Tompkins CEO Addresses Supply Chain Forum

Dr. James A. Tompkins addressed how organizations can succeed and flourish in these uncertain times at the 15th Annual Supply Chain Leadership Forum, held May 6-8 at the Washington Duke Inn & Golf Club in Durham, North Carolina.

Two hundred supply chain experts took their seats to listen to Dr. Tompkins begin his keynote speech. Dr. Tompkins, CEO of Tompkins International and CEO of MonarchFx, explained the disruption cycle, the level of organizational chaos, and how the volatility of global economies is forcing organizations to deal with an unprecedented level of uncertainty.

Unfortunately, many organizations are not comfortable dealing with uncertainty. Therefore, organizations continue to develop strategies, structures, and solutions according to a theoretical view of the Steady State. The reality is the Steady State is an obsolete concept that vanished at the beginning of the digital revolution. Tompkins explained new ways to think about and develop anti-brittle strategies, structures, and solutions, helping organizations evolve today. He also discussed how to achieve success, profitability, and growth under today’s supply chain conditions.

“The future for supply chain organizations is awesome. There has never been the level of opportunity for supply chain organizations as there is today. The key to success is to be flexible, modular, portable, agile, and available on demand while operating efficiently over a wide range of requirements, you must have anti-brittle solutions,” said Dr. Tompkins.

Dr. James A. Tompkins

The purpose of the Supply Chain Leadership Forum is to bring supply chain executives together from a wide range of industries to connect, share, and learn together. The topics of discussion relate to supply chain, business strategies, and operations. Supply chain executives from all major industries are in attendance including retail, consumer products, 3PL, pharmaceutical, and select service providers.