Rohit Sudheendranath's Profile

Amazing post Sander.

I remember when we had to wait for 4 months for an equipment from Switzerland to arrive in a container only to realize that the equipment is damaged and we potentially delayed > 8 months of our product launch. Do you have information on how much does this connected system cost? Instead of targeting container/shipping companies, I think it will be an amazing idea for Traxens to target the end user of the ends who get tremendously impacted by delays/state of goods. (and make the monitoring system modular for the container) The end user can then negotiate with the freighting company to install this system at an additional charge.

Great post Lynn !

Do you think that Disney will face a couple of issues with the wrist bands –

1) Data privacy – Does Disney communicate to its consumers about the right to use the data from the wrist band. If it does communicate, does it takes consent from the consumers to use this data for its own use? If not, Disney might face severe consumer backlashes once consumers get more educated about connected devices.

2) Data security – What initiatives does Disney take to protect the data. While more and more devices are being connected, more and more system integrity issues are cropping up. Moreover, the scope of system integration is very huge for Disney (as compared to other products and services).

This is a super interesting post !

As mentioned by MS_2018, it will be interesting to see if WM will take any initiatives to educate more consumers in terms of waste management. Do you think it will also be imperative that WM starts educating the industries which deliver the trash as well? This could be done by having a transparent waste management system across the value chain resulting in the use of more recyclable waste. For example, a company like Unilever does this by having a sustainability goal of having zero waste. [1]

[1] http://www.supplychain247.com/article/achieving_zero_waste_across_the_value_chain

Great article. It was interesting to see how P&G applies digitization in the context of changing organizational systems and processes, making P&G one huge connected company. Do you think P&G can also innovate more on the product platform, having a connected product matrix in a household? For example, one of the ways P&G innovates is using the ‘Tide dash button’ platform with Amazon to re-order more of the detergent. P&G should also partner with all other equipment manufacturers; washing machines etc to create a connected experience with its core customers.

Great post Doug!

I worked with Johnson controls to ‘retro-fit’ a Building Management System (BMS) in one of our existing HVAC units in the factory. One of the biggest challenges here was that retrofitting sensors and modifying equipment to cater to a connected BMS is extremely expensive. Moreover, as HVAC systems tend to have a minimum life of 10 years, it is imperative that Johnson controls innovates in not only building new connected platforms, but also modular platforms that can connect with older equipment. This will help improve the slow adoption rates of IoT in the existing HVAC market.

Great article Robbie. I would love to know more about what exactly inspired BWC to start diversifying into new methods of electricity generation. Was it the end consumers? Or manufacturers who used the boilers? Or government regulation? This is crucial to know because most of the emerging market countries suffer from this exact same problem of having to deal with coal as the cheapest resource for production of electricity while there is no pressure from the consumers or the government to improve boiler efficiency standards.

Great article Vicente. While service providers like United/IAG/Southwest can do a lot to optimise operations and increase asset utilisation, use of newer fleets, do you agree that majority of the responsibility for emissions comes down to the aircraft manufacturers like Boeing/Airbus/Embraer/ATR/Bombardier and engine manufacturers such as GE/Rolls Royce? What is most challenging is firstly educate consumers about contributors to climate change (from an airline point of view) and secondly educate them on the different firms involved that can help make air transport sustainable. Unless Boeing/Airbus come under pressure from the end consumer/regulation, it will be very difficult to compete in a low cost industry while focussing on long term investments at the same time.

Having developed chocolates from scratch, I have to disagree here with Saurav and Ryan. As Fangfang mentioned, the supply chain of cocoa from Ghana will be disrupted and this is important because Mars and other chocolate companies source specific cocoa from specific countries and farms for their products. Mars and other chocolate companies (Mondelez, Nestle, Ferrero, Lindt) have spent decades refining their product from extremely specific cocoa sources because of the impact of origin on product taste, texture etc. A shift in source of cocoa sourcing will be disastrous from consumer acceptance, brand impact etc.

Great article Fangfang ! Having worked in the chocolate industry before, I distinctly remember how increasing cocoa prices (specifically from Ghana and Ivory Coast) affected our business plan and this was basically due to fluctuation in temperatures which further resulted in lower crop yields. As you have rightly mentioned, chocolate production is extremely energy intensive and one of the highest energy guzzling point in a chocolate supply chain is the cold chain distribution. (especially for emerging market countries like China, India). Do you think that Mars should go outside the scope of manufacturing to develop innovative solutions in cold chain management and retailing? In India, a company named Godrej came up with a very innovative solution called ‘Chotukool’ https://www.chotukool.com/ , a natural cooling mechanism which if utilized with phase changing materials can provide constant cooling to chocolates. This solution helps farmers in India to cool water with minimal energy. Also, the main challenge for CPG companies is consumer education on sustainability. Do you think Mars will go out of its way to educated consumers about what sustainability means ?

Great article Deeni. Even though Volkswagen has been troubled by their recent scandals on emissions, they seem to have taken some efforts to mitigate their carbon footprint along the value chain ! Most of their initiatives – the design of the car, the design of the production process – all result in very short term improvements in production metrics such as – efficiency, yield, energy consumption, economical design etc. How would you be able to draw a line between Volkswagen’s intention to do short term improvements which help with the financial performance of the company v/s the company’s intent to make long term investments which give more impactful returns (only in the long term). Does Volkswagen truly believe in climate change as a present problem, or does it care only about efficiency improvements disguised under the umbrella of climate change?

Hi David. Great article on how a retailer can help with reducing carbon footprint. Do you think that Walmart will invest in specific capabilities that will help fight climate change – capabilities that don’t necessary deliver short term benefits for Walmart? Most of the initiatives the Walmart has done – truck optimization, supply chain optimization give immediate benefits to Walmart in terms of cost savings. I don’t see Walmart taking initiatives that might give a long term (but much more significant impact). Do you think the company will be able to justify its investments in ‘Sustainability’ without looking at short term profit gains?