The Supply Chain Technology Conference & Expo (SCTECH) took place June 27- 29. The event supported by International Supply Chain Education Alliance (ISCEA) is an itinerant show. SCTECH was held last year in Chicago, moved this year to Mexico City and will go to Mumbai, India, next year, in line with ISCEA’s mission statement of “Providing supply chain knowledge around the world.”
SCTECH 2017 featured international speakers with different backgrounds from Germany, the United Kingdom, the United States, Argentina and Mexico. Although this is a technology show, the conference program focused mainly on supply chain processes and true end-user stories. As attendees learned from Jorge Morales, ISCEA Latin America’s CEO and SCTECH 2017 program chair, “Speakers were encouraged to explain their processes transformation needs first and then share their experience about the use of technology to support the transformed processes.”
The event was a great success, bringing decision-making participants from across Latin America to attend the conference and listen to fresh ideas on how to improve their supply chain processes. Attendees also visited the exhibition floor where they were able to find top tier technology vendors such as SAP (the event’s Gold Sponsor), PTV Group, Ingenics, Scanmex, Demand Solutions, BSI Group, (Silver Sponsors) and many more on a 144,000 square-foot exhibit floor. Matthias Hormuth, director of solution management logistics for PTV Group, shared his opinion about SCTECH 2017: “I am extremely positively surprised about the event. The amount of exhibitors is great, to be honest. When we stepped in this morning I said, ‘This is the place where we have to be. And also the quality and the topics of the conferences, they are great.’”
Participants, who were mostly top management executives, networked during breaks and conducted their own benchmark research with other participants from top tier companies. The interaction among supply chain process owners resulted in many multidisciplinary discussions throughout the event. Eduardo Acho, project coordinator at Becton Dickinson Mexico pointed out, “We are all trying to improve the way we work and at these events you can find that idea or tool that can help you make that change you have been needing for so long.” Mr. Acho participated on the GS1 e-Commerce Standards panel that occupied a conference slot in SCTECH’s program. Other companies that participated on the panel were FRESCO, Tequila Patron and Herdez, which recently acquired Nestle’s ice cream operation in Mexico.
Keynote Speaker- Dr. Sebastian Garcia-Dastugue, professor at Sam M. Walton College of Business, commented on the organization behind SCTECH and ISCEA. “I am impressed with the reach that ISCEA has,” he says. “The fact that SCTECH conference goes around the world is an invaluable asset. It’s a very interesting conference, and I was glad to be able to present here.”
ISCEA certifies supply chain professionals around the world and partners with universities and authorized knowledge providers to develop workers from trainee to top management positions. One of ISCEA’s activities designed for young supply chain professionals is the Global Supply Chain Case Competition. This year’s winners, Tanmay Ajmera and Kaushik Agate, students of Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS) Mumbai, came all the way from India to receive their award. “We had to present the solution for our case competing with five teams from India, made it to the Asia finals, and then we had to present at the global event to win,” the team said. The award ceremony took place at SCTECH 2017.
In summary, SCTECH is not a technology event where only technology professionals meet. It is an event where supply chain process owners and decision makers gather to explore process improvement opportunities and the technologies that support them. For professionals looking to take their supply chain processes to the next level through technology, SCTECH is a must attend event. SCTECH 2018 will take place at Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India on Feb. 22-24. For more information please visit www.sctehcshow.com.
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