Supply Chain Professionals in Detroit Share About Quarantine Life

04/07/20

Are you looking for support as a supply chain professional during the COVID-19 pandemic?

Last week APICS Greater Detroit, CSCMP, and friends roundtable came together in the first Supply Chain Connect open forum to connect, share and discuss ideas as we all navigate through these challenging times.

Below summarizes ideas and tools that can be leveraged for learning, business management, and surviving the quarantine life.

Read more below.

Supply chain professionals from the greater Detroit area gathered last week over the phone and shared the following ideas and advice.

1. Learning: tools to go virtual, resources for seeking help and more!
  - Some are utilizing Udemy online courses to learn new things: https://www.udemy.com/
  - Virtual is taking off! One member reported taking violin lessons via Facetime, the teacher is in Ann Arbor and the student is in Clarkston
  - Educational Resources: Professors and university faculty are willing to discuss how they are approaching learning and supply chain exposure during this time. Send us an email at: media@apicsdet.org if you’d like more information
  - Zoom was offering free training at 2:00 and 6:00 each day last week. Check the Zoom site
  - Per James Liegghio at AIAG: With regards to the upcoming AIAG Corporate Responsibility Summit, here is the link to the virtual event (April 28th and 29th) https://www.aiag.org/store/events/details?EventCode=E20CRSMMT. SCM students are FREE to register (must be a Supply Chain / Global Supply Chain Management student at the university level or pre-Supply Chain focus at a community college such as MCC, Henry Ford, Schoolcraft, OCC, etc.)
2. Business Management and COVID-19 Support
  - SAP promoting Ariba discovery: connecting vendors and buyers. More info: https://service.ariba.com/Discovery.aw/125032045/aw?awh=r&awssk=qPSaiBFs&dard=1&ancdc=1 and https://my.ariba.com/Discovery
  - From SAP, “We are working with our customers who are shifting from their normal products to medical products to find new suppliers. We’ve helped folks like GM or Hospitals find new suppliers using the SAP Ariba Discovery tool. We’ve made access to that tool free. If anyone is interested, you can contact dan.miller@sap.com”
  - The Detroit distributor asking for volunteers to help assemble face shields for local medical personnel is Value Wholesale Distributors in Oak Park. You can contact them through their Web site https://www.valuewholesale.com
  - Kerry Zielinski, President CSCMP Detroit has a hands-on project idea. Contact if interested: kerry.zielinski@complog.com
  - Podcast suggestion: Investor Chamath Palihapitiya chats with Kara Swisher about COVID-19, the next 9 – 36 months of the stock market, and ends up going into how supply chains will start to become more resilient. Also: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/recode-decode/id1011668648?i=1000469424578
  - Automotive logistics website showing “extraordinary events” not being an excuse anymore
3. Tips for Surviving Quarantine Life
  - Stay Connected – #Wearealllinkedin on LinkedIn platform serving as a way for people to connect and help each other in different cities (https://www.linkedin.com/posts/timflucht_wearealllinkedinabrdetroit-wearealllinkedinabrdetroit-activity-6646453996036898817-kdgW)
  - Takeout suggestions – Support your local small businesses and order takeout from Culvers, Barrio Plymouth (bringing food out to cars), Ironwood Plymouth and more
  - Entertainment – Live Nation is now doing Live from Home, showing various concerts, including Metallica. Disney+ has a great selection of movies for the family
  - Cooking – Tim Flucht shared recipe blog – this week’s recipe is Cacio e Pepe Polenta, with Roast Beef Ragu. Takes only about 20 minutes of cooking time. 2.5 hours of stove time. A good recipe link: https://iwriteforfood.com/quarantine-edition-comfort-food-recipe/
  - Virtual traveling – Check out: https://iwriteforfood.com/gallery/ to see some beautiful pictures, and travel in your mind
  - Date night with spouse “in-house” – From Costco (or your favorite super market): buy take-out pizza for kids, buy expensive steak (prime fillet) and some shrimp or scallops and a salad and lobster bisque. Rent a movie for the kids and enjoy date night with partner cooking and having a candlelight dinner. Tell kids that kitchen and dining room is off limits!
  - Work Out – NTC – The Nike Training Club app, is being offered for free currently

APICS Greater Detroit and CSCMP will be hosting the Supply Chain Connect forum every other Tuesday. The next one will be April 14th. We hope you can join in the discussion! More details below.