Issue link: http://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/847384
a model that offers curated products to online customers. Chung, Barraco and panelist Bob Riccoboni, SVP supply chain with Kenneth Cole, agreed on a handful of factors when it comes to empowering your supply chain. Specifically: Reduce product development time by breaking down the walls of decision-making; build trust with your suppliers, and foster collaboration. Said Barraco: "First thing to do is change the mindset of the organization. Get rid of the silos and get everyone on the same page. Speak the same language. Educate design teams to the business aspects and sales numbers." Responsible Sourcing The conference kicked off with a keynote by VF Corp. execs that confirmed the belief that sustain- ability is now a full blanket approach. Tom Glaser, VP, VF Corp. and president of Supply Chain, said that while VF was not affiliated with the tragedy, the Rana Plaza factory fire in Bangladesh in 2013 prompted internal soul searching, and "how as an industry we can do better." The result is a new VF umbrella program called Responsible Sourcing, built on four pillars: worker well being inside the factory; product stewardship; environmental sustainability and sustainable living environ- ments. Glazer described the global initiative and comprehensive coverage as "the ideal plant model and a roadmap to run a great factory." Sean Cady, VP, global supply chain for VF, who oversees the Responsible Sourcing department, with its 60 employees, described the financial investment as "in the eight figures." The scope of VF's sourcing is impressive. Consider that the company produces 1.5M units daily, and has 1.2M people working in 775 factories. In addition to the worker and product initia- tives, the program also includes "Chem-IQ," a cost effective screening for chemical management that allows VF to rule out harmful substances from the very start of the sourcing chain. The program has trained 900 factories with 7,500 chemical samples and had 507 tons of harmful substance removed. A brand new initiative is called LABS, which stands for Life and Building Safety. This will go into effect in priority production countries includ- ing India and Vietnam this year and in Pakistan and Cambodia during 2018. O textileinsight.com July/August 2017 ~ Textile Insight • 47 The roster of issues facing sourcing execs today is daunting. Bryan Wolfe, VP, International Trade, ANN, INC, lists these areas of concern: Global political uncertainty Tweet du jour format Tax reform wait U.S./China tension Need for diversified sourcing to meet speed to market trends State of logistic in flux; "Do we have a peak season anymore?" Carrier services disrupted; Airlines being banned from certain countries. Digital obsession & the rise of data analytics A shift toward Millennial shopping at retail An over-arching need to tap new talents and skill sets TOP 10 SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES