New Knowledge in Action: The Academic & Business Partnership 2020 SCM for ECR Conference, Always at the Forefront of Market Innovations in the Omni Channel World
We are witnessing a full digital transformation of the business models (changing in a fundamentally way the systems, processes, people and technology), adequately reviewing the processes (so as to be well planned and implemented agilely, proving the expertise into automated processes, including by benchmarking the progress achieved) and organization (assuming the new chains of responsibility, while valorising the right data well-analysed, and effectively managing and motivating the supply chain team) and leveraging the new technologies accordingly (within their integration with operations and processes in harmony with the business goals). There is a clear move towards better serving the new business needs by optimizing the Supply Chain and ensuring the Efficient Consumer Response, having a clear commercial vision in accordance with the strategic goals on the path to the “Next Normal”, a term coined by McKinsey & Company, which also recently underlined the need of making a clear distinction between Supply Chains (managing inbound and outbound logistics and warehousing), one hand, and Value Chains (made up of integrated end-to-end processes).
There is no doubt about the impact of both the New Technologies (their increasing adoption being obvious), and of the Supply Chain Resilience (a greater resiliency in the supply chain enabling managing the disruptions created by the new coronavirus crisis) in ensuring a harmonious customer experience (including within the context of the quickly approaching future of parcel delivery by using drones, droids, autonomous vehicles and so on, as McKinsey & Company’s experts recently showed). There is also no doubt that by valorising Digitization new value can be added (unlocking untapped sources of value), improving this way the Supply Chain Planning for the above mentioned next normal (while considering, of course: the demand trends based on the right insights; rethinking the way of utilising consumer, market, and supplier data; the organizations’ movement from singular processes to End-to-End intelligent workflows).
The importance of the New Knowledge in Action was recently reconfirmed by the Academic & Business Partnership 2020 SCM for ECR Conference, 22nd-23rd October, Târgoviște, Romania – with the theme “The Management of Digitization in Supply Chain with Shoppers and Users”. This traditional Conference was organized as usual by the SCM-ECR Laboratory – The Faculty of Economic Sciences from Valahia University of Târgovişte, and special partner The Consumer Goods Forum – E2E Value Chain. The conference was chaired by Professor VIRGIL POPA, Ph.D., Valahia University of Târgovişte, Romania (Professor Virgil Popa is also a Member of the Board of Directors – Comitetul Roman al Distributiei, being, from 1996, Director of the ECR Department), and co-hosted by RUEDIGER HAGEDORN, End-to-End (E2E) Value Chain Director, The Consumer Goods Forum, CGF, Paris (the Global Network Serving Shopper & Consumer Needs), in collaboration with the Supporting Organizations: the Romanian-American University, the Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies (ASE), the Czestochowa University of Technology (Poland), the War Studies Academy Poland (Faculty of Management and Command), the Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics (Russia), the Cranfield School of Management, Cranfield University (UK), University of Zagreb (Croatia), and the last but not the least the Nova Southeastern University and the Regis University (USA).
The Conference was Co-Chaired by: Dr. Gerd WOLFRAM, CEO and Owner IoT Innovation & Consult, Partner Digital Connection (Cologne Area, Germany), The Founder RFID Implementation METRO Group, Head of the METRO Group Future Store Initiative, Author; Professor Costel NEGRICEA, Ph.D., Rector of the Romanian-American University, Honorary Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee (Board of Directors – Comitetul Roman al Distributiei); Professor Călin VEGHEȘ, Ph.D., Dean of the Faculty of Marketing, Bucharest University of Economic Studies (whose Rector, Nicolae Istudor is a Vice President – Board of Directors – Comitetul Roman al Distributiei); Professor Michael BOURLAKIS, Ph.D., Director of Research for Cranfield School of Management, Group Head (Logistics, Procurement and Supply Chain Management) and Director of Centre for Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Cranfield University; Professor Olga KOL, Ph.D., Head of the Department of Logistics and Supply Chain Management of Saint-Petersburg State University of Economics; Associate Professor Borna ABRAMOVIC, Ph.D., Chair of Railway Transport Management, University of Zagreb; Associate Professor Marta STAROSTKA-PATYK, Ph.D., Hab., Czestochowa University of Technology; Col. Associate Prof. Tomasz JAŁOWIEC, Ph.D., Faculty of Management and Command, War Studies Academy, Poland.
The Programme Steering Committee was composed by three members: Professor Virgil POPA, Ph.D., Valahia University of Târgovişte, Professor Theodor PURCĂREA, Ph.D., Romanian-American University (Board of Directors – Comitetul Roman al Distributiei), and, Vice Rector Mircea Constantin DUICĂ, Ph.D., Valahia University of Târgoviște. The members of the Conference Organizing Committee and of the Advisory Board/Scientific Committee are listed here: https://www.scm4ecr.com/conference-organizing-committee/; https://www.scm4ecr.com/advisory-board-scientific-committee/.
The Academic & Business Partnership 2020 SCM for ECR Conference was opened by:
● the Keynote Speaker Virgil POPA (it is worth mentioning, for instance, that his workpaper – “Virgil Popa (2012). Global Standards for Supply Chain Management in Consumer Packaged Goods Industry”, Globalization – Education and Management Agendas, Dr. Hector Cuadra-Montiel (Ed.), ISBN: 978-953-51-0702-6, InTech, DOI: 10.5772/50100 – has been signalled by the reputed Northwestern University: https://www.northwestern.edu/standards-management/topics/supply-chain/papers.html);
● the globally recognised Keynote Speaker Ruediger Hagedorn – End-to-End (E2E) Value Chain Director, The Consumer Goods Forum, CGF, Paris – who delivered as usual a high-profile talk of real interest to everyone, reconfirming his aplomb and consciousness while revealing experience, expertise and wisdom.
The Conference was also attended by other reputed Keynote Speakers – such as: Gerd WOLFRAM (who contributed to the prestigious book “Retailing in the 21st Century. Current and Future Trends”, Springer Berlin • Heidelberg 2006; at that time he was Managing Director of MGI Metro Group Information Technology GmbH, being: responsible for innovation and advanced technologies, and also for the corporate IT strategy within the Metro Group; Executive Project Manager of the Metro Group Future Store Initiative; Co-chair of standardization working groups in EPC global, GCI and GS1 Germany etc.), Olga KOL, Michael BOURLAKIS, Marta STAROSTKA-PATYK, Kim DERANEK and Ed LINDOO, Călin VEGHEȘ, Borna ABRAMOVIC, Costel NEGRICEA and Theodor PURCAREA, Mircea Constantin DUICĂ, MIHAELA ȘTEȚ, Tomasz JALOWIEC, Guest speaker Matei PURCAREA (another traditional representative of the Romanian-American University; also a Member of the Romanian Distribution Committee, being, from 2011, Digital Marketing and Communication Manager) and others – who can be seen below.
This year’s Conference reconfirmed the well-known passion, competence and perseverance of the builder of this true brand – SCM for ECR Conference – the renowned expert Professor Virgil Popa. Within this framework, allow us to also remember some particular historical memorable moments:
● Virgil POPA (as CEO and President of the Board of RESCOPA S.A., Târgovişte) and Theodor PURCAREA (as a representative of the Romanian Ministry of Commerce) had a memorable meeting in 1992 with Richard Fedigan, President & CEO of CIES (January 1990 – February 2005), on the occasion of the International Food Exhibition SIAL Paris (Salon International de l’Alimentation). Four years later, in January 1996, Virgil Popa participated at the first Official ECR Europe Conference, Geneva, Switzerland, Virgil POPA;
● The National ECR Symposia organized (beginning with the second half of the nineties) by the Romanian Distribution Committee in co-operation with the Economic Informational and Documentation Centre, National Institute for Economic Research “Costin C. Kiritescu” (INCE), Romanian Academy (see below Members of the Romanian Distribution Committee: Virgil POPA, Theodor PURCAREA, Valeriu IOAN-FRANC, Tatiana MOSTEANU, Nicolaie MIHAIESCU and others);
● Some other memorable moments from the last Academic & Business Partnership SCM for ECR Conferences organized in Târgoviște (2016-2019).
