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Bad Actors in Tech (with Anthony Miller) - Ep 175
Conor Doherty hosts a conversation with Anthony Miller (logistics consultant and writer) and Joannes Vermorel (founder of Lokad) about the prevalence of “bad actors” in enterprise technology—particularly within logistics and supply chain software. They discuss how bloated vendor promises, massive venture capital investments, and misleading analyst reports often lead to suboptimal or failed implementations. To avoid these pitfalls, they recommend examining a vendor’s actual product depth, financial stability, leadership consistency, and the clarity of the vendor’s communications—rather than relying on superficial rankings or buzzwords.
No Such Thing as an Optimal Solution (with Ian Wright) - Ep 173
In a recent LokadTV interview, Conor Doherty hosted Ian Wright, founder of Logistics Sciences, and Joannes Vermorel, CEO of Lokad, to discuss the notion that there are no optimal decisions in supply chain management. They challenged traditional views on efficiency, highlighting the complexities and uncertainties that defy textbook ideals. Ian and Joannes emphasized that different stakeholders have varying definitions of optimality, and practical solutions must align with business realities. They discussed the limitations of traditional optimization methods and the importance of human judgment in strategic decision-making. The conversation underscored the need for models that handle uncertainty and focus on true economic outcomes.
In Defense of S&OP (with Eric Wilson) - Ep 171
In a recent LokadTV interview, Conor Doherty hosted a discussion between Joannes Vermorel, CEO of Lokad, and Eric Wilson, Director of Thought Leadership at the Institute of Business Forecasting (IBF), focusing on Sales & Operations Planning (S&OP). Wilson, advocating for S&OP, highlighted its role in aligning company functions for coordinated decision-making and its benefits for mature companies. Vermorel critiqued S&OP as outdated, advocating for a software-centric approach to enhance efficiency and reduce human intervention. The debate covered the effectiveness of meetings, incremental versus radical changes, opportunity costs, and the future of S&OP, with both agreeing on the need for significant technological advancements.
Supply Chain Debate - Is Forecast Value Added (FVA) a best practice or time-waster (with Jeff Baker) - Ep 171
In a debate moderated by Conor Doherty, the topic "Is Forecast Value Added (FVA) a best practice or a time-waster?" was explored by Jeff Baker and Joannes Vermorel. Jeff Baker, with extensive experience in supply chain management, argued in favor of FVA, emphasizing its value when applied correctly and structured, highlighting the importance of addressing biases and leveraging expert inputs. Conversely, Joannes Vermorel, CEO of Lokad, contended that FVA can be inefficient, advocating instead for financial optimization of supply chain decisions with probabilistic forecasts. The debate underscored the contrasting views on FVA's role in supply chain management, providing insights into improving decision-making processes.
Supply Chain Debate On the Demand Driven Adaptive Enterprise Model (with Carol Ptak) - Ep 165
Carol Ptak (Demand Driven Institute) and Joannes Vermorel (Lokad) debate the Demand Driven Adaptive Enterprise Model.
Supply Chain Debate - Is S&OP a net good for companies? (with Milos Vrzic) - Ep 164
In a debate hosted by Conor Doherty of Lokad, Milos Vrzic, former Head of Supply Chain at Galderma, and Joannes Vermorel, CEO of Lokad, discussed the value of S&OP for companies. Vermorel critiqued S&OP as simplistic and outdated, while Vrzic emphasized its role in tactical planning. The debate highlighted the complexities of S&OP and the need for a nuanced understanding of its role in business.
Probabilistic Forecasts & Sequential Decision-Making (with Warren Powell) - Ep 163
In a recent LokadTV interview, Conor Doherty, Joannes Vermorel, and guest Warren Powell discussed probabilistic forecasts and decision making in supply chains. Warren Powell, a retired Princeton professor and Chief Innovation Officer at Optimal Dynamics, shared his career journey and insights on planning under uncertainty. Joannes Vermorel, Lokad's CEO, discussed his transition from deterministic methods to probabilistic forecasting, criticizing academia's lack of real-world application. Both agreed on the superiority of probabilistic forecasting, despite its complexity and businesses' struggle to apply it. The conversation highlighted the need for a broader perspective and a unified approach to dealing with uncertainty in decision-making.
Decision-making under Uncertainty in Supply Chain (with Dr. Meinolf Sellmann) - Ep 162
In a recent LokadTV interview, Conor Doherty, Joannes Vermorel, and guest Meinolf Sellmann discussed the role of stochastic optimization in supply chain management. They highlighted the importance of considering variability and uncertainty in decision-making processes. Traditional deterministic methods often fall short in real-world scenarios, leading to over-optimistic optimization plans. Both Vermorel and Sellmann criticized the "predict then optimize" approach, suggesting that companies can achieve better results by accounting for forecast variability during optimization. They emphasized the need for executable plans and measurable effectiveness in any optimization model.
Forecast Congruence and Supply Chain Decision-Making (with Nikolaos Kourentzes) - Ep 161
In a recent LokadTV interview, Nikos Kourentzes, a professor at the University of Skövde, and Joannes Vermorel, CEO of Lokad, discussed forecast congruence in supply chain decision-making. They emphasized the importance of aligning forecasts with decisions, acknowledging that models may be misspecified. They distinguished between forecasting accuracy and congruence, arguing that the most accurate forecast may not be the best for decision-making if it doesn't align with the decision's objective. They also discussed the practical application of forecasting congruence in inventory decision making and its potential to mitigate the bullwhip effect. The role of AI and human involvement in forecasting congruence was also discussed.
Resilience, Risk, and Effective Leadership (with Knut Alicke) - Ep 153
Knut Alicke of McKinsey joins Lokad to discuss the need for systematic planning and digital tool utilization, as well as his recent (co-authored) book, From Source to Sold. Alicke emphasizes the importance of visibility and pre-warning systems to detect potential disruptions, and elucidates some of the key ingredients for successful supply chain leadership.