Best Kelly Barner Podcasts (2024)

1
Examining the Practicality of the EV Truck Mandate 23:55

4h ago23:55

23:55

Heavy-duty trucks include tractor-trailers, ambulances, garbage trucks, and school buses. All of these are now on an official timeline for reduced emissions, in alignment with a new Federal mandate. Manufacturers of heavy-duty vehicles must reduce their overall emissions by mandated percentages according to model year, starting with their 2028 mode…

1
Playing the “China Card” in U.S. Ports 16:18

12h ago16:18

16:18

80 percent of all ship-to-shore (S2S) cranes at ports in the United States - and 75 percent of all S2S cranes in the world - are made by just one company: ZPMC. Short for Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Company Limited, ZPMC is a Chinese state-owned manufacturing and engineering firm. It was founded in 1992 and quickly grew to become the largest …

1
Net Zero in New York? JBS Accused of Greenwashing 21:41

8d ago21:41

21:41

On February 28, 2024, New York Attorney General Letitia James sued JBS, the largest meat company in the world, for civil fraud. James is accusing the company of ‘greenwashing’ or making statements to sound more environmentally friendly than they truly are. In 2021, JBS made a commitment to reach net zero emissions by 2040. James says this statement…

1
Even with +1, China is still #1 44:35

15d ago44:35

44:35

“China’s supply chain has gone through significant, transformative changes in the last five years. For executives or engineers, designers or buyers, who have not been here since before COVID, they’re going to see a completely different China.” - Jeffrey Goldstein, Founder & President of Onward Global It is impossible to discuss global supply chains…

1
What You Don’t Know Can Hertz You 22:17

28d ago22:17

22:17

In October of 2021, Hertz announced that they would purchase 100,000 Tesla Model 3’s for their rental fleet, followed by 175,000 from GM, and 65,000 from Polestar. The move was supposed to help them overcome shortages of conventional cars, lend the recently ex-bankrupt company a ‘cool factor,’ and lean on the sustainability trend to drive revenue. …

1
Treasure Hunting with TJX 20:52

29d ago20:52

20:52

The global off-price apparel and home fashion market is estimated to be worth $900 Billion. While retailers like Macy’s and Bed Bath & Beyond faltered or fell over the last few years, the chains owned by TJX - notably TJ Maxx, Marshalls, and Home Goods - have thrived. TJX has seized the opportunity to snatch up excess brand name inventory and sell …

1
Three Strikes for the New Baseball Uniform 24:47

1M ago24:47

24:47

In early February, news hit that there was a problem with the new Major League Baseball uniforms. Redesigned by Nike and made by Fanatics, the new uniforms were unveiled with tremendous fanfare. They were designed to be more comfortable, cooler, and better at moisture wicking. Unfortunately, one man’s breathable is another man’s translucent. Pictur…

1
Surviving the Supply Chain Arena 42:22

2M ago42:22

42:22

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena…” - President Theodore Roosevelt, 1910 The last four years of supply chain challenges have taken a toll. People are exhausted, stressed, and scar…

1
Time to Return to Just-in-Time? 23:39

2M ago23:39

23:39

“Wisdom is given equally to everybody. The point is whether one can exercise it.” - Taiichi Ohno, The “Ten Precepts” The supply chain profession has recently run the gauntlet of existential challenges. Is it possible that - given enough time - they could return to the old ways? There have recently been a number of news stories about retailers retur…

1
Case Dismissed: Byron Allen v. McDonald’s 19:58

2M ago19:58

19:58

On February 2, 2024, news broke on one of the court cases we’ve been following for a while. In May of 2023, two of the companies owned by Byron Allen, a black businessman and producer, sued McDonald’s for $100 Million in California for fraud and false promise. The suit claimed the company lied when it said it was going to spend more money with blac…

1
Killer App: The UK Post Office Scandal 20:08

2M ago20:08

20:08

In today’s digital age, jokes are often made at technology’s expense. Computers don’t like switching from one virtual meeting platform to another. Sometimes webinar platforms insist upon seeing someone’s earbuds as a microphone rather than as a speaker. And why does software always need to update when we are already 5 minutes late for a meeting? Di…

1
Savings v. Safety in Aircraft Manufacturing 21:16

3M ago21:16

21:16

On January 5th, Alaska Airlines flight 1282 left Portland, Oregon en route to Ontario, California. Just minutes into the flight, the Boeing 737 Max 9 lost a door plug, creating a gaping hole in the side of the aircraft. Fortunately, all 171 passengers and six crew members were safe, largely because the plane had only reached 16,000 feet, minimizing…

1
The Drone Final Mile Becomes Reality 23:49

3M ago23:49

23:49

In 2013, then-Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos predicted that drone deliveries would be a reality in five years. More than 10 years later, they are still largely in the pilot phase, but a drone final mile is becoming a reality fast for some parts of the company. As the FAA reduces restrictions on drone deliveries in places like the Dallas-Fort Worth metropoli…

1
Weight and Value x Distance: Studying Global Supply Chain Use and Cost 23:41

3M ago23:41

23:41

In June 2023, Sharat Ganapati, an Assistant Professor of International Economics at Georgetown University and a Faculty Research Fellow at the National Bureau of Economic Research, and Woan Foong Wong, Assistant Professor of Economics at the University of Oregon, wrote a research paper that was published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives. Tit…

1
High Stakes in the Red Sea 19:18

3M ago19:18

19:18

On New Year’s Eve, weeks of rising tension in the Red Sea reached a boiling point. Houthi militants tried to board the Maersk Hangzhou just one day after hitting the vessel with a missile. The ship’s crew sent out a distress signal that was picked up by the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely, which sent helicopters to support the on-ship-security t…

1
Introducing Art of Supply 15:05

3M ago15:05

15:05

Effective today, Dial P for Procurement is the Art of Supply. Rather than being a change in content, this rebrand brings the name and brand identity of the show into alignment with the content we have already been creating. Building on the strength of the category-leading Art of Procurement podcast, Art of Supply will focus on supply chain topics a…

1
2023 Dial P for Procurement Year in Review 18:30

4M ago18:30

18:30

Looking all the way back to the beginning of the year has a way of putting everything into perspective. The individual and cumulative impact of all of the events that took place in 2023 can not be understated: from legal action, to labor unions, to geopolitics. In this episode, Kelly Barner reviews the stories and topics covered on Dial P for Procu…

1
Troubling Times for Electric Trucking 21:46

4M ago21:46

21:46

With all the recent buzz about electric vehicles (EVs), not to mention the push towards sustainability and emissions reduction, it was only going to be a matter of time before electric Class 8 trucks entered the scene. Class 8s are classic semis or tractor trailers, so they are not just part of the supply chain, they have supply chains themselves. …

1
Reading FedEx Ground the RICO Act 24:46

4M ago24:46

24:46

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, better known as RICO, is usually associated with organized crime. It was used in 1992 to bring down the Gambino Crime family and sentence John Gotti to life in prison. But there is no supply chain mafia, right? A recently filed legal complaint will ask and hopefully answer that very question… …

1
Will the world fiddle while Bangladesh burns? 25:19

5M ago25:19

25:19

The People’s Republic of Bangladesh in Southeast Asia is the second-largest exporter of ready-made garments in the world. The ready-made garment sector employs 4.4 million workers, and 65 percent of them are women. 84 percent of the country’s exports are from this one sector. The garment workers get a pay raise every five years, and the last five h…

1
The White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience 22:10

5M ago22:10

22:10

“Did you ever think we'd be talking this much about supply chains?” - President Biden On Monday, November 27, 2023, President Biden announced the creation of the White House Council on Supply Chain Resilience. The event was big news for the administration and for supply chain professionals. Almost 30 new actions focused on strengthening economicall…

1
Where are they now? 17:58

5M ago17:58

17:58

The stories we cover on Dial P for Procurement are pulled from the headlines, but some have more ‘legs’ than others. Just because a story, person, or company slides down in the feed, we can’t stop following it. In this week’s episode of Dial P for Procurement, Kelly Barner looks back at the people who played large roles in three past episodes to fi…

1
Supply Chain Post Mortem: Convoy 25:43

5M ago25:43

25:43

Convoy was a digital freight brokerage founded by former Amazon executives to digitally revolutionize a high-transaction, low-profit space. Investors included Bill Gates, former Vice President Al Gore, Bono and The Edge from U2, the investment arm of Google parent Alphabet, and Jeff Bezos. Convoy was launched in 2015, reached a $3.8 Billion valuati…

1
Is it the most wonderful time of the supply chain year? 24:28

6M ago24:28

24:28

According to the National Retail Federation, 43 percent of people started doing their holiday shopping in October, leading the NRF to predict a year-over-year holiday spending increase of 3 to 4 percent. 58 percent of shoppers will buy online, and all of those gifts have to be packed and shipped… probably via small parcel channels. And yet, final m…

1
Coca-Cola’s Project Last Mile 22:02

6M ago22:02

22:02

“Coke is everywhere. In fact, when I travel to the developing world, Coke feels ubiquitous. [...] If we can understand what makes something like Coca-Cola ubiquitous, we can apply those lessons then for the public good.” -Melinda Gates In Africa, nearly half of people lack access to critical medicines. The continent covers 11.7 million square miles…

1
The LEGO Sustainability Saga 21:41

6M ago21:41

21:41

In 2012, LEGO made a commitment to make all of their bricks out of sustainable materials by 2030, just in time for the company’s 100th anniversary. As Tim Guy Brooks, LEGO’s head of environmental responsibility said, “We can’t say we inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow if we’re ruining the planet.” The company has been willing to invest an…

1
Negotiating Lessons from Hollywood Labor 21:12

6M ago21:12

21:12

The last two years have brought us many news stories about labor unions throwing their weight around. First there was the fear that the railway workers unions would stop freight in the lead up to Christmas, then we watched as the Teamsters negotiated with Yellow and UPS, managing to avoid a strike in both cases, the United Auto Workers union is now…

1
Smucker’s + Hostess = Supply Chain Synergy 20:11

7M ago20:11

20:11

In early September, J.M. Smucker announced that they had struck a deal to acquire Hostess, the 130 year old maker of treats like Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs, Zingers, and Voortman cookies. Smucker agreed to pay $5.6 Billion including $900 Million in debt for the company. Most people felt the deal was overpriced, and Smucker’s stock fell 7 percent,…

1
Books As a Proxy for Free Thought 25:17

7M ago25:17

25:17

“If all printers were determined not to print anything till they were sure it would offend nobody, there would be very little printed.” ― Benjamin Franklin Banned Book Week was started in 1982 to call attention to censorship and intellectual freedom. In 2023, it runs from October 1-7, culminating with Let Freedom Read day on Saturday the 7th. This …

1
The Competitive Expectations Behind the Google Antitrust Trial 21:56

7M ago21:56

21:56

Google is currently being sued by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating the Sherman Antitrust Act of 1890. Not since they went after Microsoft in 1994 has there been such a major antitrust trial with such widespread implications - and never before has U.S. antitrust law been so tested. While it is not illegal to have a monopoly, it is illega…

1
Getting a Kiss From a World Class Supply Chain 21:08

7M ago21:08

21:08

After years of pandemic-fueled spikes in demand for chocolate and salty snacks, Hershey’s supply chain hit the wall. During The Hershey Company’s second quarter earnings call on July 28, 2022, CEO Michele Buck warned investors that the company “will not be able to fully meet consumer demand" for Halloween candy. Ingredients were in short supply, an…

1
The Cold, Hard Facts About Cold Chain Logistics 24:44

7M ago24:44

24:44

News stories have a way of going from the front page to the scrap heap, and even the spotlight focused on the supply chain over the past few years couldn’t prevent it from happening altogether. One specific element of supply chain - cold chain logistics - recently resurfaced in coverage of the costs and challenges surrounding transport of Ozempic a…

1
Nerves of U.S. Steel 17:47

8M ago17:47

17:47

“You can’t unscramble eggs.” – J.P. Morgan There are few companies in the United States as storied and historic as U.S. Steel. Dating all the way back to the Gilded Age, U.S. Steel was formed in 1901 when J.P. Morgan financed the merger of Andrew Carnegie’s Federal Steel and National Steel, into one behemoth. The resulting company is the now second…

1
Dodging the Urban Doom Loop 24:47

8M ago24:47

24:47

In the book “Good to Great” by Jim Collins, he writes about the flywheel effect, a prosperous cycle of work and change that eventually picks up speed and builds its own momentum. Anyone that has taken a product to market or started a company has tried to get that virtuous cycle going. Fewer people talk about the flywheel effect’s evil cousin: the d…

1
Who is to blame for Yellow’s demise? 24:40

8M ago24:40

24:40

On July 30th 2023, Yellow Freight announced that they would cease operations after 99 years in business. Chapter 11 bankruptcy followed just one week later. It took more than one thing to bring about Yellow’s bankruptcy, one of the largest in the history of the trucking industry: poorly integrated acquisitions, a strained relationship with the Fede…

1
Restoring Business Imagination Through Nature 24:59

8M ago24:59

24:59

“For men like Ford, Firestone, and Edison, whose success in the world had given them access to any thing they might want, these impressions [of the great Smoky Mountains] had a value beyond calculation.” American Journey, p. 276 In 1918, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Harvey Firestone, and naturalist John Burroughs took a long road trip in the eastern …

1
The Problem with Performative ESG 26:01

9M ago26:01

26:01

There is something troubling going on in the ESG movement. Recent news stories on ESG investing, the status of Chief Diversity Officers, and Pride month raise questions about the corporate commitment to such programs. While ESG is not a new idea - in fact, the corporate social responsibility programs that preceded it date back to the 1970s - there …

1
Tesla Takes the Socialist Pledge 25:15

9M ago25:15

25:15

China is one of the most important consumer, industrial, and raw materials markets in the world. They also happen to be a bad actor in terms of environmental practices and human rights. Companies looking to do business in China need to go in with their eyes wide open, prepared to handle a complicated set of decisions and PR maneuvers. That is the b…

1
Public Education as Corporate Social Responsibility 25:32

9M ago25:32

25:32

Skills gaps are a huge and costly problem in the corporate world. According to Talent Guard, skill gaps currently cost the U.S. economy around $13 billion per month, and Deloitte recently cited an estimated $2.5 trillion total cost over the next decade. Korn Ferry has projected that by 2030, more than 85 million jobs could go unfilled because there…

1
Tracking Procurement from Industry 1.0 - 5.0 28:47

9M ago28:47

28:47

Mankind has been on an industrial evolutionary journey since 1760. Starting with the steam engine, we have progressed through hundreds of years of innovation, advancement, and reinvention. Procurement has been there every step of the way, harnessing the power of new technologies and meeting an ever-growing list of challenges and requirements presen…

1
Russia’s Wagner Group as Rogue Supplier 20:59

10M ago20:59

20:59

On June 23rd, news broke that the Wagner Group, a private militia operating on behalf of Russia in the war with Ukraine, was staging an armed rebellion against Russia. The world watched and held its breath as one bad guy squared off against another, until - it was over as soon as it started. It quickly became clear that what was unfolding before ou…

1
R.I.P. Great Resignation (2020-2023) 26:24

10M ago26:24

26:24

We have seen many trends come and go over the last few years, and most of them stemmed from the COVID-19 pandemic. The Great Resignation, a surge in people voluntarily leaving their jobs starting in the fall of 2020, is likely to be one of the most impactful. Depending on the numbers you reference, the Great Resignation officially came to an end so…

1
Meet Digit - The Future of Warehouse Automation 23:21

10M ago23:21

23:21

Agility Robotics recently released the latest version of their humanoid warehouse robot: Digit. Digit is 5 foot 9, weighs 141 lbs, and can carry up to 35 pounds. It can pick and pack orders, unload trucks, and unpack pallets of shipments. Warehouse labor availability is always a challenge, and it usually represents 65 - 70 percent of operating cost…

1
Are contracts obscuring U.S. child labor in your supply chain? 24:28

10M ago24:28

24:28

Human rights concerns are at the top of the priority list for supply chain and procurement professionals. Among the most horrifying human rights abuses is child labor, sending children into dangerous settings to work. FDR signed the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, restricting the conditions and hours children under the age of 16 can work, and mak…

1
Dove's Real Beauty Campaign: Evolution of a Social Message 21:20

10M ago21:20

21:20

In 2004, Dove revolutionized skincare marketing by launching their ‘Real Beauty’ Campaign. Celebrated for the decision to represent women of all shapes, sizes, ages, and skin tones in their ad campaigns, Dove was celebrated by marketing industry executives and embraced by consumers. They saw a 700 percent increase in sales in just six months. While…

1
Artistic Revolutions: Comparing the Impact of Photography and Generative AI 21:39

11M ago21:39

21:39

Many professionals are worried about the risk associated with advances in generative AI like ChatGPT. Predictions have been made about who and what will be rendered obsolete first, as though people living in 2023 are the first ever to face a challenge from new technology. This summer, the Tate Modern in London is running an exhibition called “Captu…

1
The Laws of Supply and Demand Meat at Tyson Foods 21:07

11M ago21:07

21:07

In his book, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations, Scottish Enlightenment thinker Adam Smith described the ‘invisible hand’ at play in free market economics. One of the keys to letting that invisible hand work efficiently is the concept of self-interested interdependence. Producers do what is best for themselves, consumers…

1
A GAAP in Judgement at Kraft Heinz 24:47

11M ago24:47

24:47

Procurement is used to being under pressure to deliver savings, but is that pressure enough to make procurement break the law? That is exactly what happened at Kraft Heinz after their 2015 merger. The low-hanging fruit had all been picked, savings targets remained high, and all sense of oversight had fallen away in favor of a corporate culture that…

1
JPMorgan Chase Stops the Financial Contagion 22:32

11M ago22:32

22:32

In 1907, J.P. Morgan was called back from a trip to help stop a series of bank runs on Wall Street. After watching a string of insolvent banks fail, he decided that the Trust Company of America was worth saving. He said, "This is the place to stop the trouble, then." Over 100 years later, JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon made a very similar decision …

1
Supply Chain Cyber Attack: Expeditors and iRobot 24:55

12M ago24:55

24:55

Cyber attacks have been on the rise since 2020, occurring with increasing frequency and having a more detrimental impact to the companies affected. Cyber risk regularly tops C-level risk rankings as a high priority and short term concern. Almost 20% of all data breaches are associated with third-parties in a company’s supply chain. We can see how t…

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