Supply Chain Management Consulting

Large language models (LLMs) can improve their performance not just by retraining but by continuously evolving their understanding through context, as shown by the Agentic Context Engineering (ACE) framework. Consider a procurement team using an AI assistant to manage supplier evaluations. Instead of repeatedly inputting the same guidelines or losing specific insights, ACE helps the AI remember and refine past supplier performance metrics, negotiation strategies, and risk factors over time. This evolving “context playbook” allows the AI to provide more accurate supplier recommendations, anticipate potential disruptions, and adapt procurement strategies dynamically. In supply chain planning, ACE enables the AI to accumulate domain-specific rules about inventory policies, lead times, and demand patterns, improving forecast accuracy and decision-making as new data and insights become available. This approach results in up to 17% higher accuracy in agent tasks and reduces adaptation costs and time by more than 80%. It also supports self-improvement through feedback like execution outcomes or supply chain KPIs, without requiring labeled data. By modularizing the process—generating suggestions, reflecting on results, and curating updates—ACE builds robust, scalable AI tools that continuously learn and adapt to complex business environments. #AI #SupplyChain #Procurement #LLM #ContextEngineering #BusinessIntelligence

𝗔𝗻𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗱𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗷𝗼𝗯...𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗱𝗼 Sure, many times we hire for attitude and mindset and we count on coaching, mentoring and a hands-on learning curve to bridge gaps. 𝗪𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘇𝗲𝗿𝗼. That's what we all do! But that only works when it’s aligned with clear expectations and when there’s a safe space to fail fast, learn, and retry. A safety net which has your back as you swim into cold waters or navigate sudden currents without a map. 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀. It's deep insights, coupled with intuition and catching details others would miss. That inner voice that quietly says:  🚨"Dig deeper"  🚨"Ask for the specification again"  🚨"This project is too green to be true" 𝗘𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗰. It evolves with every project that goes sideways, every scope that changes mid-flight, every round of user feedback that becomes a future lesson. In Procurement, experience is more than just category knowledge or system fluency. It’s what helps us ask better questions, build trust across silos, prevent cost from becoming loss, and keep operations running, even when the unexpected hits. It’s the judgment to say: ❌“Not yet.” ❌“Not this way.” ❌“Not with that supplier.” ❌“Not a risk worth the reward" Even when it slows the process down. But it has a price. It’s a form of protection, a kind of insurance and that’s increasingly under pressure due to: ➡️ "Higher FTE costs for senior professionals" ➡️ “AI's capability to boost younger teams" ➡️ “Faster innovation cycles shortening shelf-life of knowledge" 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘂𝗽. It will come up in poor sourcing decisions, over-engineered processes, missed risks, wasted time and eroded trust. Because some lessons can’t be Googled. And they can’t be run through GPT, either! 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱. So when you plan your talent needs 𝗶𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗹𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 that already has it. How do you see this? Are we understating the value of experience? Looking forward to read your view in the comments.👇

If Apple did all its hiring only from BlackBerry or Nokia, would the iPhone even exist in its current form? Unlikely. Innovation rarely thrives in echo chambers. So why do so many leaders insist on hiring only from within their own industry, especially in supply chain, where adaptability is everything? After 20+ years leading supply chains across FMCG, Foods, Automotive, and Medical Devices, I’ve seen a puzzling paradox: companies seek transformation but screen out the very people who could deliver those with cross-industry experience. Yes, every industry has its nuances. But supply chain fundamentals—demand planning, inventory optimization, risk management, supplier relationships—are highly transferable. More importantly, cross-pollination brings powerful perspectives. Here’s what they’re missing: ·       Pharma’s production efficiency is powered by automotive’s lean manufacturing. ·       Tech’s rapid launch cycles are inspired by fashion’s fast-cycle forecasting. ·       Food safety protocols strengthened through healthcare’s traceability standards. Still, most leaders default to familiarity over foresight. In a world defined by volatility and complexity, fresh thinking is a requirement. Leaders who’ve navigated multiple sectors bring the agility, curiosity, and strategic breadth needed to build future-ready supply chains. If you're hiring for growth, stop looking in the rear-view mirror. The future is being built by those who think across borders—and industries. Are you still hiring your supply chain team from your own industry or you build diverse teams mindfully? #SupplyChainLeadership #TalentStrategy #CrossIndustryThinking #FutureOfWork #SupplyChainTransformation

“You still have an economy that runs on real things… and there’s no realer thing than critical minerals.” Vice President J.D. Vance: Link for speech in the comments When we started Phoenix Tailings in 2019, I remember sitting in rooms with military officials, investors, and partners who, if they even knew what rare earths were, told us there was no chance China would ever stop exports. This week, I think it's pretty clear that the world has shifted that stance. Critical minerals are now a major priority for the US government and increasingly for the world as a whole, with Vice President J.D. Vance personally delivering the keynote at the Critical Minerals Ministerial. For those that have not dove in deep on this work, here is my take away on what the government is doing to support the sector: Demand stability | The Vault creates a domestic strategic critical minerals reserve to support producers and protect manufacturers during market shocks (More thoughts on The Vault coming shortly) Capital deployment | Public financing, lending authority, and direct investment are being deployed across mining, refining, and processing Permitting reform | Accelerated permitting and prioritization of strategic projects are reducing timelines and execution risk Market protection | Trade mechanisms are being used to prevent market distortion that has historically crushed pricing and killed strong projects Strategic buffers | Stockpiling efforts are designed to protect industry from geopolitical and supply chain disruptions Allied coordination | Trade policy, development finance, and diplomacy are being aligned across trusted partners Full value chain | Support extends beyond mining to refining, processing, metallization, and downstream manufacturing We are proud to have an administration that is willing to fight for critical minerals security and that understands how hard it is to stand up an industry from scratch. #criticalminerals #rareearths #supplychain #manufacturing #mining #industrialpolicy #nationalsecurity

Think of an advanced LLM integration strategy where Gateways give you full control, Routers provide precision in routing requests, and Proxies ensure seamless integration across systems. Gateways handle governance, authentication, and traffic control, Routers direct workloads to the right models or endpoints based on context, and Proxies simplify compatibility between APIs, making everything flow effortlessly. Together, they create a unified architecture that’s efficient, scalable, and easy to manage—tailored for a smarter, faster deployment of LLMs Key Takeaways: Centralized Governance: Gateways enable full control over traffic, security, and user authentication. Context-Aware Precision: Routers optimize performance by intelligently directing requests to the right model or endpoint. Seamless Integration: Proxies bridge compatibility gaps between systems and APIs, ensuring a smooth deployment process. Scalability and Efficiency: The combined architecture allows for streamlined operations, resource optimization, and scalable deployment across diverse use cases. Future-Ready Design: This strategy ensures flexibility for evolving AI workloads and infrastructure needs. https://lnkd.in/eDFp8hN6

The oil & gas sector contains a staggering amount of critical minerals. In 2024, companies spent $752B on infrastructure—of which $37–$112B went to lithium, cobalt, nickel, and rare earths These are the same minerals needed for EVs, solar, and grid storage, with demand projected to surge 90%+ by 2025. Yet today, most operators recover only 9–11% of asset value at end-of-life, leaving billions in stranded critical minerals. By adopting circular strategies—resale, refurbishment, recycling—recovery rates can rise to 15–30%, unlocking billions in additional value. At Buckstop - The Urban Mining Company, we make this possible by: ✔️ Using AI to appraise mineral value in deployed assets ✔️ Managing reverse logistics to recover equipment at scale ✔️ Powering marketplaces that turn retired assets into new feedstock Circularity isn’t optional. It’s the key to capital efficiency, material security, and resilience in a tightening global minerals market. 👉 What’s your circularity delta—and how much critical mineral value are you leaving behind? Read the full white paper by Peter C. Evans, PhD, Vincenzo Purgatorio, and Ashley Olsson in the link below.

A new Critical Minerals Report from InvestorNews Inc. captures the shift defining this sector: national security is moving downstream. Tracy Hughes and the Critical Minerals Institute (CMI) frame it directly. The global race is no longer about discovering deposits. It is about controlling processing, magnet manufacturing, inventory systems, financing structures, and the industrial architecture that sits between geology and national power. The week's developments reinforced the pattern. Australia ordered Chinese-linked investors to divest from a heavy rare earths project. The EU shortlisted tungsten, rare earths, and gallium for its first strategic mineral reserve. Washington accelerated state-backed financing across the magnet supply chain. Beijing institutionalized its export-control regime as permanent industrial security policy. The problem was never geological scarcity. It is industrial concentration. Mines alone do not solve it. Separation, refining, metallization, inventory systems, and magnet manufacturing do. At M2i Global, Inc. (OTCQB:MTWO), our work focuses on the systems that strengthen long-term resilience. We are building a platform that integrates sourcing, processing, refining, recycling, and traceability across the critical minerals supply chain. And we aim to establish a Critical Mineral Reserve to support U.S. and allied demand. The geology still matters. The balance of power now resides in what happens after the rock leaves the ground. Read the full report: https://lnkd.in/est4Msiv https://www.m2i.global #CriticalMinerals #SupplyChainSecurity #NationalSecurity #M2iGlobal #RareEarths #Processing #MTWO

In the latest episode of Power of the Permian, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Matthew Autry, President of Valor, a company that stands out for its comprehensive approach to mineral management, accounting, and business strategy in the oil and gas sector. As someone who's always eager to learn more about the industry's inner workings, I enjoyed diving into a part of the field I’m not as familiar with—managing land rights and mineral ownership. Valor’s team combines skilled knowledge with cutting-edge technology, and it was fascinating to hear about their proprietary MineralTech software, which offers unparalleled precision and efficiency in tracking land rights, ownership, and maximizing asset value for their clients. What stood out to me during our conversation was Valor’s dedication to providing security and clarity through their mineral management services, which are built on the foundation of deep industry knowledge. Their business operators have years of hands-on experience, and they bring a high level of quality to every aspect of their operation. It’s not just about providing back-office services; it’s about ensuring their clients can fully optimize their assets while navigating the complexities of the oil and gas industry. If you’re interested in learning more about the critical role that Valor plays in the industry and how their innovative strategies are making an impact, tune in to this episode. 📺 https://lnkd.in/gMnwRmuj You can also explore their services and team in more detail at www.onevalor.com, where their commitment to excellence and client success is evident in every facet of their work. #oilfield #podcast #mineralrights #permianbasin

Two types of D365 F&O consultants exist in the market. The one who learned finance through the platform. And the one who worked in finance before they ever touched a platform. The same is true in SCM. The consultant who learned supply chain through D365. And the consultant who managed a production floor or ran a planning function before moving into consulting. Both will have similar CVs. Similar years of experience. Similar certifications. The difference only becomes visible when the complexity hits. A CPA who moved into F&O Finance consulting does not just configure the general ledger. They understand why it needs to be built a certain way for your specific business. They catch problems before they get built into the system. A consultant who came from manufacturing before moving into SCM knows what actually breaks in a warehouse during cutover. They understand why the planning team does not trust the system output and how to fix that before it becomes an adoption problem. Most clients filter on years of D365 experience and certifications. They miss the question that actually predicts success. #MicrosoftDynamics365 #D365FO #FinanceAndOperations #SupplyChain #ERPConsulting #D365