Omar Devlin

Design for supply chain is such a critical part of the design process, and has tremendous implications for future cost savings or even product availability. Colin's blog outlines some key considerations. How can Flex help you with your product design?

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I've air freighted parts to keep a production line running more times than I can count. Every single time, the logistics budget took the hit. But I was the one who made the call. And it wasn't my metric. That's not a logistics problem. That's a Total Cost of Ownership problem — and it's hiding in plain sight in most supply chains. 3 times TCO gets ignored and the P&L pays for it 👇

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5 years ago, I thought supply chain excellence meant: -implementing the most complex systems -having every process documented to perfection -zero stockouts at any cost -moving as fast as possible -doing everything in-house Today, I know it actually means: -right-sizing solutions for each business stage -building systems that people actually use -strategic inventory that balances cash and service -moving deliberately in the right direction -knowing what to outsource and when Complexity isn't sophistication. Simplicity that works is.

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7 Comments

I’ve watched tariff volatility catch companies off guard because leaders underestimated everything that happens after direct costs hit the model. When I’ve had to navigate tariff shifts inside complex supply chains, the direct impact was never the real problem. We could forecast that part easily. The real strain came from the ripple effects: suppliers stretching lead times without warning, logistics partners reshuffling capacity, and other ways that quietly disrupted our working capital plans. And if you’re not paying attention, they build up slowly until the business is carrying risk it never planned for. What I’ve learned is that a CFO can’t treat tariffs as a math exercise. You have to treat them like a system shock. That means looking beyond the obvious and asking tougher questions: How will our partners react? What behaviors will this trigger internally? Where does this pressure show up three layers down? Most importantly, you need a forward-looking posture. When my teams and I built those scenarios early, we were always able to reposition before the turbulence hit. When we didn’t, the organization had to claw its way back from avoidable disruption.

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2 Comments

"Hope is not a strategy." That phrase was drilled into me by more than one colleague during my time at The Andersons—and it’s never been more relevant than it is today. With global supply chains once again facing uncertainty around shifting tariffs, simply hoping things work out isn’t an option. Now more than ever, we must act decisively—by analyzing country-of-origin exposure, anticipating downstream impacts, and developing smart contingency plans across spend categories. Hope can be a motivator. But in the face of disruption, it’s strategy, data, and execution that make the difference. What’s one mantra that has shaped how you lead through uncertainty?

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Thank you for your debrief of last week's Plug & Play Tech Summit, Sasha Pailet Koff and David Warrick - covering what's next in AI and supply chain. And it was great to see you both on stage together with Kevin Callanan of Roku! From GenAI and agentic automation to startup-enterprise matchmaking, the event spotlighted the progress and growing pains in modern supply chain innovation. Here are 7 big takeaways: ✅ Innovation isn’t slowing—but it’s becoming fit-for-purpose ✅ GenAI is moving from central teams into functional hands ✅ Governance is the secret sauce for decentralized innovation ✅ Co-creation matters more than configuration in startup partnerships ✅ Automation ≠ transformation ✅ Start with problems—not platforms ✅ Most organizations aren’t ready for the pace of AI—but they need to be #SupplyChain #AI #GenAI #PlugAndPlay #EnterpriseInnovation #StartupEcosystem #MastersOfSupplyChain #NewsDigest #SashaKoff #DavidWarrick Plug and Play Tech Center, The Masters of Supply Chain, David Warrick, Dennis Mullahy, John Church, Sasha Pailet Koff, Anne Robinson, Peter Smith, Tina Eskridge, Nadim Kilzi, Frank B. Jones, Tim Harden, Tony Milando, Bill Hutchinson, Matthew Spooner, Bill Hurles, Peter Gibbons, Skip Tappan

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For years, independent suppliers and distributors have relied on strong partnerships and Buying Groups to drive growth, efficiency, and shared success. But today’s digital supply chain requires something more. A way to extend those trusted connections and trade seamlessly with a broader network of partners. That’s where LBMX Supply Cloud comes in. One secure connection to Supply Cloud doesn’t replace what you’ve built — it supercharges it. It strengthens your Buying Group relationships while opening access to a wider network of distributors and suppliers, all through one-to-many digital connectivity. This isn’t just about technology. It’s about creating flexibility, unlocking opportunity, and growing your network without rebuilding it from scratch. Supply Cloud is helping suppliers and distributors grow faster, trade smarter, and scale together.

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