AbcSupplyChain

Download my 20+ Free Excel Templates 🎁 -SCM Kpis -Inventory Management -Forecasting -Salary Calculator -SCM Assessment Enjoy 👇 #excel #supplychain #kpis #inventorymanagement #forecasting

On the 27th of Dec 2016, I started the original blog of AbcSupplyChain in his Flat in Australia 🦘 After 1 year of sabbatical traveling, Erik de Boisgrollier welcomed me at 22 Ashburner Street, Manly Beach 🏝️ It was a life dream to live in Australia. I ended up getting a flat in the same building as Erik ;-) While commuting on my ferry from the Northern Beaches to Sydney Harbor, I started posting about my work in supply chain and operations. My initial intention was to share the simple tools and methods I was using in my daily life to help. This blog became a YouTube channel in French 🥐 then English. While sharing waves and sunset drinks, we discussed our creative journey. I was always amazed by his ability to crunch big data into simple insights accessible to everyone, regardless of the topic (Operations, Retail, Politics, Real estate, Telecommunications, etc.). Seeing companies spend vast amounts of money on software when a good old spreadsheet and a data visualization tool could sometimes do the job. We even considered starting a Business Intelligence and AI business called "Small Data." 🚀 After 2 years, I quit my job as a Director to dedicate myself fully to this project as a consultant and teacher. A few years later, AbcSupplyChain became the online school for experts and leaders in 98+ countries. The more we were getting popular, the more I was running the operation, the less I was creating 😮💨 This time has changed ✋ I am super happy to officially announce that Erik is now the COO of AbcSupplyChain 🎉 We are back together again! What is Erik going to bring to AbcSupplyChain? -Improving the learning experience & methods for our members -Sharing is brilliant expertise in Operations, Big Data, BI & Machine learning -Launching our new SCM Expert Team Learning program for business -And a few other secret projects 🤫 What does it change for me? -I will focus more on exploration, creation, and connecting with our community. -Explore & simplify new models to re-invent a better way of working and living together. -Be more open to sharing my personal growth experience as an entrepreneur & creator -With my methodical, optimistic, and croissant touch 🥐 I can't wait to see your magic and enjoy the waves of life with you and the team 🌊 👨👩👦👦 #AbcSupplyChain #Entrepreneur #Career

Assess your Supply Chain Skills in less than 10 minutes 📊 I scored 97%. What is your score? 👀 (free) 👉 Start your test here: https://lnkd.in/ez-DbVjg Receive a complete report with your strengths & weaknesses ⚖️ And my recommendation to boost your career and become Expert 🚀 Enjoy, Edouard #SupplyChain #Skills #Assessment

13 Supply Chain Strategic Skills 🛠️ 4 changed my life. Here is why 👇 There are 3 categories of skills: 1️⃣ The Outsourced Skills 🚚 Generally outsourced in most companies, these skills are still interesting to understand.  However, I do not recommend spending too much time on them, as they might limit or slow down your career. For example, areas like transportation or warehousing, though fundamental in logistics, are often outsourced and do not always come from the core of a company’s added value. 2️⃣ The Complementary Skills 🌟 These skills enrich your profile, make it more attractive, and can be very useful depending on your sector. For instance, mastering Lean Six Sigma Manufacturing can be crucial for the Car Industry but less relevant in retail. Mastering a tool like SAP or Power BI is relevant only if the company uses it.  However, it's very difficult to master all the tools. Just for SAP, there are so many different versions, that it's better to learn it with the company directly. 3️⃣ The Key Skills 🔑 These key skills are relevant whatever the sector, size or location of your company. You will use them for the rest of your life. The first 4 skills have changed my life. 1) Excel and Data Manipulation 📊 I was Mister Excel before becoming Mister Supply Chain. Over 1.2 billion people use Excel, regardless of their professional environment. Excel is the universal language of data in business. This tool has always allowed me to stand out by immediately adding value, simplifying, and automating processes, making me quickly indispensable. 2) SCM Analytics (KPIS, Dashboard, Analysis) 📈 This includes not only the use of Excel but also the ability to synthesize, identify the right indicators, and create effective decision-making dashboards. 3) Inventory Management 📦 Any company selling products must manage its inventory. This often underestimated skill is crucial, especially in the context of rising costs, inflation, and cash flow issues. I have personally reduced over 1 billion USD in stock in my companies using fairly simple calculations. 4) Demand Forecasting 🔮 Increasingly crucial in an uncertain world, this skill provides visibility to companies and optimizes resource allocation. These four skills have allowed me to quickly become an expert and a leader in my companies and with my clients. Here's a fifth one👇 5) Project Management📝 Every company has to improve and transform. We need project leaders everywhere, all the time (full-time or part-time) as project manager or consultant. My 2 project management certification training didn't really help me to improve this expertise, to be honest.  The more you lead projects, small or big, the better you get. What is the most strategic skill for you?🤷♂️ Edouard PS: With AbcSupplyChain, I have created 4 programs to master these strategic skills in a few weeks only. There is a special gift until Friday only (check our website) #supplychain #skills

My webinar from last week is now on YT. I wish I had seen this earlier in my career to have more clarity 🎯 A BIG THANK YOU for the 588 participants and the 1138 messages you sent us 😳  It was intense & fun! Here is what we covered together: -The "7 Pillars Method" I used to become an SCM Expert and Leader -10 Strategic Hard and Soft Skills you should focus on and how to master them -The jobs you should target to fast-track your career and the ones to avoid -Best Sectors and Career Paths I recommend -The strategy to Increase your Salary in 2024 👇 Leave me a comment if you want to receive our new SCM Skills Assessment shared during the live. (complete report with your strengths and weaknesses) Enjoy! Edouard #Career #SupplyChain #Strategy

Getting the job you want is not only a matter of having the most prestigious Master's or MBA. 🎖️ I identified 7 pillars that help get the jobs, freedom & salary you deserve. I will share the full strategy details during my free live webinar next week 1️⃣ Be Clear About Your Desired Job and Why Many professionals I coach are unclear about their long-term aspirations. What do you want to become? 🔸 Director or CEO? 🔸 Supply Chain Expert? 🔸 Consultant? 🔸 Factory Operations Manager? 🔸 Freelance with work-life balance? Supply Chain & Operations can be confusing (I was lost too 😜) Clarify WHAT you want and WHY to define your next steps. 2️⃣ Have the Right Diploma and Certifications Degrees like an MBA or Master’s can open doors but don’t guarantee long-term success. Consider: 🔹 Avoiding debt for prestigious degrees to prevent poor career choices. 🔹 Continuous learning and self-reinvention. 🔹 Holding a master’s degree to stay competitive. 🔹 Earning certifications in data analytics, forecasting, and inventory management. More on strategic skills coming soon. 3️⃣ Gain the Right Experience Experience with reputable companies & jobs is vital: 🔸 Choose roles in respected companies & sectors. 🔸 Engage in projects that build skills. 🔸 Focus on technical and interpersonal skills. 🔸 Surround yourself with inspiring mentors & managers Early in my career, I chose a lower-paying job at Decathlon over a prestigious consulting company in Paris. I made 40% less to focus on growth, and I don’t regret it. I’ll share this story next week. Stay tuned! 4️⃣ Master Strategic Hard Skills Mastering technical skills in supply chain and operations is essential: 🔹 Identify and excel in crucial technical skills. 🔹 Aim to be among the top 5% of skill experts in your company. 🔹 Focus on data analytics, automation, tools creation 🔹 Continuously update your skills. I’ll share a list of key technical skills that boosted my career soon. 5️⃣ Cultivate Essential Soft Skills Technical skills aren’t enough; focus on irreplaceable interpersonal skills like: 🔸 Communication 🔸 Emotional intelligence 🔸 Time Management (Focus 20/80) 🔸 Stress management Seek feedback to develop these skills. 6️⃣ Become a Top Performer, Consistently Deliver Results 🔹 Focus on improvements and the value you bring. 🔹 Identify impactful areas like service quality, cash optimization, and cost reduction. 🔹 Be precise with goals and consistently deliver value. 🔹 Communicate your performance regularly. I’ll share the Human Resource matrix for identifying potential top performers soon. 7️⃣ Have the Right Career Strategy, Be Proactive 🔸 Don’t wait for others to plan for you. 🔸 Develop a clear plan based on your strengths and weaknesses. 🔸 Identify skills to develop and learn every year 🔸 Ensure a clear career plan with your company and outside 🔸 Create an attractive CV & LinkedIn profile For more in-depth advice, join my free LIVE webinar next week (see first comment)

Forecasting is not only about finding the perfect mathematical formula 🔮 Here are the 8 Steps I recommend following👇 1️⃣ Clarify your goals 🎯 - Why do you need a forecast? - Which level of temporality (per day? per week? month?) - Which level of granularity? Item, product category, department? - Which location? global level, country, store or factory? - What is your forecast horizon? - Who is responsible to forecast? Sales, Finance, SCM? 2️⃣ Collect & Transform Data ⛽️ - Identify the key data inputs (you don't need much) - Find the data source (or the right person to help you) - Extract the data - Clean the data - Merge the data into one unique base (avoid multiple files) - Don’t wait for data perfection to start forecasting ;-) 3️⃣ Choose the Forecasting Model(s) 🔮 - Top Down or Bottom up forecast? (I recommend both) - Assess your forecasting maturity level - Start simple with Excel, with naive & statistical forecasts - Train & Test 3 different forecasting models you already know - Track accuracy with demand history (train & test groups)  - Repeat the process with more products - Select the most accurate models 4️⃣ Forecast (Baseline, New Products, Promotions…) 👨💻 - Start with the level (like average demand per week) - Then include the trend of the product category ( +10% this year) - Then the seasonality cycle (Xmas peak) - Then start adding value to your forecast (FVA)  - Promotional events - New products  - Standardize all the data inputs from Sales, Marketing... 5️⃣ Measure, Analyze, Review 📊 - Track forecast accuracy (MAE/MAD or RMSE if ML) - Focus your review on the main errors in value, not % - Analyze root cause analysis and outliers - Improve your forecasting model and data inputs - Override the forecast if necessary - Repeat this process every week & month 6️⃣ Automate your Process ⚙️ - Automate data extraction  - Automate data cleaning & merging  - Automate the update of your file & forecast - Use your file as specifications to update your ERP - Or stay in Excel, it's ok if fully automated with Power Query 7️⃣ Empower your Teams 📣 - Don't stay behind your laptop, shine in your company - Communicate your progress (good & bad results) - Become the forecasting facilitator: the S&OP manager - Align all departments toward one unique forecast - Train & educate everyone about your new process - Collaborate with your big clients & suppliers: win-win approach - Empower your team and delegate 8️⃣ Prepare the Future 🤖 - Explore new methods of forecasting - Forecast with Python (Python just arrived in Excel ;-) - Forecast with Machine Learning - Try a forecasting software - Never stop learning with Experts 9️⃣ Celebrate each step of your progress with a good croissant 🥐 This 8 steps process is a quick overview of what we teach with our training Forecasting Expert. You can master this process in a few weeks by joining us below 👇 https://lnkd.in/eYv7RPEA #forecasting #demandplanning

We just made accessible our Forecasting MasterClass with my friend Mario, Amazon Machine Learning Expert: Chapters & Timestamps below 👇 1. How we became Forecasting Experts 👨🏫 04:30 2. How to deal with demand uncertainty 🎢 09:25 3. Who should own the forecasting process in your company 👨👩👦👦 24:25 4. What data input do we need to forecast 30:58 5. How to forecast with inaccurate data 🤹 30:58 6. How to choose the best forecasting model 📊 36:22 7. How to select the best tool/ERP to forecast ⚙️ 43:35 8. How to improve your accuracy in 4 weeks: Forecasting process 🚀 47:37 9. The 8 steps process to forecasting excellence 🏆 56:32 10. The future of Sales Forecasting (our predictions) 🔮 1:06:50 You can watch our full webinar here: https://lnkd.in/ezBMaT4j Thank you Mario Vitofrancesco for sharing your Wisdom and Down-to-Earth approach with our community. It was a fun Live! 🙌 Enjoy! Edouard PS: Mario and I also created the Forecasting Expert Method. You can join us until Friday at a more accessible price. #forecasting #demandplanning #machinelearning

What are the Most-Paid Jobs in the Supply Chain? Here is an overview with my 5 takeaways to be part of it 🚀 1️⃣ The more data your job has, the more money you get paid  These core skills are the most strategic if you desire to lead the supply chain one day: -Forecasting -Demand Planning -Data & Performance Analytics -Inventory Management -Sales & Operation Planning (S&OP) 2️⃣ The more your job can be outsourced, the less you get paid: -Logistics -Transportation, -Import/Export -Client Relations Management -Warehousing jobs They have a lot of competition and lower salaries. Remember to explore the core skills & jobs above to open more opportunities in the supply chain world. Or specialized in a niche to avoid competition, like Pharmaceutical Transportation or Luxury Import/Export 3️⃣ Procurement is part of the Supply Chain; however, it is not necessarily managed by the Supply Chain Director. It depends on the core activity of the company: -Buying -Manufacturing -Transforming -Distributing -Selling I led the procurement as a manager & director in FMCG/Retail business; however, I do not come from a Buyer/Sourcing background.  I would not be relevant for a C-level procurement position in the energy industry, for example. Select wisely your industry if you expect to become a Procurement Director or Supply Chain Director. 4️⃣ Including project management experience in your supply chain operational journey can boost your career. -I spent 8 years of my career in Operations -8 years with internal Projects & client Consulting As a leader, we expect you to achieve operational excellence AND transform your organization. 5️⃣You don't have to lead a team to have a high salary.  Being an Expert is becoming more and more valuable if you can automate and simplify everything. Being a manager can be stressful, too; staying in your magic zone is the best way to enjoy your professional journey. I will share more about it in my next post; stay tuned 🔜 Let me know if you want me to share more about this topic and your perspective about it 👀 Cheers, Edouard PS: You can find our complete SCM Jobs & Salaries guide in my first comment below 👇