Monday’s Keynote: Bill Seward Kicks Off MODEX with a Keynote on Supply Chain Trends

On Monday morning, MODEX started off strong with a keynote from Bill Seward, president of UPS Supply Chain Solutions. Seward was interviewed by Katie Kirkpatrick, president and CEO at the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce – here are some takeaways from their discussion:

• One of the macro trends impacting the supply chain industry today is the manufacturing shift from China to Mexico. Last year, Mexico surpassed China in manufacturing operations, and has free trade agreements with over 50 countries. Seward said there are enormous tax benefits to manufacturing in Mexico, and these benefits have increased in the past three years. Vietnam is also a rising player in manufacturing, and China Plus (which includes China and the southeast Asia region) will continue to play a major role in supply chains.

• Seward said another trend is the need for visibility in the supply chain. UPS has strived for end-to-end visibility – in 2023, they introduced UPS Symphony, a cloud-based tool that integrates managed warehouse and transportation data into a single platform.

• A pressure point right now is attracting and retaining talent, UPS likes to promote from within and encourage workers to rise within the ranks. They make investments in their own people by providing leadership training, and also incorporating robotics and automation to encourage safety. And, to overcome language barriers, they are leveraging AI with the Languages Across Logistics (LAL) platform to break down language barriers – this has allowed a broader range of hires. They offer tuition reimbursement as well.

• An area of major growth for UPS is healthcare – UPS is utilizing a new tracking device to monitor healthcare packages to ensure they effectively monitor temperatures and status. There is extensive growth possible in the healthcare industry.

• Seward said UPS is on the road to carbon neutrality, and intends to get there by 2050. He said that sustainability has always been important to UPS, and their goal is that 40 percent of the UPS ground fleet will be alternative vehicles.

• On the topic of company culture, Seward said to promote a positive culture, really listening to workers and inviting alternative views and then responding appropriately is key to ensuring everyone is bought into new initiatives.

• Seward said the most important character traits of a good leader are listening, not being afraid to be wrong, growing and getting better as they grow in seniority, with a constant desire to learn.

• When asked about the best advice he’s ever been given, Seward said he was told to confront fears and get out of your comfort zone.