supply chain activities for Europe out of Luxembourg .
“ We ’ re building what we want to be the greenest logistics operation in Europe as well as the most automated warehouse leveraging 5G to automate activities in the warehouse ,” says Plaza Bartsch .
Vodafone currently employs around 400 people in Luxembourg , a country where it has had a presence for 22 years . Its local activities include procurement , roaming , financing and digital capability operations .
But how does Vodafone measure the success of its transformation ? For Plaza Bartsch , it is all about driving operational excellence in the way Vodafone runs planning and logistics . “ Whether it is supporting faster deployment of the network by securing on-time and in-full delivery of materials , driving inventory levels down , minimising the risk of obsolescence and maximising the return of capital invested by extending the lifecycle of assets through re-use , we want to be cost-effective and world-class … and we want to get there fast ,” says Plaza Bartsch .
Blending technology with human innovation The speed at which technology develops has been generally doubling every two years since the 1960s . This has not been different in the supply chain space , and many businesses have been striving to keep up with technological advancement without leaving customers or employee ’ s behind .
“ This is not different for our transformation , we rely on new platforms and technology that will augment the capability of our people and enable them to do more , better and faster . No matter whether it is in planning and coordinating supply , automating warehouse operations or running simulations to mitigate supply chain risk , technology is and will be everywhere .” says Plaza Bartsch .
“ Implementing these new systems in a timely fashion , ensuring that they deliver the right user experience is paramount in this change .”
Increasing supply chain visibility For Vodafone ’ s logistics team , the next 12 to 18 months will involve increasing visibility across the supply chain and ensuring that change in ways of working gets well embedded in the organisation .
“ This is a significant change programme and we are keen to get everyone on board . We want to make this change live and fluid for our people and ensure that everyone can personally grow as a result of this transformation ,” says Plaza Bartsch . “ I see already with excitement how we start running demand and supply planning reviews .
92 December 2022