I was intrigued to learn that Lourens Schouwink is an amateur magician in his spare time.
That could well be a useful attribute for anyone who has been involved in supply chain management over the past couple of years – particularly when it comes to dealing with finance.
I mention all this because Schouwink became chief financial officer for Samsung Benelux in 2008 – just in time to be faced with the most severe tests that the world’s supply chains have faced in decades.
So it promises to be a magical session when he talks about the problems of aligning supply chain strategy with the overall business strategy at the Extended Supply Chain conference in April.
Of course, supply chain success has nothing to do with conjuring tricks and everything to do with aligning supply chain and financial strategies.
For many organisations, this is still a relatively unexplored area. The onset of the recession highlighted just how much cash is tied up in supply chains – sometimes that was a shocking revelation.
Maintaining cash became a life or death issue for many organisations, while for others providing financial support for suppliers became critical for their own survival.
The world economy has moved back into growth, but the one thing that will not change is the focus on the financial aspects of supply chain.
So I am looking forward to Lourens Schouwink insights into how supply chains can be integrated to enhance financial performance, – as well as his views on emerging global trends and the consequences for the extended supply chain.
He will be speaking at Extended Supply Chain in London in April. You can find out more at: www.esc2011.com
