DC Velocity - July 2019

With 20-plus years of experience, Adrian Gonzalez has a lot to say about the logistics industry. Described by the 11 professionals who nominated him as “a breath of fresh air in a sector where so many have so little to say,” Gonzalez dedicates his time to advising young professionals and executives, training and coaching organizations on how to improve their positions within the market, and bringing analysis and research to the larger supply chain community through his blog, TalkingLogistics.com.

Gonzalez is president of Adelante SCM, which means “forward” and “move ahead” in Spanish. The company’s mission is to move supply chain and logistics leadership forward by making it easier for industry professionals to share ideas, knowledge, and advice with one another. He has also been active on the philanthropic front, organizing a team of cyclists to participate in an annual charity ride to benefit JDRF, a nonprofit organization focused on type 1 diabetes (T1D) research. That team, “Logistics Leaders for T1D Cure,” has raised close to $150,000 to date.

Q What drew you to the logistics field?

A Like many people, I entered the logistics field by chance. I’m a materials science engineer, and I began my career in new-product development and manufacturing at Motorola and Polaroid. I was looking for a career change, so I applied for a job at ARC Advisory Group, a market research and advisory services firm. They hired me to help build their semiconductor and Latin America practices (I am fluent in Spanish), but on my very first day, I was told “As part of your training, you’re going to do a market research study on transportation management systems,” a topic I knew absolutely nothing about. Well, I did a good job on it, and 20 years later, I’m still researching the TMS market, along with other supply chain and logistics topics.

So I wasn’t really drawn to the logistics field; I was dropped into it. But I’ve never looked back.

Q What are some of the top trends you’re seeing in the industry, and what are some of the challenges it faces?

A One trend that is disrupting the status quo and serving as a catalyst for innovation is companies placing cus-
tomers at the center of their supply chains. According to
research we conducted recently, “To deliver an enhanced
customer experience” is the top factor driving supply chain
innovation at many companies today—more so than cost
reduction! Another is the amount of money being invested
in supply chain and logistics companies, including technol-
ogy companies and service providers. Simply put, investors
see a bright future in this sector, and they are making many
bets. Relatively few of them will pay off, but the ones that
do will certainly drive change and innovation
in the industry.

In terms of challenges, we still have a data-quality problem in supply chain management—the classic garbage-in garbage-out problem. And it’s getting more challenging to solve because of all the data we’re generating today. So, even though there’s a lot of talk about the benefits of big data, analytics,

Io T (Internet of Things), and machine learning, we will never fully realize them until we solve this data-quality issue.

Q What advice would you give someone just entering the supply chain profession? A Three things. First, don’t stop learning. The industry is changing so much, so quickly. Whether it’s technology, regulations, mergers and acquisitions, or the competitive landscape—you have to stay on top of what’s happening in order to develop into an effective leader.

Second, work on improving your communication and relationship-building skills. Supply chain management is, after all, a relationship business. It’s about people working together to get things done, especially when things don’t go as planned, which is the norm these days in every aspect of supply chain management. Unless you earn the trust, buy-in, and respect of the people you depend on to manage your supply chain effectively, especially in times of crisis, you’re not going to get very far as a leader.

Third, you can be an entrepreneur within your own company. Don’t sit around waiting for opportunities to come to you or for your manager to assign you your next project. Be proactive—identify an opportunity for innovation, do the research, build the business case, and then present it to your management team and say, “I am ready to lead this effort.”

Q What is your proudest professional achievement, and why? A My proudest professional achievement is starting my own company. It’s been almost nine years since I left the comfort of a relatively secure job and paycheck. My father was an entrepreneur; he and my uncles came from Cuba with nothing, and through much hard work and sacrifice, saved enough money to buy a bodega in Brooklyn and become their own bosses. In one of our last conversations before he died, he encouraged me to do the same.

That’s what I did, and even though I’m still rolling that boulder uphill, I am grateful for the trust and support I’ve received from clients and partners over the years. When someone I don’t know approaches me at a conference and thanks me for helping them learn something new about supply chain management via a post we published or a video we produced, it makes all the hard work worthwhile.