Walks on West Cliff
In a Rapidly Changing Global Supply Chain, the Fundamentals Still Matter.
– Featuring John Daker, VP, Ops at Alveo Technologies and Global Supply Chain Leader
As John and I walked a sunny West Cliff Drive, one theme kept surfacing from his depth of experience working with global manufacturing partners: even as technology accelerates, the core principles of building resilient supply chains remain largely unchanged.
Spending time on factory floors and in supplier conference rooms delivers valuable perspectives that reports and automation can’t capture. The fundamentals still matter.
🔗 Relationships Over Transactions
John shared what he believes is a universal truth in Supply Chain:
“When things get tough, the purchase order won’t save you, the relationship will.”
Yes, we can automate, digitize, and forecast with increasing precision. But when a line stops or shipments stall, recovery almost always comes down to the trust built long before the crisis, including:
- A late-night call that gets answered
- A supplier willing to reprioritize your work
- A partner who escalates early because they trust you will handle it fairly
These are all human decisions that no automated report, dashboard or AI can replace.
👣 Being There Still Matters
In an increasingly digital world, nothing builds understanding and trust quite like being there in-person.
- Walking the line
- Meeting operators
- Sitting down with supplier teams
- Sharing a meal with the people supporting your business
These moments reveal context, surface risk, and expose opportunities in ways that dashboards never will.
Presence → understanding → alignment → improvement
That alignment is often what keeps production moving through both good and bad times.
🛠 Tools Change. Core Principles Don’t.
John noted that the best organizations embrace new technology while doubling down on enduring fundamentals:
- Trusted relationships
- Clear communication
- Shared expectations
- Reliable and repeatable processes
- Mutual accountability
- Meaningful metrics
- Long-term partnerships
Technology can support these principles, but it can’t replace them.
🎯 Takeaway: The Real Competitive Differentiator
In a world shaped by geopolitical uncertainty, shifting trade dynamics, and constant cost pressure, resilience comes from building strong connections, and not from automation and AI.
The best supply chains are:
- Trusted
- Collaborative
- Human
Because when things get hard, it’s the fundamentals, and the trusted relationships behind them, that carry you through.
👉 What fundamentals matter most in your experience?
