There’s still time to register for the 2021 AIAG Supply Chain + International Trade Summit, quickly approaching next week on September 9th. With the theme “Connecting the Links of the Supply Chain: Leveraging the Power of Process, Technology, and Change,” this virtual event explores a range of current and emerging trends with a lineup of the automotive industry’s strongest supply chain leaders and experts.
Carla Bailo, president and CEO of the Center for Automotive Research, will kick off the Summit with a global industry update on trends and an outlook for automotive through 2030. Her remarks will cover the importance of sustainability initiatives in the industry and the crucial need for greater supply chain resiliency. The talk will also include a discussion of electric and connected vehicle penetration, polices and regulations, incentives, and the consumer education needed to promote adoption of these vehicles.
“We have to carefully rethink everything,” Bailo says. “This is a complex situation that needs a whole ecosystem to solve.”
Speaker Chris Connor has over 38 years of experience in international shipping and logistics. He currently serves as president and CEO of the American Association of Port Authorities. “The 800-lb gorilla in the room is the congestion of the freight network,” he says. “Ports are essential to the supply chain. If you can’t get the technology you need to build your cars, that has a big impact on the industry.”
Connor will discuss the “pandemic-inspired supply chain disruption” that our industry is still battling, what weaknesses in our supply chain have been exposed, and how we can make the supply chain more efficient.
GM’s Dave Leich says the last 18 months have been unlike anything he’s seen in over 30 years working in automotive. As executive director, global purchasing and supply chain, Leich will speak candidly to attendees about 2021 supply chain challenges and resiliency. “The supply chain needs to be more resilient. There’s a lack of robust risk management and tools,” he says. “We need better visibility across the supply chain and sub-tiers. These things have to be a top priority.”
Leich is going to wrap up the Summit with a discussion on the compounding challenges the automotive industry has faced over the last 18 months and what our way out will look like. “We’ve been in crisis management mode, and in crisis mode, relationships definitely matter.” Leich says. “We will talk about the importance of the relationship between OEMs and suppliers, and how building and leveraging these relationships is critical in times like these.”
Register here for next week’s AIAG Supply Chain + International Summit, September 9, 2021, featuring your choice of 16 presentations as well as multiple networking opportunities.
