MODEX C-Suite Q&A: Jim Barnes, CEO at EnVista

Jim Barnes, CEO, EnVista

Q: What is your number one takeaway from Modex 2022?

Jim Barnes: That distributors, retailers and brands that are focused on both digital and physical commerce, and are managing the expectation of the customer end-to-end, will come out ahead. What makes Amazon powerful and where companies need to catch up or at least aspire to be is its ability to manage customer expectations, and physically deliver on those promises. The coupling of both the digital experience that you have as a consumer and its ability to drive operational excellence to delight you, is really what makes it unique. And although you may not catch up with Amazon, it definitely has to be an aspiration.

Q: What are the three key market trends from your perspective?

Jim Barnes: Due to the labor shortage, we’re going to continue to see a significant emphasis on automation projects and facility designs that quite frankly are not reliant on people. Companies that are hesitant to invest in automation are being forced to evaluate or implement automation to tackle the labor shortage.

You’re also going to see a lot of clients digitizing their supply chains and using the construct of order management systems (OMS) to help bridge the gap between the physical and the digital.
Finally, we’ll see continued investment in autonomous, driverless or driver-assisted vehicles today to move freight. This industry is plagued by labor shortages and fuel impacts, so everyone is looking for alternative ways to move freight that are more autonomous and that will rely on alternative sources of energy beyond petroleum and diesel.

Q: How is enVista responding to these market trends?

Jim Barnes: enVista has invested significantly in our automation business with the procurement of a systems integrator last year that was highly focused on robotics automation. That expands our core capabilities and competencies to help clients within the “four walls” with distribution and DC optimization. We’ll continue to double down on automation capabilities in engineering controls, mechanical, and electrical, to become really a full-fledged systems integrator.

We also have a Tier One order management platform that is recognized by Forrester as one of the top seven OMS solution providers. We’re not just a pure play software company or consulting firm. We’re one of the few firms in the market that does both, so we can take an objective viewpoint to achieve the business outcomes and results that just happen to use enabling technology based on our own intellectual property.