AMy immediate focus is to realign the roundtables with my regional adviser (RA) team. An RA serves as a “
go-to person” for roundtable cabinet members when they have
questions, suggestions, or concerns. Roundtables grew faster
than the RA team did, and today, we do not have the right coverage to properly service our roundtables. I intend to launch a
new structure to reduce the number of roundtables assigned
to each RA, synchronize the geography so RAs can physically
visit their assigned roundtables, and create a clear succession
plan from cabinet member to RA within each region.
QAre there skill sets that you implement at your day job that overlap with your work at CSCMP?
ABoth require networking and building relationships. Both are dedicated to driving supply chain thought
leadership and disseminating information throughout our
community. CSCMP became a training ground to sharpen
my leadership skills, and it provided an opportunity to
build a credible reputation, both of which are necessary to
succeed at LeanCor. In turn, my CSCMP family has
received value from the lean culture and tools that I bring
from my day job at LeanCor.
Lawrence Shemesh
LAWRENCE DEAN SHEMESH IS PRESIdent and CEO of OPSdesign Consulting, an
independent supply chain consulting organization specializing in the design of warehouse, distribution, and fulfillment operations. During his career, Shemesh has
worked with companies worldwide, designing operations ranging from the elegantly
pragmatic to some of the most highly automated systems on the planet.
Shemesh also has a long track record of
volunteer work in the profession. Not only was he recently
named president of the Warehousing Education and
Research Council for 2011–2012, but he has also served as
president of the Material Handling Society of New Jersey
and president of the Southern Middlesex County (New
Jersey) Regional Chamber of Commerce.
He is the author of two books on distribution: Rules of
Thumb for Warehousing & Distribution Costs and Pick
This—A Compendium of Piece Picking Alternatives.
QWhat do you consider to be your greatest profession- al accomplishment to date?
AI am particularly proud of my work with professional organizations such as the Warehousing Education and
Research Council. Over the past 30 years, I’ve had the pleasure of serving as a volunteer for a variety of industry, academic, economic, government, and charitable organizations.
Taking an active role in shaping the future of the industry,
giving back, and mentoring those who have just joined our
field are incredibly satisfying endeavors.
I am equally proud of the consulting
organization that I have built, based upon
the fundamental tenets of true independence, integrity, and client advocacy. I am also
extremely proud of the incredibly talented
and dedicated team of consultants, engineers, analysts, and support staff members
who have joined me on this mission and contributed immeasurably to our success. As a
boutique consulting organization, we have
been extremely fortunate to work for many of the largest
and most respected publicly traded companies as well as
smaller privately held firms in North America, South
America, Europe, Africa, Asia, and Australia.
QWhat do you consider to be the greatest obstacles to further supply chain optimization?
AAside from the obvious direct effects of rising oil prices on transportation costs (and therefore, the
costs of all goods brought to market), I view the continuing instability of energy costs as a catalyst for economic
paralysis. This volatility is perhaps more dangerous than
the rising costs themselves in that the uncertainty undermines the financial markets, causing investors to remain
on the sidelines.
Since the economic meltdown of 2008, our project profile has taken a radical turn. Before the recession, most of
our projects were supply chain expansion and optimization initiatives aimed at gaining market share, enlarging
