Today I’m joined by forward-thinking tech company Beacon Technologies – a brand that says, when it comes to supply chain, they believe in power to the people!
Beacon’s supply chain visibility platform is a central hub for real-time ocean and air freight tracking, supply chain performance analytics and carbon emissions reporting. A suite of collaboration tools makes sharing the latest updates with internal stakeholders, customers and supply chain partners a breeze – with no long email chains or spreadsheets required!
Today Fraser Robinson, Co-Founder and CEO of Beacon Technologies, will be telling me all about his career journey; about Beacon and what they do; building a data-centric approach to supply chain; and why ERP’s aren’t necessarily as good as they say they are.
Guest bio:
Fraser Robinson is the Co-Founder & CEO of Beacon, a supply chain visibility and collaboration platform. Prior to starting Beacon, he served as Head of Business for EMEA at Uber where he led strategy, investments and partnerships and as Commercial Director of lastminute.com. Fraser holds a Bachelor of Arts from Princeton University.
IN THIS EPISODE WE DISCUSS:
[06.00] Fraser’s career journey, and how a leadership role at Uber led him to discover a passion for a supply chain and go on to establish Beacon.
“It was my time at Uber where I really started to understand how technology could influence the way objects behave and move in the real world. And once you stick your nose in, you start to see how things work, you realize what a big world supply chain is, and how many wonderful problems there are to resolve!”
[08.31] The disruptions and challenges within supply chain, the importance of data, and why data sharing makes your organization a better service provider.
“Most of the problems in supply chain are data-related, and there is so much inefficiency that, even if you make incremental changes, they’re meaningful in a global sense. So technology is at a real crossroads.”
[15.01] An introduction to Beacon – who they are, what they do and how they help their customers – and Beacon’s three levels of visibility.
“Visibility is a much-used term and often misunderstood… Visibility goes beyond tracking. It extends to, not just what’s happening now, but what happened last month, last year – are there patterns emerging? How are we performing versus our peers?”
[19.23] The ideal client for Beacon.
[21.29] A closer look at Beacon’s tracking software, the benefits, and how they’re going deeper with visibility and data.
“It’s important that businesses take charge of their supply chain data and don’t leave it elsewhere. Tracking seems simple but, actually beneath, it’s building your supply chain data warehouse and leveraging it to make your supply chain better.”
[28.10] How Beacon are helping clients cut carbon and meet their ESG goals, and the importance of collaboration.
“Where visibility ends, collaboration begins.”
[34.52] How Beacon helps clients to achieve high and measurable ROI, from reducing detention and demurrage costs to empowering teams in contract negotiations.
[38.45] The problem with ERP systems, and why supply chain visibility platforms like Beacon are helping to solve the supply chain data challenge.
“An ERP is like a photograph – it’s a snapshot of your business…. A visibility platform like Beacon is more like a film, recording change over time. It allows you to see ‘how did we get here’ rather than just ‘where are we now?’”
[40.55] Why Beacon are committed to empowering businesses, large and small, and the impact it will have on the industry.
“Supply chain underpins so much of the world we live in. It has so much potential to do good for the world – the way we live, interact, the environment. There’s a big opportunity.”
[43.45] The future of the industry, and the growing importance of automation.
“If you start building a data-centric approach, the automation will come faster than you think.”
RESOURCES AND LINKS MENTIONED:
Head over to Beacon Technologies website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with Beacon and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, or you can connect with Fraser on LinkedIn or X (Twitter).
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