Apple Just Became One of Ford's Key Suppliers. Every B2B Company Should Take Notes.

Apple just announced MapKit for Automotive, a set of developer tools that put Apple Maps directly inside a vehicle's dashboard. Ford is the first automaker to sign on. The feature debuts in Ford's next generation of electric vehicles, starting with a $30,000 truck in 2027. It feeds live road data into Ford's BlueCruise hands-free driving system and powers battery preconditioning that warms the pack before a charging stop. In this episode, Soren Kaplan breaks down what the Apple-Ford deal reveals about who actually creates value in a B2B supply chain. Fresh off keynoting Ford's Global Supplier Summit for 500 suppliers, Soren argues the suppliers that matter most now design for their customer's customer, not just the company that signs the check. Soren lays out three moves for any supplier: trace your product all the way to the person who actually uses it, find and own the one moment in that person's experience your product shapes, and bring your customer an innovation that will delight their own customers before they ask for it. Subscribe and listen on: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLU3e5k8HJeOGEa7AGA97kvVjtpi6uqG0t Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/033iseLQje3RnPGqUlh2I8?si=cb19276a3c68459d Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/leapfrogging-the-headlines-with-soren-kaplan/id1896880297 View original on Inc. Magazine: Suppliers Competing on Price Are Losing the Real Game. Apple’s Ford Deal Shows What Wins