With Peak Season upon us, let’s dive into the changes and challenges facing the 2022 holiday demand.

As consumers, we all have our own stories of running from store to store in search of the gift that will be remembered forever. Typically, with one of two endings: complete satisfaction when you finally set your eyes on it, or utter disappointment when the shelves you face are all empty.

This episode’s guest aims to be present for their customers in spite of the instability that comes with peak shopping seasons. Caitlin Coghlan is the Global Director of E-Commerce at The Cookware Company.

On today’s episode, Caitlin and Alex discuss how her learnings from Amazon help her map out executive strategies for marketing and analytics while avoiding shutdowns when demand is highest.

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Guest Bio

Caitlin has over 10 years of experience in retail operations with brands such as Party City, Liberty Media, and Toys “R” Us where she worked as a buyer, before she joined Amazon as a vendor manager, managing the P&L and determining the strategic direction of the toys category. In 2017, Caitlin became a key part of The Cookware Company.

The Cookware Company is a global cookware manufacturer with worldwide brand presence. Starting in Belgium in 2007 with their original brand, GreenPan, The Cookware Company was the first to introduce PTFE-free non-stick cookware into the market. Winning the Amazon Home Vendor of the year in 2019, The Cookware Company’s brands can be found in retail, grocery, mass market and specialty stores as well as on television shopping channels and retail websites in over 100 countries around the world.

Caitlin leverages her experience at Amazon each and every day in her work at The Cookware Company. She plays a large role in product development based on consumer metrics and engagement in order to hone in on new trends as they develop. Similarly, she consistently has an eye on her supply chain to ensure there's always product ready to be put on shelves.

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Guest Quote

“I want to make sure that we are never out of stock. There’s been a lot of empty shelves in retailers like Walmart. There are places we can fit in. With the growth, the worst thing that we could do to ourselves is not be present for the consumer.” - Caitlin Coghlan

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Time Stamps

*(1:17) Meet Caitlin

*(4:49) Transparency in the supply chain

*(7:26) Developing strategies specific to Amazon

*(13:20) Segment 2: Challenges

*(15:16) Refreshing metrics

*(17:38) Focuses for peak season

*(19:40) Segment 3: The Venting Couch

*(21:59) Segment 4: Back to the Future

*(24:16) What keeps you up at night?

*(27:16) Oprah’s List

*(29:03) Segment 5: Quick Hitters

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Sponsor

What would you do if Katie Couric called you at work and told you that your logistics company was breaking the law? This is a totally true and completely terrifying tale which you can read in our e-book Scary Supply Chain Stories To Tell In The Dark. Grab a free copy at Stord.link/scary and get ready to sleep with the lights on. And now back to the episode.

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Links

Connect with Caitlin Coghlan on LinkedIn

Connect with Alex Kent on LinkedIn

Check out the Stord Website

Check out The Cookware Company Website

Round up, and let’s explore what a Circular Supply Chain looks like.

What if we told you that your supply chain waste could be of value to someone else? Or vice versa? Today’s supply chains are linear, but in the future, The Circular Supply Chain Network plans to change that.

Our guest today understands how to make a material’s life span extend to as long as possible. Sneha Kumari is the Head of Industry Trends at The Circular Supply Chain Network.

On today’s episode, Sneha and Alex discuss how waste from one industry can be of value to another, the importance of failure mode and effects analysis, and ways in which you can turn your linear supply chain into a circular one.

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Guest Bio

Sneha is a Six Sigma Certified Green Belt Supply Chain Manager with over 9 years of experience improving customer metrics by reducing costs. She is passionate about customer experience and strives to deliver quality products to her customers on time while reducing operational costs. She is a believer in change and is constantly looking for ideas to innovate the current state. As a leader, Sneha empowers her team with decision-making and enables growth within the organization.

Leading a team of 50+ associates, Sneha has led forward and reverse Supply Chain activities and manufacturing operations across global projects and products she has worked on. Sneha has had experience leading demand planning/buying, managing the Master Production Schedule, inventory financial planning, vendor negotiations and Long Term Agreements (LTA) with suppliers, warehouse fulfillment management, and import compliance activities. Sneha has led New Product Introduction (NPI) projects ensuring 100% on-time customer launch while meeting the cost objectives. She has expertise working with electronics, automotive application products, and Home Automation software and hardware applications.

Sneha has leveraged her analytical skills to forecast annual inventory and build data-driven models for 3% YOY improvement in inventory turns and inventory $$. She is a Transaction Kaizen tool champion and led/facilitated 10 Kaizen events implementing process improvement tools driving efficiency while achieving both cost/time saving for the business.

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Guest Quote

“We want to make sure that you are making use of every single material that you use [in your supply chain] to make that product in the best way possible. The waste that came out of that process either goes back into your supply chain or it goes back to someone else's supply chain.” - Sneha Kumari

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Time Stamps

*(1:34) Meet Sneha

*(3:21) What is the value of a circular supply chain?

*(7:10) Profiting off of Circularity

*(12:25) Segment 2: Challenges

*(15:30) Audit, Audit, Audit!

*(20:08) Working in smaller loops

*(23:24) Segment 3: The Venting Couch

*(28:50) Segment 4: Back to the Future

*(33:01) Waste from one industry can be a value to another

*(35:10) A Dell case study

*(39:05) Segment 5: Quick Hitters

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Sponsor

What would you do if Katie Couric called you at work and told you that your logistics company was breaking the law? This is a totally true and completely terrifying tale which you can read in our e-book Scary Supply Chain Stories To Tell In The Dark. Grab a free copy at Stord.link/scary and get ready to sleep with the lights on. And now back to the episode.

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Links

Connect with Sneha Kumari on LinkedIn

Connect with Alex Kent on LinkedIn

Check out the Stord Website

Check out the Circular Supply Chain Website

We often talk about speed when it comes to the supply chain, but what about cost? In today’s day and age, lowering costs for your customers can sometimes feel impossible. 
 

Our guest today understands what it takes to do just that while constantly improving the customer experience. Zach Kissel serves as the Vice President of Global E-Fulfillment at Intertape Polymer Group (IPG). 

On today’s episode, Zach discusses anticipating customers’ needs in times of uncertainty, how he bundles products to create cost savings, and why there should be more focus on regional manufacturing. 

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Guest Quote

“The biggest measure of success for me is when a customer asks me to do something else for them. Because that means that we are not only talking the talk, but we're walking the walk.” - Zach Kissel

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Time Stamps 

*(1:11) Meet Zach

*(2:50) IPG’s supply chain layout

*(5:20) The Pandemic Pivot

*(6:15) Zach’s number 1 indicator of success

*(10:00) Segment 2: Challenges

*(12:23) Packaging 101

*(15:03) Bundling products

*(16:54) Segment 3: The Venting Couch

*(20:26) Segment 4: Back to the Future

*(25:42) Segment 5: Quick Hitters

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Sponsor:

Cloud Supply Chain combines the speed and flexibility of the cloud with the physical infrastructure required to compete. Want to learn more? Download our e-book Cloud Supply Chain for Dummies, I mean Savvy Brands, and find out for yourself. Go to Stord.link/dummies to get a copy. 

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Links 

• Connect with Zach Kissel on LinkedIn
• Connect with Alex Kent on LinkedIn
• Check out the Stord Website
• Check out the IPG’s Website