60 Seconds with Rick Blasgen, Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals

Rick Blasgen

Title: CEO

Company: Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP)

Location: Lombard, Ill.

Experience: 40 years in supply chain management, including 15 years as CEO of CSCMP. Blasgen began his career at Nabisco, where he spent 17 years, including five years as vice president of supply chain for Nabisco and Kraft. From 2003 until 2005, he served as senior vice president of integrated logistics at ConAgra Foods.

Modern: You’re retiring as CEO of CSCMP after 15 years. Why don’t you share a little about your career?

Blasgen: I graduated from college with a finance degree, and my first job was as an inventory analyst in the logistics department at Nabisco. At the time, I didn’t really know what that was, but I thought I’d go make Oreos. Over the years, I worked my way through all the different functions in logistics and supply chain; and 17 years later, I was running the supply chain for Kraft Foods in North America after the merger with Nabisco.

I spent several years at ConAgra before joining CSCMP in 2005. I’m sometimes asked how to navigate a supply chain career. What I learned is that you need to take advantage of the opportunities presented to you, and then hone your management skills, your technical skills and your leadership skills and you have a career. In my case, it was in supply chain management, and I’ve loved it ever since.

Modern: How has the profession advanced during your career?

Blasgen: When I entered the field, logistics was all about cost control and trying to expand your markets with decentralized distribution systems with a little bit of emphasis on service. Today, supply chain management is much more of a strategic platform to manage the effective and efficient flow of inventory, and the information that’s associated with it from manufacturing all the way to consumption. It’s become a strategic focus for companies to advance their ability to delight their customers, survive these tough times, and grow their businesses.

Modern: How is technology changing the profession?

Blasgen: When I began managing inventory, interest rates were high and CFOs were asking why we had all this inventory that just sits there. Today, because of software tools, we are so much better at forecasting and inventory placement and all of that. When I look at the emerging tools, I think artificial intelligence and machine learning are going to allow us to replace what we think is going to happen with what will happen with a high probability of success because we have so much data we can crunch so much faster. I also think that as robotics come down in price, we’ll be using them to replace many of the redundant activities that labor would normally do. We don’t hear as much about blockchain, but a lot of pilots are going on. And finally, I think there’s an opportunity in transportation. Supply chain is still about moving physical assets, and we’re going to have to think about how we can use technology to address the truck driver shortage.

Modern: CSCMP focuses on people. What will be the role of the supply chain professional in the future?

Blasgen: The future leader will have to have experience across all the functions in the supply chain. That’s what I tell young people coming into the discipline. An understanding of finance is going to be critical, and today’s most successful senior leaders have that already. And, I believe we have to develop goals and objectives that allow people to work together to improve the total supply chain and not be in conflict with one another. That sounds obvious, but man, that’s not how big companies are wired.

If you’re managing a global supply chain, you really do have to understand different markets, regulations and what’s happening from a geopolitical point of view. Supply chain leaders are becoming true business leaders. Finally, I think interpersonal skills are critical. We have to be able to communicate in terms and nomenclature that our partners understand. Future leaders will have to focus on those things.