“What drew me to supply chain is there is no ‘typical day.’”

February 21, 20171 minute read

— Mary Long, AWESOME Advisor and Managing Director of University of San Diego’s Supply Chain Management Institute (SCMI) in an interview with the San Diego Business Journal.

When reporter Brad Graves asked her to describe a “typical day” in supply chain, Mary answered, “It’s always hard to answer ‘typical day’ questions in supply chain. Actually, what drew me to the field is that it’s not a typical day. Some days you go in and it’s a crisis, and you are firefighting. And the next day you go in and you’re thinking five years out, and planning.”

She also said, “Supply chain is all about doing the right things, and doing things right.

“So doing the right things: Supply chains, effective ones, have to operate as the growth enablers and they have to drive efficiencies. Those things are what you’re focused on, trying to help within the company or the organization.

“And then doing things right are the harder things but you see them when you walk a floor and process. And that is (about) how team members are treated. It’s safety. It’s quality. And it’s sustainability.”