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The automotive supply chain isn't what it used to be. Between shifting global policies, evolving AI capabilities, and the relentless push for sustainability, the pressure is on. And if you're not thinking ahead, you're already behind. But Martinrea is ahead of the curve, and in this episode, Megan Hunter, Executive VP of Procurement and Supply Chain Operations, explains how.
One of the biggest game-changers? AI. Forget spending hours digging through Google for the right supplier. AI-powered tools now make instant supplier recommendations, cut through the noise, and even challenge old-school procurement tactics. But AI isn't perfect—Megan shares the hidden risks that supply chain leaders must watch out for.
Then there's supplier transparency, a topic everyone talks about but few have mastered. Why? Because transparency isn't a tech problem—it's a trust problem. Megan reveals the reality of deep-tier supplier mapping, the struggle to get reliable data, and the cultural shift needed to make transparency a reality.
And let’s talk about sustainability—not as a checkbox, but as a game-changing strategy. At Martinrea, it’s not just about the planet; it’s about saving millions. Localized sourcing? 300,000 fewer miles traveled. Smart packaging? Less waste, lower costs.
Of course, none of this works without the right people in place. However, the auto industry faces a massive talent gap. Megan's solution? Don't wait for talent—build it.
Martinrea is launching an industry-first supply chain apprenticeship program, pulling in fresh talent from the ground up and training them in everything from procurement to AI-driven analytics.
And if you're feeling overwhelmed by all of this? Megan's advice is simple: start with quick wins. Instead of getting stuck in the complexity, take immediate, tangible steps to drive change.
Themes discussed in this episode:
Name: Megan Hunter
Title: Executive Vice President Procurement and Supply Chain Operations at Martinrea International
About: Megan is the Executive Vice President of Procurement and Supply Chain Operations at Martinrea International Inc., a role she has held since December 2019. She leads the company’s global procurement and supply chain strategy, ensuring sustainable and efficient operations across the organization. In addition to overseeing procurement, Megan is also responsible for the Auburn Hills Technical Center and Martinrea’s sustainability initiatives.
Connect: LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
[03:19] AI in Action: AI isn’t just a trend at Martinrea—it’s a practical tool driving real efficiency. From breaking down silos with a cross-functional AI committee to using Copilot for rapid supplier searches, they’re turning technology into a competitive edge.
[06:08] Smart, But Not Always Right: AI is a powerful tool, but as Megan Hunter explains, it still makes mistakes—sometimes, it even apologizes for getting things wrong.
[08:34] Necessary Evil or Outdated Habit? Martinrea still relies on spreadsheets, but Megan shares how they’ve been shifting critical data into their ERP system to drive smarter decision-making.
[15:03] Sustainability That Pays Off—Literally: At Martinrea, sustainability isn’t just about numbers—it’s about impact. Cutting 300,000 miles of transport saved $1 million, but more importantly, it’s like driving coast to coast 100 times or powering 50 homes for a year.
[19:43] Scope 3 Emissions: Tracking emissions starts with understanding where suppliers stand, and Martinrea is taking a hands-on approach to help them establish baselines and build a path toward real sustainability progress.
[22:14] Building the Next Generation: Martinrea is tackling the talent gap with job rotation programs and an industry-first apprenticeship, giving employees hands-on experience and a clear path to grow into supply chain professionals.
[25:27] The Power of Quick Wins: Big changes can be overwhelming, but focusing on small, impactful actions helps supply chain leaders move forward faster.
Top Quotes:
[05:04] Megan: “You want to find a supplier that can make a certain widget somewhere in the world? Using your traditional Google search, you could go 12 pages deep, and you have to open each company's website, look through it, and try to understand what they make and whether it is what you're looking for. Well, Copilot just changed the game. You can go into Copilot and say, "Show me an IATF-certified manufacturer of this type of component anywhere in the world," and it will pop out a list of suppliers. It is so much faster, and yes, it has some inaccuracies, but the time savings is incredible. And that's just a very small example of how we use that in the supply chain.”
[13:37] Megan: “These whole resiliency topics that are the buzz in the supply chain right now are very difficult. I think this is going to require a massive cultural shift across the entire supply base because a lot of trust needs to be built between a supplier and its customer in order for a supplier to just be able to open up and reveal some of their supply chain data. So, I think we have a bit to go before we really start unlocking those doors. There are some AI-related solutions that can predict some of the tiers down the supply chain. How accurate those are, how reliable those are, I think we're in the very early days, but those show some promise. Doesn't change the fact, though, that a major cultural shift is going to need to happen.”
[16:37] Megan: “Most people say, "Okay, we saved this much money." In our case, I'll give you an example of one of these savings that was worth a million dollars. Instead of looking at it as a million dollars, which is great and one of the major KPIs for a supply chain team, you can also think about it in more relatable terms. So, for example, that $1 million equated to a reduction in 300,000 miles traveled, which is like driving coast to coast a hundred times. It saved enough carbon emissions to power 50 homes for a year. So, when we start to think about these things that we do every day, and we put them in more relatable terms, it really makes a big impact in our drive for sustainability because once you start to understand that's the difference you can make, it makes you hungry for more.”
[23:51] Megan: “One of the things that I found just crazy, quite frankly, is that there aren't any supply chain apprenticeship programs—at least none that we could find. Formal ones. And so we set out to start our own, and we have a team of people who are working on developing that apprenticeship program with one of the local universities. We're going to be really excited to launch this here in the coming months because this will provide us with a great pipeline to future talent. When we can start them early in the process, take some of our people who are operators showing a lot of promise and potential for the future, and we will be able to develop them to be great supply chain professionals through this apprenticeship program.”
[26:07] Megan: “Sometimes these new initiatives can seem so overwhelming and so complicated, such a monumental change. But if we look for the, what’s something we could do today? What could we do now? What's the natural first step? I think when we focus on those quick wins, we start moving the needle fast. It takes away the overwhelm and the burden from some of these things and focuses on the action—the get it done. So that would be my advice: look for the quick wins.”
79 episodes
The automotive supply chain isn't what it used to be. Between shifting global policies, evolving AI capabilities, and the relentless push for sustainability, the pressure is on. And if you're not thinking ahead, you're already behind. But Martinrea is ahead of the curve, and in this episode, Megan Hunter, Executive VP of Procurement and Supply Chain Operations, explains how.
One of the biggest game-changers? AI. Forget spending hours digging through Google for the right supplier. AI-powered tools now make instant supplier recommendations, cut through the noise, and even challenge old-school procurement tactics. But AI isn't perfect—Megan shares the hidden risks that supply chain leaders must watch out for.
Then there's supplier transparency, a topic everyone talks about but few have mastered. Why? Because transparency isn't a tech problem—it's a trust problem. Megan reveals the reality of deep-tier supplier mapping, the struggle to get reliable data, and the cultural shift needed to make transparency a reality.
And let’s talk about sustainability—not as a checkbox, but as a game-changing strategy. At Martinrea, it’s not just about the planet; it’s about saving millions. Localized sourcing? 300,000 fewer miles traveled. Smart packaging? Less waste, lower costs.
Of course, none of this works without the right people in place. However, the auto industry faces a massive talent gap. Megan's solution? Don't wait for talent—build it.
Martinrea is launching an industry-first supply chain apprenticeship program, pulling in fresh talent from the ground up and training them in everything from procurement to AI-driven analytics.
And if you're feeling overwhelmed by all of this? Megan's advice is simple: start with quick wins. Instead of getting stuck in the complexity, take immediate, tangible steps to drive change.
Themes discussed in this episode:
Name: Megan Hunter
Title: Executive Vice President Procurement and Supply Chain Operations at Martinrea International
About: Megan is the Executive Vice President of Procurement and Supply Chain Operations at Martinrea International Inc., a role she has held since December 2019. She leads the company’s global procurement and supply chain strategy, ensuring sustainable and efficient operations across the organization. In addition to overseeing procurement, Megan is also responsible for the Auburn Hills Technical Center and Martinrea’s sustainability initiatives.
Connect: LinkedIn
Mentioned in this episode:
[03:19] AI in Action: AI isn’t just a trend at Martinrea—it’s a practical tool driving real efficiency. From breaking down silos with a cross-functional AI committee to using Copilot for rapid supplier searches, they’re turning technology into a competitive edge.
[06:08] Smart, But Not Always Right: AI is a powerful tool, but as Megan Hunter explains, it still makes mistakes—sometimes, it even apologizes for getting things wrong.
[08:34] Necessary Evil or Outdated Habit? Martinrea still relies on spreadsheets, but Megan shares how they’ve been shifting critical data into their ERP system to drive smarter decision-making.
[15:03] Sustainability That Pays Off—Literally: At Martinrea, sustainability isn’t just about numbers—it’s about impact. Cutting 300,000 miles of transport saved $1 million, but more importantly, it’s like driving coast to coast 100 times or powering 50 homes for a year.
[19:43] Scope 3 Emissions: Tracking emissions starts with understanding where suppliers stand, and Martinrea is taking a hands-on approach to help them establish baselines and build a path toward real sustainability progress.
[22:14] Building the Next Generation: Martinrea is tackling the talent gap with job rotation programs and an industry-first apprenticeship, giving employees hands-on experience and a clear path to grow into supply chain professionals.
[25:27] The Power of Quick Wins: Big changes can be overwhelming, but focusing on small, impactful actions helps supply chain leaders move forward faster.
Top Quotes:
[05:04] Megan: “You want to find a supplier that can make a certain widget somewhere in the world? Using your traditional Google search, you could go 12 pages deep, and you have to open each company's website, look through it, and try to understand what they make and whether it is what you're looking for. Well, Copilot just changed the game. You can go into Copilot and say, "Show me an IATF-certified manufacturer of this type of component anywhere in the world," and it will pop out a list of suppliers. It is so much faster, and yes, it has some inaccuracies, but the time savings is incredible. And that's just a very small example of how we use that in the supply chain.”
[13:37] Megan: “These whole resiliency topics that are the buzz in the supply chain right now are very difficult. I think this is going to require a massive cultural shift across the entire supply base because a lot of trust needs to be built between a supplier and its customer in order for a supplier to just be able to open up and reveal some of their supply chain data. So, I think we have a bit to go before we really start unlocking those doors. There are some AI-related solutions that can predict some of the tiers down the supply chain. How accurate those are, how reliable those are, I think we're in the very early days, but those show some promise. Doesn't change the fact, though, that a major cultural shift is going to need to happen.”
[16:37] Megan: “Most people say, "Okay, we saved this much money." In our case, I'll give you an example of one of these savings that was worth a million dollars. Instead of looking at it as a million dollars, which is great and one of the major KPIs for a supply chain team, you can also think about it in more relatable terms. So, for example, that $1 million equated to a reduction in 300,000 miles traveled, which is like driving coast to coast a hundred times. It saved enough carbon emissions to power 50 homes for a year. So, when we start to think about these things that we do every day, and we put them in more relatable terms, it really makes a big impact in our drive for sustainability because once you start to understand that's the difference you can make, it makes you hungry for more.”
[23:51] Megan: “One of the things that I found just crazy, quite frankly, is that there aren't any supply chain apprenticeship programs—at least none that we could find. Formal ones. And so we set out to start our own, and we have a team of people who are working on developing that apprenticeship program with one of the local universities. We're going to be really excited to launch this here in the coming months because this will provide us with a great pipeline to future talent. When we can start them early in the process, take some of our people who are operators showing a lot of promise and potential for the future, and we will be able to develop them to be great supply chain professionals through this apprenticeship program.”
[26:07] Megan: “Sometimes these new initiatives can seem so overwhelming and so complicated, such a monumental change. But if we look for the, what’s something we could do today? What could we do now? What's the natural first step? I think when we focus on those quick wins, we start moving the needle fast. It takes away the overwhelm and the burden from some of these things and focuses on the action—the get it done. So that would be my advice: look for the quick wins.”
79 episodes
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