THE CUSTOMER IS AT THE CENTER OF IT ALLRyan Burns, Owner/Principal of RBB Management Consulting, a Supply Chain Innovator, and Process Improvement Leader, is in the duck’s pond! Ryan will be sharing his own passion for hiking and his passion for serving customers better by providing improved supply chain strategies. Dive in the pond and learn more with Ryan in this latest episode of What The Duck?! Show Highlights:Ryan Burns and understanding customers to develop strategiesSarah and Ryan’s shared passion for hikingRyan’s first supply chain jobMaking the choice to stay in manufacturingWhat “direct materials” actually meanHow to’s of developing a direct-materials strategySuccess is delivering more value than expectedQuotes:RYAN: Focus your strategy on serving the customer better“At the end of the day, I feel like so many, especially on the corporate side, when we think about supply chain and procurement, we focus on the parts, we focus on the suppliers. We talk about pricing, we talk about availability, and all of that's important, but supply chains are meant to support the organization's ability to serve your customer, and I would say better serve your customer, and if you don't understand the customer and their needs, you're likely going to be focused on the wrong things.RYAN: Success is the delivery of extra value to customers“To me, success is delivering more value than expected. That might be in a product with a longer lifespan, or a component that you purchased that is more effective, it might be a shorter lead time from your supplier, it might be margin growth, that you're driving through cost savings, or in my current world, it might be a client that got more than they expected out of engagement, but really, it's all about value. Connect with Ryan and learn what he’s been duckin’ around with:Ryan Burns | RBBMC | RBBManagement.comConnect with Sarah and find out more about what the duck she’s up to:LinkedIn | Twitter | SourceDay | SourceDay.comHad fun with the podcast? Leave us a like, share our content, and subscribe! See you soon on the next episode of What The Duck?!