Supply Chain Metrics that Matter

Chapter 9The Smoke Clears

The room was packed and stuffy. Cigar smoke filled the air as the paddles of the ceiling fans slowly turned. The applause went on and on….

At times, it was to the point that Joe felt overwhelmed and a bit awkward sitting alone on the hard wooden chair in the center of the stage at the U.S. embassy. As he looked at the faces in the audience, memories of Project Orbit flashed in his mind. It took five years of planning and two years of hard work in Brazil to launch the new program. Today, he had the opportunity to celebrate success; but, as a humble guy, Joe struggled with accolades. Being in the limelight was hard for him, as he was more comfortable doing the work than telling others about it. At this moment, he was looking forward to the event being over, and getting home to see his son's ballgame. He was only here today at Filipe's urging.

As he waited for the applause to subside, he smiled and glanced at his well-worn brown briefcase, shoved hastily into the corner of the stage behind the black drapery. The handle was frayed, and the mottled leather now sported a badly stained patina finish. Over the course of the past two years, the briefcase traveled many miles as Joe defined the new operations in Brazil. He had trained a new team and started up a series of manufacturing centers and distribution hubs. The work with the Brazilian distributors and the use of daily channel data on a daily frequency underpinned his success.

Tucked inside the briefcase ...