From the Director's Desk November 2024
Welcome to a new edition of the CSCM’s Supply Chain Link for 2024. We apologise for the length of time since our last edition (August 2023). Several research members have left over this period, but we’ve also had new members join and expect more to swell our ranks in the first half of 2025. We hope this edition proves useful, with plenty of content relating to New Zealand supply chains.
In these pages my colleague Dr Timofey Shalpegin provides a thoughtful perspective on Generative AI in Supply Chains, in particular considering applications and challenges (including as regards risk, risk assessment and sustainability) related to New Zealand industry.
Charlie Lott, who looks after equipment and logistics for Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), offers insights on some of the challenges related to our long inbound supply chains, but also explains how the challenges of the pandemic had a silver lining.
Switching to outbound logistics, fellow practitioner Simon Chisholm, who is GM Operations & Strategy at Stabicraft, shares how the Invercargill-based boat-making firm overcomes some of the supply chain challenges of exporting globally.
We also present a report from one of our “After 5's” presentations, featuring Dr Zeev Berkowitz, Chief Operating Officer at Gentrack Limited. Zeev spoke on “Digitisation initiatives as a foundation for accelerating transition to sustainable future of energy and water companies”. Gentrack supplies specialist software to utility companies, which provide the backbone to supply chain organisations but also deal with their own supply chains – most basically of electrons and water. This remarkably successful New Zealand firm, whose market capitalisation grew six-fold in just the last two years to top $1 billion, has much to teach us about innovative approaches to challenging decisions across utility networks in Australasia and beyond. Hasan Nur, one of our doctoral students, summarises the presentation.
Finally, we profile six CSCM members. Dr Sarah Marshall briefly introduces herself and her research. She invites practitioners in the fields of warranties and preventive geriatric healthcare or related areas to reach out. We then highlight the supply chain research of five doctoral students.
We trust this latest Supply Chain Link provides tasty and nourishing food for thought and perhaps tickles the palate with something provocative. We look forward to catching up with you in the new year.
David Robb, Acting Director, CSCM