Staying Resilient with Seamless Adaptability

Francisco Bravo has been responsible for Audis supply chain in Mexico since December 2021. He has worked at Volkswagen Group for more than 28 years, He worked 5 years in Production Planning and Plant Infrastructure, more than 15 years in IT, where he was chief information officer for Volkswagens plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee; later he was General Manager for IT for the VW Groups global production network and he was General Manager in VW AG for Business development to establish Volkswagen Group IT Services in locations including Germany, India and Portugal. He joined Audi Mexico in 2017 and has worked in program planning, production control, as well as leading inbound logistics from 2020-2021. He has a degree in Industrial Engineering from the Instituto Tecnol³gico de Puebla and a Master in Administration of Industry from Universidad Iberoamericana, along with other senior executive programs from Ashridge Business School in London, IESE Business School in New York and Malik Management Institute in Germany. He was also Co-Founder of blonic.com in Spain in 2013 and co-Founder of Aurasana Yoga and Wellness in 2023

In an interview with Logistics and Transportation Review, Bravo-Gomez shares his insights on the challenges and emerging trends in the supply chain sector and the experience he has gathered in the domain.

“My concern is ensuring the supply of tech-driven outputs that resonate with market trends. Relying on our KPI assessments and technical superiority, I am excited to explore suitable artificial intelligence software and resolve our daily problems.”

In your experience, what are some of the notable supply chain challenges and how are you addressing them?

"Every small action, no matter how distant, can create an impact. Just as a butterfly's wings can set off ripples of change, our adaptability and resilience in the face of disruptions have enabled us to navigate challenges successfully."

It is a statement I stand by during every disruption. Apart from the obvious challenges of COVID and market volatility simultaneously creating issues in the supply chain network, there are other lingering issues. Technological advancements, upgraded orientation, and fast-moving consumer behavior seeking quicker resolutions are the three barriers to adaptability.

Seeing these hurdles as opportunities, I strive to adjust the core mindset for improved leadership. Sustaining these hurdles has made Audi México a reliable choice with the production of 1M+ Q5 since its launch in 2016. Robust supply chain management, I was able to easily create positive responses across the whole Supply Chain. This was very successful in terms of flexibility in our system.

The most important aspect for me before committing to a project is competence. In our partnership with Tecnologico Monterrey, an esteemed university in Mexico, we study academic trends and help them combat the prevailing challenges. KPIs are massive aids in calculating these developments and risks as the industry today has made their application a significant addition. This urgency pushes us to deploy relevant KPIs for projects that raise challenges further.

A question that arises is how do we evaluate all our KPIs across different processes? Thus, we utilize cross-functional KPIs that cover all systems. They assist us in accurately relating the logistics costs with the warehouse occupancy rate. Through a robust comparison, we choose the sweet spots that require automated assistance or other upgrades. Staying prepared for the upcoming years has enabled us to launch new products that are market volatility-proof. 

Looking into the future, which trends are you particularly excited about or find most intriguing?

Trending issue in supply chain management is the complexity of filling gaps between the technological advancements and production. There lingers a disconnection amid the speed of innovation and its adoption in manufacturing practices.

A revolutionary technology that caters to these drawbacks is artificial intelligence (AI). Like everyone else, I am witnessing heavy developments in this sphere. My concern is ensuring the supply of tech-driven outputs that resonate with the trends. Relying on our KPI assessments and technical superiority, I am excited to explore suitable artificial intelligence software and resolve our daily problems.

KPIs help us quantitatively safeguard our future. Merging artificial intelligence with operations will make our processes perform at a desirable speed.

What advice would you like to offer to your fellow Supply Chain professionals based on your experiences in the field?

The supply chain market is unstable and professionals must be resilient in order to withstand these fluctuations. It matters how one reacts in critical situations with seamless performance.

Building resilience and capabilities to offer faster response time is essential for high adaptability. They are massive advantages in foreseeing possible problems and making precise forecasts. Quick accessibility to tools and creating solutions for a profitable process is the proactive measure I have established here. I have assisted Audi Mexico in encountering these disruptions and positioning them successfully.