Tune in to the supply chain management podcast from Unleashed
As supply chains worldwide take a battering, SMEs are prioritising resilience. In this supply chain management podcast we unearth practical SME supply chain goodness. There are so many product SMEs out there fighting the good fight. They’re ambitious, agile and feisty. They love what they make. What are they doing to survive and thrive? Each episode features SME operation experts from those companies to share their techniques for weathering the disruption.
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The supply chain management podcast made with SME supply chain experts
Roundtable Series: Growth Tactics for a High-Cost Economy
Product businesses are still facing numerous challenges, with many translating into cost and cash flow pressures, and yet, our customers continue the good fight harnessing key strategies to help them thrive.
Meet the experts:
- Darren Glanville – Country Manager for UK and EMEA with Fathom.
- Dr Neil Keegan – Manufacturing and Operations Specialist.
- Phil Oakley - Managing Director of Outserve.
- Thomas Laird – Managing Director of Salt of the Earth Deodorants.
Short on time? Read a summary of this episode over on our blog.
Roundtable: Optimising Supply Chain Fulfilment
Growing online retail sales puts increased pressure on the supply chain and fulfilment industry, forcing the entire supply chain to look for ways to optimise processes. Retailers, fulfilment partners, and suppliers alike must enhance operations to meet demand.
Join our four experts from the ecommerce fulfilment industry to hear their thoughts and advice:
Meet the experts:
- Alex Townson – Head of Outsourced Supply Chain – YF an Unleashed Partner
- Beth Chapman – Managing Director – Starlinks Global a Mintsoft customer
- Daniel Hayward- Head of Operations – Candy Kittens an Unleashed customer
- Kate Lester – Founder – Diamond Logistics, a supplier to Unleashed customer TrueStart
Short on time? Read a summary of this episode over on our blog
Deep Dive: Josh Mordecai from Good and Proper Tea
Our deep dive sessions grant you exclusive access to a unique conversation with an admired brand or lesser-known trailblazer.
Josh has been at UK customer Good and Proper for over 7 years and not only heads up operations but also their sales arm. You’ve probably had a cup of Good and Proper tea if you’ve been to your local swanky cafe lately. 80% of their business is on-trade, or foodservice. This female-led team is on a mission to show the world how good tea can be, when it’s done right. Josh shares with us his demand forecasting wins, how he’s been protecting margins, the challenges of outsourced fulfilment and a massive sustainability conundrum in Darjeeling.
- Short on time or want to watch the full chat – Take a look at our blog.
Sustainability and the Manufacturing Supply Chain
Join the following experts as we share the latest sustainable thinking and practice:
- Emma Fromberg – Course Director at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainable Leadership
- Jessica Short – Operations & Finance Manager at TrueStart Coffee, UK
- Magnus Firth – Workshop Manager at Renewable Parts Ltd, UK
- Richard Singleton – Finance & Sustainability Director at Menzies LLP
Environmental and social sustainability have become staples of a successful modern firm in today’s business landscape. Investors and customers alike are demanding more transparency around how a company operates – making a sustainable supply chain essential to SMEs going forward.
- Short on time? Read a summary of this episode over on our blog
Deep Dive: Ed Williams from Candy Kittens
Our deep dive sessions grant you exclusive access to a unique conversation with an admired brand or lesser-known trailblazer. In this episode we sit down with co-founder of Candy Kittens, Ed Williams. Ed takes us through the early days; finding a manufacturer, punching above weight with their chosen tech stack, the positives behind HFSS regulation and his growth plans as they continue to lead the vegan sweet category.
Roundtable: Optimising the Manufacturing Supply Chain
Optimising your supply chain is a surefire way to create competitive advantage. But it’s a broad, fast-moving topic, so we’ve recruited customers and partners to share best practice and help find ways to refine operations, inventory, purchasing, and distribution.
The bottom line is, if you’re delivering products at lower costs with higher profit levels, you’re succeeding. Easy peasy yeah?
Meet the experts:
- Neil Keegan: Head of Manufacturing at Automata, robotic lab solutions in London
- Sam Walker: Systems Architect at Flowstore Systems, Lean manufacturing, engineering, production line and warehouse bespoke solutions in Uxbridge
- Alex Townson: Head of Outsourced Supply Chain at FY formally known as young foodies, an incubator and community for ambitious FMCG brands – in London
- Hugh Robinson: Transition and Transformation Senior Manager at flinder (a technology and data-led finance partner)
Roundtable: Staffing and Manufacturing Supply Chain
While technology has been a focus in supply chain management for many years, in the end successful supply chains depended on people. In this eighth Unleashed Supply Chain Management Roundtable we speak to a collection of experts and industry professionals on their approach to the challenges of staffing and skills management.
Meet the experts:
- Sergio Da Silva, Supply Chain Analyst, Flava Dot Global
- Phil Peters, Head of Supply Chain Services at YF
- Ned Neville-Rolfe, Head of Operations, Sapling Spirits
- Chris Willcock, Head of Brewing and Supply Chain Operations, 4 Pines Brewing Co.
Roundtable: Getting Demand Forecasting Right
Getting demand forecasting right can lead to better supplier relationships, increased customer satisfaction, and more capital to grow and scale your business without the need for surplus stock as a buffer. Join five SME manufacturing experts as they to unpack their approach to demand forecasting and share their challenges and best practice.
Meet the experts:
- Nicki Hawkins: Cost Accountant & Head of Purchasing – Ribeye Boats , premium leisure boats in Dartmouth, Devon.
- Mark Houghton : CEO at Radical Cloud Solutions , our cloud solution specialist in Zimbabwe.
- Katherine Rowlatt: Head of Operations for AFP Services Limited Ltd, business services for food and drinks brands based in Kettering.
- John Toon: Senior Manager, Tech Advisory Lead, Beever and Struthers – chartered accountants and business Advisors in Blackburn.
- James Trevelyan : Business Director at Circle One Surf Company near Exeter.
Roundtable: Improving Cash Flow in a Manufacturing Business
Product businesses are holding more stock than ever before, creating new cash flow problems for manufacturers. In our latest Supply Chain Roundtable, four supply chain experts share their advice on avoiding insolvency during turbulent times.
Meet the experts:
- Lauren Du Plooy: 14+ years of accounting experience, Partner at Rae and Associates – specialists in cloud-based accounting.
- James Ewing: Procurement Manager at Renewable Parts Ltd. with 20+ years of supply chain experience.
- Darren Glanville: Country Manager UK & EMEA at Fathom – a technology and data-led finance partner that builds and runs smart finance functions.
- Tim Wright: Founder of two medical equipment manufacturing companies and currently MD of Langcroft Consultancy – specialists in digital transformation.
Roundtable: Crafting a Recession Fit Supply Chain
With economic conditions tightening product companies worldwide are focusing afresh on efficiencies and cost savings in their supply chains. For our latest Supply Chain Roundtable we asked four leading experts for advice on crafting a recession-ready supply chain strategy.
Meet our expert panel:
- Fatima Salhab: Portfolio CFO & eCommerce sector leader-from flinder – a smart finance functions and data analytics solution.
- Michael Von Euw: ex Operations Manager for Edinburgh Tea and Coffee and now MD of Kontroll Solutions – which provides inventory, financial & e-commerce consultancy.
- Dave Pickburn: CEO and Founder of Stream – logistics, vehicle and transport management software.
- Dominic Sutton: Co-founder at StockTrim – smart inventory forecasting software built for SMEs
Roundtable: Net Zero and the SME Manufacturing Supply Chain
Ambitious Net Zero goals set by the UK government have met with mixed responses from the UK business community – especially in the context of rising energy and raw materials prices.
For the Unleashed Roundtable Series we spoke to 5 UK SME leaders to get their views on Net Zero goals, and its effects on their business operations.
Meet our expert panel:
- Doug Clark is Co-Founder and Director at Jenier World of Teas, a wholesale Supplier of 400 loose leaf teas or biodegradable tea bags.
- Nic Fordham is Head of Operations at Southwestern Distillery, home of the World’s Best Gin TARQUINSGIN.com
- Sam Gilks is a Supply Chain Consultant at Young Foodies, which offers services to FMCG challenger brands.
- Denis Kelleher is CEO of Good Culture Kombucha – the world’s leading distributor of freshly fermented organic kombucha ingredients.
- Thomas Robson-Kanu is Co-Founder and CEO of The Turmeric Co.
Roundtable: Supply Chain Tactics for Winning in Europe
Over the last 18 months at Unleashed we’ve seen first-hand many of our customers setting up operations and warehouses closer to their European customers in order to sidestep the additional paperwork, bureaucracy, and charges they and their customers face.
Meet our expert panel:
- Doug Clark is Co-Founder and Director at Jenier World of Teas, a wholesale Supplier of 400 loose leaf teas or biodegradable tea bags.
- Nic Fordham is Head of Operations at Southwestern Distillery, home of the World’s Best Gin TARQUINSGIN.com
- Sam Gilks is a Supply Chain Consultant at Young Foodies, which offers services to FMCG challenger brands.
- Denis Kelleher is CEO of Good Culture Kombucha – world’s leading distributor of freshly fermented organic kombucha ingredients.
- Thomas Robson-Kanu is Co-Founder and CEO of The Tumeric Co. with 35g of fresh raw turmeric root in each each shot.
Roundtable: Scaling in a Compromised Supply Chain
In this next episode, we ask our experts how to maintain system agility when your business is scaling in a compromised supply chain.
Meet our expert panel:
- Daniel Bull-Clearie is Head of Supply Chain at Mara Seaweed, an Unleashed Customer that makes seaweed products.
- Sam Gilks is a Supply Chain Consultant at Young Foodies, which offers services to FMCG challenger brands.
- Philip Oakley is Managing Director of Outserve, an Unleashed partner that provides software integration services.
- David Press is Head of Operations at Three Spirit, another customer which produces plant-based alcohol alternatives.
- Ben Vear is General Manager (EMEA) for Minor Figures, an Unleashed customer that specialises in oat milk and coffee products.
Roundtable: Supply Chain Resilience and Mitigating Risk
Supply chains worldwide have taken a battering over the last couple of years, and with disruptions set to continue, it’s no surprise that SMEs are prioritising supply chain resilience as they plan ahead.
With lead times multiplying, shipping costs ballooning, and some raw materials simply unavailable, what are the best supply chain strategies for SMEs? We asked five experienced SME supply chain professionals for their top techniques for weathering supply chain disruption.
Meet our expert panel:
- Daniel Bull-Clearie is Head of Supply Chain at Mara Seaweed, an innovative UK-based seaweed brand.
- Sam Gilks is a Supply Chain Consultant at Young Foodies, which offers services and opportunities for collaboration to FMCG challenger brands.
- Philip Oakley is Managing Director of Outserve, an Unleashed partner that provides software integration services.
- David Press is Head of Operations at Three Spirit, which produces a range of plant-based alternatives to alcohol.
- Ben Vear is General Manager (EMEA) for Minor Figures, which manufactures oat milk and coffee-based products.