Good ideas stem from meeting at watering holes

By Staff -- Modern Materials Handling, 1/1/2001

Believe it or not, the automotive industry should take a closer look at what happens at watering holes on the Serengeti plains of Africa. That's according to Tom Schaefer, managing director of the Industrial Supply Chain Solutions Group at Intermec Technologies Corp., in a recent keynote case study presentation to the IT Executive Forum in Dearborn, Mich.

Schaefer used the watering hole analogy to explain the need to lower barriers between sometimes competing organizations for the good of the entire automotive industry.

He went on to say, "In order to enhance the prosperity and productivity of the automotive industry, OEM suppliers and vendors must come together and cooperate to improve the capabilities of the supply base...It's similar to the cooperation seen among diverse animal species at a watering hole. All the animals need it. All respect it. All accept a set of common practices in an effort to improve their lot."

He cited the new General Motors GM 1724 shipping label template as an example of what can happen when cooperation exists. Schaefer praised members of the AIAG in coming together to standardize on a specific set of one- and two-dimensional bar codes that are an essential feature of the label template.