“We will hear from outstanding leaders who represent major companies across the consumer goods supply chain ...  they will share their experiences and offer valuable insights about how supply chains keep the economy moving. These companies are working hard to maintain the flow of food, cleaning products, and other essential goods to the retail shelf.”

The Zoom session is free and open to the public. Registration closed.

The COVID-19 pandemic is testing the resiliency of supply chains. Shelter in place orders and massive shifts in consumer shopping habits have quickly triggered inventory challenges, fulfillment bottlenecks and transportation headaches. Select paper products briefly vanished from retail shelves. Clorox wipes and hand sanitizers became difficult to find.

Despite these temporary disruptions, products continue to flow through supply chains to meet elevated demand.

Three leading supply chain executives, Harbert College alumnus Franklin Littleton, President of North American Consumer Goods at DHL Supply Chain, Susanna Zhu, Vice President for Commercial Planning and Supply Chain Operations at The Hershey Company, and Tony Zuazo, Senior Vice President for Transportation and Inventory at Dollar General, will discuss a variety of pandemic-related supply chain topics in a special, one-hour webinar, Tuesday, May 12 at 10 a.m. CDT, sponsored by the Harbert College of Business Center for Supply Chain Innovation.

The panelists will explain how the industry has pivoted to meet recent challenges, worked to ensure the availability of product and the well-being of supply chain teams, and discuss potential supply chain challenges companies will face beyond the pandemic.

“We will hear from outstanding leaders who represent major companies across the consumer goods supply chain – a manufacturer, a retailer, and a logistics service provider,” said Brian Gibson, Wilson Family Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Supply Chain Innovation at the Harbert College. “They will share their experiences and offer valuable insights about how supply chains keep the economy moving. These companies are working hard to maintain the flow of food, cleaning products, and other essential goods to the retail shelf.”

“There’s a lot of discussion and speculation out there right now about supply chains,” said Gibson. “The webinar will address these misconceptions and unwarranted concerns that are being fueled by politicians, the media, and social media commentary. Our goal is to provide a better understanding of supply chain flows and the strategies that companies are using to meet demand during the pandemic. This will help build consumer confidence, reduce political overreaction, and minimize misinformation sharing about the status of product availability. Just because you see an empty store shelf does not mean that there are massive problems. Supply chain professionals are working 24/7 to alleviate these temporary disruptions.”

The webinar is appropriate for industry professionals who want to hear how other companies are managing this unique pandemic event, students who are studying supply chain management, and anyone interested in learning more about the supply chains that support our standard of living.
Gibson said the webinar also highlight the topical coverage and quality of speakers involved in the fourth annual Fusion 2020 Supply Chain Symposium. The 2020 event, presented by the Harbert College Center for Supply Chain Innovation, was originally scheduled for May 7-8 at the Opelika Marriott at the Robert Trent Jones Grand National Golf and Resort facility. It is now slated for August 20-21.

“We rescheduled Fusion 2020 because it provides an excellent forum for information sharing between companies. Our slate of outstanding speakers will share the latest insights into supply chain strategy and operations across multiple industries,” Gibson added.

Individuals interested in registering for the symposium and scholarship golf outing can find event details at: http://auburnscm.org/events