with elongated supply chains due to outsourcing of processes beyond just production has increased the levels of both demand and supply uncertainty. Due to this increased complexity, the likelihood of disruptions in the supply chain has grown many fold. This study will bring forward the state of supply chain risk management in high-tech industry. The research will explore various risks that are high on the agenda for the various nodes (OEMs, CM, Distributors, and Component Manufacturers) and methodologies they are adopting to mitigate those risks.