EXECUTIVE INSIGHT
Q . TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR ROLE
» I ’ m Alan Brown , the Vice President of Supply Chain Transformation at Jabil . I lead the company ’ s supply chain transformation organisation , which is responsible for driving value by using technology to expedite process transformation and enable end-toend visibility in the supply chain . With a primary focus on demand management , supplier collaboration , logistics visibility , order management and inventory optimization , our team empowers Jabil ’ s entire global supply chain organisation with digital solutions that automate nonvalue-added , tactical tasks , and provides insightful analytics to improve our overall collaboration and decision-making .
Q . FOR THOSE UNFAMILIAR WITH JABIL , HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE COMPANY ’ S MAIN ACTIVITIES ?
» Jabil provides manufacturing , engineering and supply chain solutions to more than 400 of the world ’ s leading brands across almost every industry . Our 140,000 employees , including more than 3,000 supply chain and procurement professionals , span 100 facilities in over 25 countries . Jabil ’ s strategic supply chain organisation supports customer-specific , tailored solutions for local , regional and global execution – from assurance of supply , on-time delivery and inventory management solutions to distribution and logistics infrastructure , sourcing and supplier management and overall risk mitigation solutions . We prioritise and continually invest in our digital
“ My role requires me to think very intensely about strategy , capabilities and where we want to take our supply chain ”
supply chain capabilities , keeping us at the forefront of evolving technologies and helping our customers navigate inevitable supply chain disruptions .
Q . HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING IN THE SUPPLY CHAIN SPACE ?
» I ’ ve actually worked in supply chain for my whole career – more than 25 years . I started in a graduate programme with another manufacturing company and was placed in a purchasing role . I enjoyed the fast-paced , dynamic environment and I liked having the ability to interact with both customers and the supply base . After a few years at that company , I moved to a purchasing role at Jabil in 1998 and more directly into the supply chain area in 2000 . Over the years at Jabil , I ’ ve managed supply chains for a variety of customers and industries – including mobile devices , consumer products and enterprise and cloud – growing from one customer at one site to multiple customers with multiple products at various sites . I also had the
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