My 4 Biggest Takeaways from Kinexions ‘22
Last week, Mike Raftery and I had the pleasure of attending the annual Kinaxis supply chain innovator’s conference, Kinexions ‘22. This event was fantastic opportunity to learn about innovative product developments, align on the Kinaxis strategic vision, and hear how customers have successfully navigated challenges over the past two years. Here are my 4 biggest takeaways from this year’s Kinexions event:
Planning.AI
Perhaps the most exiting product development announced at Kinexions this year was Planning.AI. It's a breakthrough in the combination of technology and technique and will change how organizations apply advanced algorithms to supply chain planning. This unique approach involves the intersection of heuristics, optimization and machine learning, which will allow organizations to no longer have to choose between speed and efficiency. Organizations will also be able to influence a plan by specifying which KPIs are most important to the business, which will feed into the plan that is generated.
With Planning.AI planners can quickly and easily optimize a solution across the entire network. They'll have the ability to analyze what could be built, for example what to do with excess inventory and how to maximize value based on what other materials are available. Planners can also use Planning.AI for co-product optimization which will determine which manufacturing process should be used to get the most out of constrained materials. With the ongoing chip shortage, I can't think of a better way for planners to quickly decide what to make with their limited chip supply.
Personally, I'm very excited about the rollout of Planning.AI. In combination with inherent concurrent capabilities of RapidResponse, Planning.AI means that you will no longer be able to make a change in any one area of your plan without immediately understanding the impact of that change everywhere. This is a fantastic new development that will enable planners to be incredibly efficient and be more confident than ever in their decision making.
Kicking off an exciting week at Kinexions ‘22
2. Sustainability
A common theme throughout the entire conference was the fact that "supply chains share a higher purpose." One such purpose, is leaving the earth better than we found it. As supply chains tax our planet more than any other industry, it's our job to evaluate how we can make a difference and actually enact change.
One such idea that was discussed by many people from Kinaxis CEO John Sicard to panels of customers and industry experts was how we can make business decisions based on eco-effects. Instead of deciding whether to fulfill an urgent customer order solely based on revenue and margin, we must also consider the impact that it will have on the planet. One way to address this could be through carbon offset optimization, where an input to an optimization engine would be carbon emissions and offsets. The results would share which option leads to the lowest carbon emissions, which would be the best for our planet. Another idea was to start thinking about how we can encourage consumers to make a more sustainable choice, since consumer demand drives everything. While it's left to the consumers to make the most conscious decision at the end of the day, we must evaluate how organizations can put the best options in their hands in the first place.
While the discussion around sustainability is not a new one, it is certainly more important now than ever. It was inspiring to hear how sustainability is becoming the central focus of supply chains and learn new ideas of how to make a difference.
Tuesday evening’s live concert aboard the USS Midway
3. Optimizing the Web Client
Since Kinaxis first released the web client there has been overwhelmingly positive feedback, especially when comparing it to the Java client. The interface is sleeker, easier to use, and has perceived performance improvements. The Kinaxis product development team has been hard at work continuously adding enhancements to optimize the interface.
One such enhancement is workbook personalization where individuals will have the opportunity to personalize a view for private or shared use. However, the core structure of the original workbook will not be altered. This great new enhancement will allow individuals to decide whether or not they want to see a chart, hide certain columns, toggle between different features and more. The product development team is also continuing the development of adding authoring and administration functionality to the web client. While this is not yet available, it's a great idea to start transitioning your organization to the web client now so that you can take full advantage of the benefits.
4. Happiness
This last one may be a little cheesy, but it was certainly a refreshing message to hear. In his opening remarks, Kinaxis CEO John Sicard reminded us all that the simple pursuit of joy is the one uniting factor for all of humanity. In an effort to unlock some of that joy, Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project, delivered the keynote speech.
SCM Connections CEO Mike Raftery with The Happiness Project’s Gretchen Rubin
She shared how understanding ourselves better and our natural tendencies can lead to increased happiness. Gretchen also reminded us that the pursuit happiness is not a selfish one. Happier people are more interested in helping solve other people's problems, they are more generous with their time and money, they make better leaders and have healthier habits. We all need to remember that we must pursue joy first in ourselves to help unlock it for others.
And that's a wrap on my top takeaways from Kinexions '22. I can't wait to see how these themes and developments play out throughout the coming year and am already looking forward to attending again next year!
