Digital supply chains helping in an uncertain world - a chat with Hans Thalbauer (@HansThalbauer)

Send me a messageMy guest on this episode of the Digital Supply Chain podcast is Hans Thalbauer  (@HansThalbauer). Hans leads go to market and sales for Digital Supply chain for SAP globally.Hans and I attended the African SAP User Group conference Saphila and I sat in on Han’s presentation where he talked about how Digital Supply Chains can help organisations in times of uncertainty. I found his presentation fascinating, so I asked him to come on the show to talk about it.At 00:44 I asked Hans to summarise the talk he gave - why the times we are in are uncertain, and how Digital Supply Chains can help organisationsAt 01:18 Hans replied talking about the kinds of volatility you see all the time in supply chains - weather events, earthquakes, etc. He also talked about some of the extraordinary geopolitical events that are unfolding right now and how they impact supply chains. Hans talked about how organisations can not only use digital supply chains not only to help cope with these events but to use them as an opportunity to thrive in this uncertainty.At 04:52 I asked Hans what solutions Digital Supply Chains have that can help companies survive/thrive volatilityAt 05:02 Hans replied that companies need to be digitally connected with business partners, connected with assets “the things” (Internet of Things), and connected with customer data (possibly even experience data).At 09:34 I asked Hans how we move from a situation where 5-10% of things and partners are connected to 100%, and how do we then handle the huge influx of data this will createAt 09:56 Hans explained that this needs to happen in a stepwise fashion with the steps dependent on each individual companies business and prioritiesAT 11:58 I asked how we can encourage the 90% of partners that are not digitally connected, to connectAnd at 12:08 Hans pointed out that now we are in a situation where it is far easier to connect that it was in the pastAt 13:59 I asked how long it would be before the vast majority of partners and the things are connectedAt 14:07 Hans said that it will happen in some regions before others At 16:41 I asked Hans if there was any question I hadn’t asked him which he thought I should haveAt 16:56 Hans replied that not only is volatility an issue, but innovation in business processes is also just as important to watch. Particularly the increasing sustainability targets that organisations are setting themselves.  If you want to know more about any of SAP's Digital Supply Chain solutions, head on over to www.sap.com/digitalsupplychain and if you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it. Thanks.Support the showPodcast supportersI'd like to sincerely thank this podcast's generous Subscribers:Alicia FaragKieran OgnevGary LynchAnd remember you too can become a Resilient Supply Chain+ subscriber  - it is really easy and hugely important as it will enable me to continue to create more excellent episodes like this one and give you access to bonus episodes of topical, timely supply chain resilience analysis.🎤 Looking for a keynote speaker on supply chain resilience, AI, and sustainability?I help leaders understand the forces reshaping global supply chains, from geopolitical disruption and climate risk to AI and real-time decision-making. Download my Speaker Pack: https://tinyurl.com/spkrpckFinallyIf you have any comments/suggestions or questions for the podcast - feel free to just send me a direct message on LinkedIn, or send me a message using this link.If you liked this show, please don't forget to rate and/or review it. It makes a big difference to help new people discover it. Thanks for listening.