A More and more, what we provide is knowledge man- agement as well as services. More of our work is at customers’ headquarters, planning for long-term challenges
and how to meet them. The managing of partnerships, putting together value chains—we’ll be doing more of that.
Q
So what is the skill set needed for people entering the
business?
A We are always looking for sharp, creative people who are interested in change and doing things differently.
You need a background in the disciplines, but you also have
to be open-minded, change-oriented, and able to see the big
picture. You need to think in new directions.
Finding those people is hard—people who are highly
intelligent, flexible in their thinking, and innovative. It is a
full-time job for my company.
Susumu Kitadai
SUSUMU KITADAI, PRESIDENT OF SONY
Supply Chain Solutions Americas, is not
your typical logistics executive. For most of
his 27 years with the electronics giant, he has
held sales and marketing positions. His
experience in Asian, European, and North
American markets, together with his deep
understanding of the customer’s point of
view, has helped him bring a customer-focused perspective to Sony’s supply chain
organization.
Kitadai graduated from the University of Pennsylvania’s
Wharton School of Business with an M.B.A. in 1994. He
earned his bachelor’s degree, specializing in international
law, from International Christian University in Tokyo in
1982.
It’s daunting, and that situation also is
undergoing an optimization review.
What is the mission of Sony Supply Chain Solutions
Americas? Q
A Our territory spans the United States, Canada, and all of Latin America. We are part of a global Sony Supply
Chain Solutions network that is responsible for manufacturing support—logistics for raw materials, regional and
domestic distribution for finished goods, and distribution
of repair parts globally. We are also responsible for fulfillment for Sony Style, our direct-to-consumer retail Web site.
(KPIs) for e
What are some of the changes you
have brought to Sony’s logistics opera- Q
tions, and what results have they achieved?
A We strive to deliver the most competi- tive supply chain solutions to all Sony
groups in the Americas. We started benchmarking and gauging performance levels and
implementing key performance indicators
ach of our functional areas.
We also made sure we had the most objective criteria and
management tools in place. ISO 9000 certification is an
effective quality tool, and ISO 14000 is very meaningful, not
just because it’s about being green but also from a cost-sav-ing perspective. We also became ISO 28000 certified, so we
have an internal mechanism in place to assure that we keep
up with the highest standards of C-TPAT [the U.S.
Customs-Trade Partnership Against Terrorism]. This is
important not just for its original purpose but also because
we sometimes are manufacturing and distributing in high-risk areas where theft or piracy is likely.
What are some of the logistics and supply chain challenges Sony faces in the Americas? Q
A Due to various economic and product factors, there are cyclical trends concerning what is an optimal configuration for a distribution network. We are now reviewing
what is optimal for us in North and South America, taking
into consideration Sony’s total global business model.
Brazil is our highest-priority market in Latin America.
Under Brazilian regulations, most consumer electronic
products we sell there must be manufactured there. We
have a manufacturing plant in Manaus. Supporting that
operation and making sure we get product from the middle
of the Amazon to markets like São Paulo is challenging.
There is limited infrastructure. Most of the time, we have to
ship by boat to the coast, and then go by truck or all water.
How has your background in strategic planning
and marketing helped you lead the supply chain Q
organization?
A Interestingly, when I joined the company 27 years ago, everyone assigned to international sales and marketing
had to go through a one-year logistics orientation and training. I never imagined it would help me so much 25 years later.
I’ve been assigned to Germany, Singapore, and Hong
Kong and have been in charge of marketing and sales in
each region. I was president of the Hong Kong sales company, so I have an understanding of clients’ requirements as
well as the importance of on-time delivery to ensure the
highest in-stock rate and of shortening overall lead time to
bring down costs. These are very fundamental performance
indicators, and I was the one demanding it on the other
side. I know that excelling in these areas does make a difference in terms of enhancing total brand perception by end
users at the stores.
