The Backstory

[Transcript]

Jan Griffiths: 00:00

Shhh. Don't say anything. I've taken over the microphone without Cathy and Terry. I wanted to take this opportunity to give you a more of a backstory view of the podcast. How did we meet? How did I meet Cathy and Terry, what's going on here? Why are we bonded somehow together with our mission on the auto supply chain prophets podcast?

Well, let me tell you. I met Cathy about 18 months ago, Cathy joined my accountability lab. We met every morning 7:07 every weekday morning, and I was struck just by her knowledge of the industry. There's nothing that she doesn't know about IATF 16949 quality systems and supply chain, but I was struck by her passion and her mission. She is driven to be part of and to impact the transformation that's taking place in the industry right now. Yes, I know we're all moving from ICE to BEV a huge transformation taking place in the area of supply chain, as well as product. Don't even get me started on leadership. We all know where I stand on that one. So, Cathy is on a mission to impact the industry. And that's where we became kindred spirits. Cathy started her career with General Motors back in the 1980s. She's worked in materials, supply chain, manufacturing, culminating in a role with BMW, she set up the North American supply chain for BMW for the plant in South Carolina. She knows what she's doing. And then she became an entrepreneur with her business, Quistem. And if you don't know much about Quistem, I would ask you to check out the link in the show notes. Simply stated, Quistem helps auto manufacturers transform their management systems into money-making machines. She knows how to do that.

Cathy introduced me to Terry. Terry Onica is director of automotive for QAD the ERP systems provider. I've known about QAD for many years. And I've seen Terry at certain events, but I didn't really know her as I started to get to know, Terry. Again, I'm impressed with her knowledge of material systems.

Let me give you some facts about Terry. Terry knows the ins and outs of ERP systems and Supply Chain Solutions. She's worked through many implementations. And if you're an automotive out there and supply chain, you know how painful it can be. Terry started her career in the 1990s. And she implemented the EDI at Ford. And then she went to Johnson Controls and implemented their EDI as well. And then she got involved with industry standards with AIAG. And she got to be part of the study between Chrysler, GM, and Johnson Controls in supply chain. And that's where she really started get a passion for supply chain in the industry. And she started back then to document best practices and materials management in EDI. And from then it seemed like a natural progression to move on to QAD and she's been there for 20 years as director of automotive. The combined knowledge that these two women have about material systems supply chain and quality, the standards that they know inside out and back to front MMOG/LE, and IATF 16949. But what stands out to me is their passion, their values, their mission, they're driven, to be part of the transformation in this industry and to impact it in a positive way.

So when the three of us got together and started sharing our beliefs, and our passion, and the podcast seemed like a natural outcome of that. And so the Automotive Supply Chain Prophets Podcast was born almost a year ago. We have over 24 episodes under our belt, and we are most definitely on a mission to provide content to you, our automotive supply chain audience that's meaningful, something that provides a different conversation, a different perspective, actionable insights, things that you can actually take away with we strive for every single episode, to have something that you can start thinking about start implementing right away. We're always looking for guests , thought leaders that can contribute to the mission of the podcast and provide something of value to the conversation. And it might be a perspective from the shop floor might be a perspective from supply chain from a CFO, from a CEO, from traditional auto, from an EV company. We're looking to get as much information as we can and provide it to you, our audience, we've had enough of supply chain disruptions over the past several years and all that unplanned cost that goes along with it. I know you know what I'm talking about.

Now it's time to take control, it's time to get a hold of that and take a brand new look at that supply chain. And if you haven't done so already, download the white paper. There are two documents, there's a five-step roadmap and a 24-essential supply chain processes document. In these documents, Cathy and Terry have spent countless hours poring through all the specifications of MMOGLE, IATF 16949. They're all there. They've done all the hard work. That's a great starting point if you're a listener, and then supplement that knowledge by listening to the back episodes that we've got in our back catalogue.

We've had some great guests on the podcast, we've got the view from the shop floor, from manufacturing the ladies from Detroit Manufacturing Systems. And then we've got the self-proclaimed quality nerds Mike, and Rocky. And then, of course, the quality guru herself, we've got JD Marhevko. And then we take a different approach. We looked at supply chain through the eyes of the world of academia because remember, we've got Gen Z coming up through the ranks, they're entering the workforce, and we need to know what's happening in the world of academia. So we've got Lori Sisk, from Wayne State. And then we've got industry leaders and veterans and well known thought leaders out there like Paul Eichenberg and Gary Vasilash. And let's not forget Bill Hurles, the former executive director of supply chain for General Motors. We've also got the legal perspective from Katie Pullen talk a lot about the force majeure pandemic. And then, Dan Sharkey, we caught Dan Sharkey live at the OESA conference and he's really got his finger on the pulse of what's happening in supply chain. Because the issues dump out, typically as contract disputes, and he's right at the forefront.

For a completely different perspective. We talked to Jeremy McCool, the CEO of Hevo, the brand new exciting business in the EV space focusing on wireless charging. Tell us please. What is it that you want to hear there might be a guest or something. Knowledge, actionable insight, whatever term you want to use. If there's something that you want to know about that's related to our mission that's related to the automotive supply chain, then let us know we'll put a link in the show notes so that you can email us directly.

Let's talk a little bit about podcasting, shall we? Now, I know a lot of people think that you just grab a microphone and you may be invited a few guests and you talk and then off you go right. No, it's not that easy. It's not that straightforward. A good podcast takes planning and preparation, let alone the execution on the back end. The planning and preparation are critical. And we're going to be taking some time off the next few weeks to hit the reset button and go back and revisit our strategy.

What is our strategy look like? Who exactly is our target audience? What content do you need right now? And we'll create a strategy and a plan and we'll create a guest list. And we'll create a theme around the content that we want to produce. And we'll be off and running again.

Talk to us, we want to hear from you. I'm a firm believer in the power of podcasting, the power of audio, to bring conversations that bring information that you can use in a conversational format that's easy to digest. We've always got the transcript on the website if you prefer to read. It's so easy to just hop in your air pods or your headphones and go for a walk or run and listen to Auto Supply Chain Prophets.

Until next time, stay tuned. We'll be back in just a few short weeks. And remember the supply chain is where the money is.