348: How COVID Changed Last Mile Delivery Forever, with SEKO
Brian Bourke is the Chief Commercial Officer at SEKO, a global logistics and supply chain company. He explains how the pandemic accelerated e-commerce, fundamentally altering customer expectations and forcing companies to integrate their supply chain with marketing and finance. Bourke advocates for building resilience through diversifying sourcing and fostering deep partnerships, sharing an anecdote about how granular visibility helped resolve a personal delivery issue. He also reveals SEKO's future plans, which include significant expansion in Southeast Asia and new fulfillment centers to support evolving global trade.
Today I’m joined by SEKO – a friend of the show and a supply chain household name that was founded nearly 50 years ago, and has gone on to open 120 offices in 40 countries across the world.
SEKO provide complete supply chain solutions, specializing in transportation, logistics, forwarding and warehousing. Operating in over 40 countries worldwide, SEKO lead the industry with innovative and customizable IT solutions, which provide a seamless flow of information to deliver their growing customer base true supply chain visibility.
Today Brian Bourke, Global Chief Commercial Officer at SEKO Logistics, joins me to talk all about how the pandemic changed last mile delivery forever – the challenges; the opportunities; what the future might bring for the industry; and exactly how SEKO are helping their customers to navigate this changing landscape.
Guest bio:
Brian Bourke is the Global Chief Commercial Officer at SEKO Logistics. Speaking six languages, he is responsible for growing SEKO’s revenue and delivering stellar service to SEKO’s clients with global oversight of SEKO’s commercial operations, sales, account management, solution design, demand generation, and corporate communications initiatives. Mr. Bourke began his career with SEKO in 2005 after receiving his BA in Economics from the University of Wisconsin. He has appeared on CNBC, Bloomberg News and Yahoo Finance, and has been quoted in publications such as the Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, New York Times and Crain’s Chicago on global supply chain issues.
An introduction to Brian and SEKO.
How the pandemic impacted supply chain, boosted ecommerce and changed last mile delivery forever.
The importance of real-time feedback, like reviews and star ratings; and how that customer experience data is pulling supply chain teams together with other business areas, such as marketing and finance, to enhance collaboration and improve strategy.
A closer look at the emerging market trends for 2023, and the reverse bullwhip effect the industry is experiencing as it settles, post-pandemic.
From diversifying sourcing to improved collaboration, what companies can do to prepare themselves for the unexpected.
The power of partnership; why it can bring benefits across multiple business areas other than just supply chain; and what it’s like to partner with SEKO.
The importance of offering different delivery options, and using that data to test and experiment.
Why the word ‘visibility’ is over-used, and what it means for last mile delivery.
The future for SEKO.
Resources & Links Mentioned
- Head over to SEKO’s website now to find out more and discover how they could help you too. You can also connect with SEKO and keep up to date with the latest over on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter, or you can connect with Brian on LinkedIn or Twitter.
- If you enjoyed this episode and want to hear more from Brian, check out 296: Take Control of Managing Your Demand Chain, with SEKO.
- Check out our other podcasts HERE.
