SHOW SUMMARYIn this episode of What the Duck?! Sarah and today’s guest, Jeff Brown, delve into several crucial topics. We'll explore strategies for turning around weak procurement, analyze the potential massive impact of the China-Taiwan conflict on direct materials procurement, and discuss best practices for benchmarking in the industry. If you're a direct materials professional looking to accelerate your career and stay ahead in times of uncertainty, this episode is a must-listen! Show Highlights Background in Supply Chain and Manufacturing Supply Chain Management at Boston Scientific The Need for Quality Improvement and Inventory Reduction Taking on the role of CEO at EndoLogic Conflict Between China and Taiwan on Supply Chains Ownership and Management of Supply Chain Risk MOMENTS TO DUCK AROUNDJEFF: Developing an Understanding of Risk“This is why I keep talking about China-Taiwan so much, the level of massive impact that this will have, and it really should light a fire under the folks that say, well, if we really want to remain in business, how are we going to offset this? Are we going to just plan on assuming a two-month duration? Well, then you could probably offset that with added Safety stock levels, right? If this is going to be two quarters or a half a year, you know, are you willing to take that much Safety stock? Maybe there's some key critical elements that you want to pull back and start to qualify backup Supply in Mexico, for example. You know, and what I like to look at is I do what I call a reverse Apex calculation.” JEFF: Coming Up With Mitigation Plans “Coming up with mitigation plans, this really, to me, falls in the lap of the head of supply chain. So, you know, that's how you earn your money in the supply chain world is really de-risking the overall supply chain and understanding what's coming around the corner. You and I have had this conversation before about, you know, understanding the current level of risk and what's in front of us, like COVID in the case of 2020 or 2021. Understanding the level of the current impact of the current issue, great. That should absolutely be part of the job. But a big part of the job is starting to ask the questions and figuring out what's around the corner. What are we not seeing yet?” Connect with Jeff and learn what he’s been duckin’ around with:Jeff Brown Connect with Sarah and find out more about what the duck she’s up toLinkedIn |Twitter |SourceDay |SourceDay.com Had fun with the podcast? Leave us a like, share our content, and subscribe! See you soon on the next episode of What The Duck?!