Rebecca Fannin, Author and Founder of Silicon Dragon Media
Listen as Rebecca Fannin, Journalist and Author of 5 books, and Rosemary Coates, Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, discuss the technology race in China.
Rebecca Fannin is a journalist, CNBC special contributor, and author of 5 books. She writes about technology, first in Asia and then in the Heartland of America, and now back to China. Rebecca published her first book, Silicon Dragon, in 2008, about the rise of technology in China, and now she has written an updated chronicle of the current state of technology in China, The New Tech Titans of China.
In this episode, Rebecca returns to the Frictionless Supply Chain podcast to discuss the current state of investment and development in China. So much has changed in the past 20 years, and now things are changing again because of geopolitics and the race in technology, particularly AI.
Many of the venture capitalists who funded so many Chinese start-ups are now selling off investment in China. This started happening after a 2023 US Congressional investigation into how much U.S. money was being invested in Chinese technology raised concerns. Now the Chinese government has stepped in to fill the void.
Because so many companies still outsource their manufacturing to China, supply chain professionals need to take note of these trends. New policies have taken root, and security risks are now at the forefront.
AI is the big investment now, with China and the US in a dead heat in development. Chinese companies, including Biadu, Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, and others, are all investing in AI, robotics, drones, and other manufacturing technology. China is also heavily investing in and developing humanoid robots. China is taking the lead on AI safeguards.
To learn more about the New Tech Titans of China, contact Rebecca Fannin on LinkedIN and Rosemary Coates at rcoates@ReshoringInstitute.org
Beth Hayes, Consultant to Pharmaceutical Companies
In this episode of the Frictionless Supply Chain, Beth Hayes, a consultant to pharmaceutical companies, joins host Rosemary Coates, executive director of the Reshoring Institute, to discuss the complexity of pharmaceutical supply chains.
Pharmaceuticals and other medical products require unique compliance with FDA regulations and control. This complexity sets this industry’s supply chains apart from most others.
From individualized treatments to massive production of building block chemicals, the manufacturing of these products is global, often sourced from China and India. The risks of these long global supply chains and America’s dependence on imports were fully exposed during the pandemic. This resulted in new regulations, massive funding opportunities, and the reshoring of production.
Hayes has spent over 15 years navigating the intersection of life sciences and technology, with a career that spans biopharma leaders like Pfizer, tech giants like Salesforce, and top-tier consultancies like Accenture and KPMG. Currently, she consults to biopharma and related segments helping to modernize their businesses and evolve through AI-driven transformation
Beth Hayes can be contacted on LinkedIn. You can reach out to the Reshoring Institute at www.Reshoringinstitute.org for more information on this important topic.
Sara Rich, VP of Supply Chain and Customer Success at Supplyframe
DESIGN-TO-SOURCE INTELLIGENCE
Listen as Sarah Rich, Vice President of Operations and Customer Success at Supplyframe, and Rosemary Coates, Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, discuss design tools as new products are developed.
In this episode, Ms. Rich discusses Supplyframe, a software and intelligence gathering toolset used by design engineers at the very beginning of supply chain management. Supplyframe is an intelligence and design-to-source platform for the electronics value chain.
Sarah has spent her career leading global teams that create exceptional customer experiences and operational standards that deliver best-in-class service and establish life-long customer partnerships. She helped launch Supplyframe in 2003 as the third team member, along with the two co-founders. She’s passionate about customer advocacy and a champion for women in male-dominated fields,
Design engineers use Supplyframe to assist in the design of products and to research raw materials and component parts using data sheets, 3D modeling, and to allow for researching vendors and product pricing. Supplyframe captures what engineers are researching, supplier pricing, and availability, and then uses this information to identify trends and create insights to help with the design of new products. Supplyframe uses predictive analytics based on AI that assist in the design and identification of risk factors such as end-of-life parts and global shortages.
Supplyframe is a Siemens company and collaborates with other Siemens tools and research. Supplyframe works with OEM manufacturers and contract manufacturers/EMS suppliers.
Her advice for upcomers in supply chain is to be the first to raise your hand to ask questions. She says we should always be learning, particularly about AI. To learn more about Supplyframe and other Siemens solutions, go to https://xcelerator.siemens.com/global/en/ecosystem/supplyframe.html.
To learn more about reshoring and beyond, contact Rosemary Coates at rcoates@ReshoringInstitute.org
Marina Ivanov, CEO of Apex Transit Solutions
Women Leaders in the Trucking Industry
Listen as Marina Ivanov, Co-Founder and CEO of Apex Transit Solutions, and Rosemary Coates, Executive Director of the Reshoring Institute, discuss being the CEO of a trucking company.
Marina Ivanov started Apex Transit Solutions with just two trucks. Today, Apex owns 90 trucks and 180 trailers, and also provides truck brokerage services.
In this episode, Ms. Ivanov discusses operating a trucking company known for exceptional customer service by anticipating the customer’s needs before they ask. Exceptional customer service is part of the Apex mission and philosophy.
Apex is dealing with the current tariffs by repositioning trucks in markets where there is more tonnage. They are currently experiencing a general downturn and weakness in the economy, but Ivanov believes this is temporary. She expects freight volume to increase, especially cross-border loads from Mexico, entering the U.S. via Port Laredo.
Ms. Ivanov is an advocate for women in the trucking industry. She holds a leadership position in the National Women in Trucking Organization, North Carolina Chapter. She is also a membership leader in the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) and a member of Women in Manufacturing (WIM). Apex hires women truck drivers and for other supporting positions at Apex. Women truck drivers are only 7% nationwide, but Apex has 17% women drivers, and according to Ivanov, women have better safety and loyalty records.
Her advice for upcoming women in the trucking industry is to always be yourself. Don’t apologize for being a woman leader in this industry. She says success means you’ve had an impact, be kind, and make a difference in others’ lives. Focus on personal growth. Ask yourself, what can I do better today than yesterday?
How to Avoid – and Defend – Supply-Chain Disputes
SupplyChainBrain.com
Disputes with suppliers can be costly. Now there’s a guide to avoiding them – and defending against them when they do occur.
Lessons in reshoring: How to Move Production Out of China
China Tariffs: The reshoring of manufacturing from China is no longer in question. Whether that work ever makes it back to the U.S., however, is another matter entirely.
Reshoring; Setting a Course on Manufacturing’s Road Home
From the giants of industry to SMEs spurring innovation and driving competition, manufacturers know returning operations to US shores from overseas factories will revitalize our economy. But exactly how does an enterprise of any size plan and execute their return?