THE LETTER FROM FRANCE SUPPLY CHAIN #20 - May 2022

France Supply Chain celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2022. This anniversary year is marked by the reinforcement of the permanent team as well as by a series of new impulses turned towards the future. This is an opportunity for Valérie Macrez to take stock of the association, to recall its fundamental objectives and to evoke the guidelines for the years to come.

France Supply Chain welcomes a new manager. Who is he, and what will be his role?

Jean-François Rey joins France Supply Chain as project manager. This seasoned professional knows our sector perfectly. His arrival, desired by the president Yann de Feraudy, marks a new stage in the development of the association, whose activities are multiple, but sometimes unknown. Jean-François' role will be to coordinate all the work carried out, particularly within the "LAB", and to contribute to the promotion of all the actions carried out by the association. The idea is to develop transversality and thus allow the convergence of all initiatives to go faster and further.

What is the situation of the association on this 50th anniversary?

France Supply Chain is doing well. It has just over 450 member companies (and schools), which represents around 3,500 employees listed in our database. Its board of directors has 45 members from the world of industry, distribution, education and services. And we plan to welcome 3 new members on 17 June, during the annual General Assembly.

You have just mentioned the "LAB". What is their mission? And how do they work?

The strength of France Supply Chain is its ability to mobilise collective intelligence around a common vision in France and in its International Chapters. In this context, the " LAB " aim to reflect on the current issues and to provide answers through content produced and delivered in different formats: conferences, publications, forums, round tables.... The "Digital and Technologies" LAB addresses the themes of digital transformation and creates a sharing zone with the presentation of concrete use cases. The "Human Resources" LAB is led by a committee of 10 members: SC managers, HR in Supply Chain, teachers, recruitment agencies, etc. We can also mention the "SMI/SME" LAB, which has drawn up a programme to help SMI/SMEs master the fundamentals of the Supply Chain; the "Young People" LAB is mobilised around the challenges of attractiveness. Not forgetting of course "SupplyChain4Good", the "Sustainable Development" LAB of France Supply Chain in partnership with the international ecosystem of Movin'on. This represents a considerable amount of work carried out by members who are involved and passionate, and who also take time out of their personal lives.

International development is also one of the association's key areas of focus. Why is this?

Our members are often large companies in the industrial or retail sectors with locations and employees spread around the world. At the instigation of Jean-Michel Guarneri, President of France Supply Chain International, we felt it was important to open chapters for them. The objective is to allow them to organise themselves around these chapters, to inform themselves and to exchange between Supply Chain professionals. We have started with Africa, North America, Asia and soon Europe with a first chapter in Romania.

The association is therefore celebrating its 50th anniversary. How does this anniversary come about?

I think it is important to remember that France Supply Chain is the heir to a wonderful adventure that began in 1972 with the creation of Aslog. At that time, the objective of the "Association des logisticiens d'entreprises" was already to promote logistics "in all areas". Supply Chain was not yet spoken of, but in 1992 the association took an important step in its development: it became the "French Association for Logistics". The term "systemic approach" and "global logistics" were used, in a way prefiguring the concept of Supply Chain Management. This term made its appearance in 2014 in the title of Aslog "the French Association of Supply Chain and Logistics", before becoming in 2020, France Supply Chain. This anniversary aims to celebrate this history rich in events but also in personalities who have affirmed the importance of logistics and supply chain for the performance of our companies. This celebration will take the form of a major event at the end of the year, the date and location of which will be announced in a few weeks. But throughout the year, initiatives (such as this weekly newsletter) are stamped "50th anniversary" to reaffirm our attachment to this long and beautiful history.

As you have just mentioned, Aslog changed its name in 2020 to France Supply Chain. What does this change mean?

Logistics is very often associated with physical operations: transport, handling, warehousing... This is the most visible part of the iceberg! But the Supply Chain (of which logistics is naturally a part) is a much broader entity that integrates numerous activities, such as sourcing, forecasting, planning, steering, etc., as well as managerial functions that affect strategy, such as location decisions, stock location, distribution schemes, etc. In this respect, the Supply Chain is a cross-functional function that must constantly interact with the other functions of the company, such as marketing, sales, customer relations and, increasingly, finance. In fact, the Supply Chain is first and foremost an organisation. It mobilises all the resources (intellectual, physical, IT and financial) for the optimised routing of a product and to satisfy a customer in terms of cost, deadlines and availability.

Respect for the environment is an important element in the DNA of France Supply Chain. How does this requirement fit into your 5-year development perspectives?

The social and environmental dimensions are indeed very present in our values. They are expressed through the work done in the LABs and projects such as EVOLUE (Voluntary Commitment for Efficient Urban Logistics), which includes, alongside France Supply Chain, the Club Demeter and the Institut du Commerce, and in the LCMT (Low Carbon Maritime Transport) Association co-founded with AUTF. We have also published a " Manifesto for sustainable supply chains". For the coming years, social and climate issues will be integrated into all our promotion and communication actions. This is a subject to which the President, Yann de Feraudy, is particularly attentive. This will mean supporting companies in drastically reducing negative externalities in areas such as transport, real estate and technology. Subjects such as urban logistics, the use of alternative energies and social integration will be at the heart of our concerns.

And how do you see the supply chain developing over the next few years?

It is clear that the Supply Chain must become the central element for the development of companies. This necessarily requires a better knowledge of our professions. It is time for the political world, administrations, teachers and the media to be fully aware of the major role of the Supply Chain, including in the context of the reindustrialisation of our country. There will be no industrial relocation if there is no Supply Chain that meets the expectations of the sectors. Similarly, we must develop the attractiveness of our professions and develop training in line with technological developments and the needs of companies. This is a real challenge that is far from being won. With the members of France Supply Chain, as well as all those who recognize themselves in our values and whom I call to join us, we are determined to succeed.

Interview by Jean-Philippe GUILLAUME