The 2009 Supply Chain Leadership Forum in Chicago was jam-packed with some great sessions and even greater opportunities to better understand the challenges facing executives today. I was really looking forward to the evening reception (great food and wine) and the dinner keynote, Charles Fishman.
Charles is a senior writer at Fast Company magazine and author of the national bestseller, The Wal-Mart Effect.
Even with a Target executive in the audience (and he sat the closest to the podium), Charles didn’t fail to entertain and educate the crowd. Whether you love or hate Wal-Mart or are somewhere in between, this is one man who knows his stuff on the mega-retailer. Having devoted years of his life to figuring out what makes this successful and controversial company tick, he can tell you the good, the bad, and the ugly.
While most of the country is aware of Wal-Mart’s influence on the retail world, it still amazes me to hear facts such as:
More than half of all Americans live within 5 miles of a Wal-Mart store
93% of American households shop at Wal-Mart at least once a year
While Wal-Mart may always be looking over their shoulder, they continue to raise the bar and set standards that the rest of the retail world has to live up to in order to compete. As most everyone has already heard, sustainability is their latest mandate.
Top-tier suppliers have until October 1 to complete a 15-question survey that will be used to evaluate the manufacturer’s sustainability efforts (the survey is public knowledge on Wal-Mart’s site)
This plan involves more than 100,000 suppliers globally
The goal is a labeling system that will provide a breakdown of the sustainability of each product
Charles closed with a challenge to all of us "supply chain superheroes" in the crowd. He challenged us to take a good hard look inside the day-to-day supply chain functions now and really assess where we’re headed. How can we step up and raise the bar?
While I don’t really consider myself a supply chain superhero, I’ll take that label any day if it means I’m making a difference in the supply chain world and get to wear a big colorful cape. But I’ll forgo the tights – some other superhero can take on that wardrobe challenge.
Go!Go!Go!