Supply Chain Management

China is electrifying its trucking fleet so fast that it’s now reshaping global diesel demand. This has not been widely covered by the mainstream media. Here's how quickly things have shifted: ➡️ 2020: Nearly every new truck in China was diesel ➡️ H1 2025: Battery-powered trucks reached 22% of new sales ➡️ Dec 2025: Battery-powered trucks hit 54%, achieving a majority share for the first time China's sales of "New Energy Vehicle" trucks in 2025 were almost triple the 2024 total – and the share is now expected to reach around 60% this year. And what's driving this shift? Economics. Rapidly falling battery prices mean electric trucks are now cheaper to own and operate than diesel or LNG alternatives – with each truck saving fleet operators around $165,000 over a 10-year operating life. Fleet operators are also increasingly adopting depot charging, opportunity charging and battery-swap networks – removing the last points of friction. This is a market-wide shift in the most energy-intensive road transport segment in the world’s largest vehicle market. And it matters: road freight accounts for around one third of global transport emissions. The impact on oil demand is already visible: ✅ China's electric trucks are already cutting oil demand by the equivalent of more than one million barrels a day. ✅ China's transport sector is forecast to use 40% less diesel in 2030 than in 2024. So why did analysts miss this? Most models assumed heavy trucks would be the last segment to electrify — but China moved faster on battery-swap infrastructure, ultra-cheap LFP batteries, and high-utilisation urban freight fleets. The economics flipped earlier than the forecasts assumed. The result: diesel demand in China – the world’s second-largest consumer – could fall much faster than many predicted. And that's not all. Already the world's largest exporter of passenger cars, China is now eyeing the global electric truck market. Adoption is growing in the Middle East and Latin America and BYD is building a new electric truck and bus factory in Hungary. This is just the beginning.

𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘁𝗼𝗽𝗶𝗰𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗲. Because most people explain it from the inside out: policies, councils, standards, stewardship. But the business does not buy any of that. The business buys outcomes: → trustworthy KPIs → vendor and partner data you can actually use → faster financial close → fewer reporting escalations → smoother M&A integration → AI you can deploy without creating risk debt Most AI programs fail for boring reasons: nobody owns the data, quality is unknown, access is messy, accountability is missing. 𝗦𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝘁’𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗳𝘆 𝗶𝘁. 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 𝗴𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀: → ownership → quality → access → accountability 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝟰 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀: 1. Data Products (what the business consumes) → a named dataset with an owner and SLA → clear definitions + metric logic → documented inputs/outputs and intended use → discoverable in a catalog → versioned so changes don’t break reporting 2. Data Management (how products stay reliable) → quality rules + monitoring (freshness, completeness, accuracy) → lineage (where it came from, where it’s used) → master/reference data alignment → metadata management (business + technical) → access controls and retention rules 3. Data Governance (who decides, who is accountable) → data ownership model (domain owners, stewards) → decision rights: who can change KPI definitions, thresholds, and sources → issue management: triage, escalation paths, resolution SLAs → policy enforcement: what’s mandatory vs optional → risk and compliance alignment (auditability, approvals) 4. Data Operating Model (how you scale across the enterprise) → domain-based setup (data mesh or not, but clear domains) → operating cadence: weekly issue review, monthly KPI governance, quarterly standards → stewardship at scale (roles, capacity, incentives) → cross-domain decision-making for shared metrics → enablement: templates, playbooks, tooling support If you want to start fast: Pick the 10 metrics that run the business. Assign an owner. Define decision rights + escalation. Then build the data products around them. ↓ 𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆 𝗮𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗔𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗮 𝗹𝗼𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿: https://lnkd.in/dbf74Y9E

In the third part of my Understanding Energy Resilience series, I want to start with something many of you will have seen in the news: recent drone disruptions at major airports. Munich having to temporarily close its airspace. Oslo halting landings. Copenhagen pausing operations for hours. These incidents showed how quickly one small object can halt a critical service, create chaos and cost millions. Now take that thought to energy. If a drone over a runway makes headlines, a drone over energy infrastructure often doesn't. Yet the consequences can be just as real: disruptions to electricity supply, halted rail services and factories forced to stop production. Across Europe, operators are not allowed to neutralize hostile drones themselves – even when a threat is visible above critical infrastructure. Simply put: the rules have not caught up with reality. In my view, clarity and speed here are essential for public safety. Next to physical threats we also face digital ones. Every hour, around 35 million cyberattacks happen worldwide – almost 10,000 every second. Around 5% of them target energy companies and infrastructure. This is the world we operate in: attacks can appear out of nowhere and put entire systems to the test in real time. From my perspective, defending energy infrastructure comes down to a few key priorities: 1️⃣ Let protection happen: Regulation needs to enable energy operators to protect themselves. Clear rules must define who can intervene, when and how – including stopping a hostile drone. We cannot afford hesitation while minutes turn into outages. 2️⃣ Treat physical and digital as one: Fences, cameras and access control on the ground. Network separation and continuous monitoring in the control room. Physical and digital security must be treated as one because if someone can walk in, they can often plug in and disrupt the system. 3️⃣ Harden the infrastructure no one can afford to lose: The majority of physical and cyberattacks on energy systems target a small number of high-impact sites – such as substations, control rooms and interconnectors. Better detection and stronger barriers here make the difference between local disturbance and national outage. 4️⃣ Practice recovery, not just prevention: Real resilience is measured in how quickly power is restored. Simple restart plans, spare parts ready on site and regular drills with operators and authorities turn days in the dark into hours. 5️⃣ Stop naivety – talk openly about risk: We need public awareness without drama – which is one of the reasons I started this series. The more people understand that drones over critical sites are serious and that malware or phishing mails are no joke, the more support there will be for sensible protection. I believe this is the right balance: clear authority to act, practical protection on the ground and in the network with a constant focus on rapid recovery. In a more contested world, that is how energy systems stay open for business.

I’ve had 4 legal battles since starting my business. Could I have avoided them? Probably. But I didn’t have the funds for a proper lawyer. I didn’t have the founder network to ask the right questions. I was figuring it out as I went - like most of us do. So, let me help you not learn the hard way. Here are 5 clauses I now include in every contract to protect my work, my business, and my sanity: 1. Non-cancellable, non-refundable agreements If you’ve qualified your clients properly, this shouldn’t be a problem. But if someone signs, onboards, and then disappears? We still get paid. And so should you. 2. Immediate or short payment terms We don’t do 30- to 90-day terms. You wouldn’t work for 3 months without pay - so why should your business? Cash flow isn’t just admin. It’s survival. 3. Enforceable payment protection Your contract should include: Interest on late invoices A “stop work” clause if payment isn’t made A clause that guarantees you still get paid even if the client delays the project Your time is not free. Put it in writing. 4. Intellectual Property stays yours Anything we bring to the table = ours. Anything we create for you = yours. Clear. Simple. No grey area. We once had a client record a training session… and try to resell it behind a paywall. Now our contract includes a £10,000 fine per breach. And in that case, per breach = per view. 5. Don’t work with d*ckheads. Not a legal clause - more like legal wisdom... 😂 🚩 If they’re pushing for discounts before asking about outcomes 🚩 If they want to start work before signing or paying 🚩 If they delay, ghost, or act shady in the first 10 days… Walk away. Trust me. Yes, contracts are important. But court is expensive, stressful, and slow. The best legal advice I can give you; - Protect your business. - Trust your gut. - And don’t work with d*ckheads. Learning from someone else’s mistakes is a hell of a lot cheaper than learning from your own. You’re welcome 💜 😉 P.S - Want to finally get the confidence to start building your personal brand online? This is your sign. I’m hosting a FREE Zoom masterclass SEPT 10th. Join here: https://lnkd.in/gMwytmS3 and I'll show you exactly how to build your personal brand (and the life you want!).

Every cloud provider faces the same AI infrastructure challenge: chips need to be positioned close together to exchange data quickly, but they generate intense heat, creating unprecedented cooling demands. We needed a strategic solution that allowed us to use our existing air-cooled data centers to do liquid cooling without waiting for new construction. And it needed to be rapidly deployed so we could bring customers these powerful AI capabilities while we transition towards facility-level liquid cooling. Think of a home where only one sunny room needs AC, while the rest stays naturally cool – that’s what we wanted to achieve, allowing us to efficiently land both liquid and air-cooled racks in the same facilities with complete flexibility. The available options weren't great. Either we could wait to build specialized liquid-cooled facilities or adopt off-the-shelf solutions that didn't scale or meet our unique needs. Neither worked for our customers, so we did what we often do at Amazon… we invented our own solution. Our teams designed and delivered our In-Row Heat Exchanger (IRHX), which uses a direct-to-chip approach with a "cold plate" on the chips. The liquid runs through this sealed plate in a closed loop, continuously removing heat without increasing water use. This enables us to support traditional workloads and demanding AI applications in the same facilities. By 2026, our liquid-cooled capacity will grow to over 20% of our ML capacity, which is at multi-gigawatt scale today. While liquid cooling technology itself isn't unique, our approach was. Creating something this effective that could be deployed across our 120 Availability Zones in 38 Regions was significant. Because this solution didn't exist in the market, we developed a system that enables greater liquid cooling capacity with a smaller physical footprint, while maintaining flexibility and efficiency. Our IRHX can support a wide range of racks requiring liquid cooling, uses 9% less water than fully-air cooled sites, and offers a 20% improvement in power efficiency compared to off-the-shelf solutions. And because we invented it in-house, we can deploy it within months in any of our data centers, creating a flexible foundation to serve our customers for decades to come. Reimagining and innovating at scale has been something Amazon has done for a long time and one of the reasons we’ve been the leader in technology infrastructure and data center invention, sustainability, and resilience. We're not done… there's still so much more to invent for customers.

CONVERTING SURPLUS DISEL LOCOMOTIVES OF INDIAN RAILWAYS TO ELECTRIC LOCOMOTIVES COULD BE A GREAT BUSSINESS OPPORTUNITY- Road Map 1. Technical Possibility A diesel locomotive can, in principle, be converted into an electric locomotive, though the process is not straightforward. It involves: Removing the diesel engine (prime mover) and auxiliaries such as turbocharger, fuel tanks, and radiators. Installing high-capacity transformers, rectifiers/inverters, and traction converters to work with 25 kV AC (or other relevant supply). Adapting traction motors – many modern diesel locomotives already use electric traction motors powered by a diesel-alternator set; these can often be retained with modifications to accept OHE supply. Adding pantographs, circuit breakers, and high-voltage cabling for overhead connection. Weight balancing and space optimization after engine removal. 2. Precedents Indian Railways – “Mission 3000 DTTX”: Large-scale conversion of WDG-3A diesels into WAGC3 electric locomotives. Success factors: Co-Co bogies, adaptable traction motors, and wide availability of redundant diesel units. Globally, examples are rare – most railways prefer fresh procurement. 3. Advantages Cost savings: Conversion costs about 40% of a new electric locomotive. Energy savings: Diesel – 3 litres (₹300) per 1000 tonne-km vs. Electric – 8 kWh (₹100). Engine repurposing: Removed diesel prime movers can be redeployed as high-capacity DG Sets for power backup in workshops, depots, and colonies. Lower emissions and reduced maintenance. 4. Strategic Impact With 100% electrification target of Indian Railways, nearly the entire fleet of diesel locomotives (~5,500 units) risks redundancy. Conversion + engine repurposing creates dual benefits:
 Redeployment of chassis as electrics for hauling. DG Set utility of released prime movers for stationary applications. Enables capital recovery and avoids wasteful scrapping of serviceable assets. 5. Limitations Older designs with DC motors may not be convertible without full replacement. Converted locos have lower performance than purpose-built electrics. Viable only on fully electrified routes. Space/cooling compromises affect reliability if not carefully engineered. ✅ Bottom Line Diesel-to-electric conversion is not only technically feasible but also strategically vital in India’s context: Cost-effective (40% of new build). Engine repurposing into DG Sets enhances asset utilization. Mass redeployment of redundant diesels offers a sustainable pathway as India achieves 100% electrification. #CleanEnergy #Decarbonization #EnergyEfficiency #GreenMobility #ClimateAction #GatiShakti #MakeInIndia #AtmanirbharBharat #TransportPolicy #FutureOfMobility #DieselToElectric #LocomotiveConversion #RailwayTechnology #EngineeringSolutions #InfraInnovation #EnergyEfficiency #SustainableDevelopment #CarbonReduction #ClimateAction #CircularEconomy #MakeInIndia #FutureOfTransport

We've all had nightmare supplier stories. Missed deadlines, poor quality, and a lack of accountability - these issues can literally threaten the existence of your company. After starting my own business and working professionally for over 20+ years, I've learned: Having the right suppliers can make or break your operations. I've found that asking the right questions can reveal so much about a supplier's capabilities, values, and more. It allows me to weed out bad fits early and lay the groundwork for a strong partnership. Here are the top 8 questions I always ask: 1️⃣ Walk me through your quality control processes from start to finish. I need to know they have legitimate procedures in place, not just words on paper. 2️⃣ What's your contingency plan if there's a major supply disruption? Their answer shows how proactive they are about risk mitigation. 3️⃣ How do you ensure you remain compliant with all industry regulations? Compliance is non-negotiable. I want to see their commitment baked in. 4️⃣ If I have an issue, what's the process for getting it resolved properly? A solid system for addressing problems is crucial before they snowball. 5️⃣ Can you provide some customer references I could speak with? Hearing directly from others about their capabilities and partnership is telling. 6️⃣ What makes you different or better than your competitors? I'm looking for a clear value proposition beyond just low costs. 7️⃣ Where do you want to take your company in the next 3-5 years? Gauging whether our longer-term visions remain aligned is important. 8️⃣ How do you stay innovative and keep improving your operations? The status quo isn't good enough. I need a supplier committed to continuous evolution. These questions have been indispensable for vetting suppliers over the years. If you can't get clear, trustworthy answers, it's probably not going to be a good partnership. I'd love to hear any other key questions my fellow entrepreneurs like to ask suppliers! Let's discuss in the comments. #suppliers #fashion #leadership

There is a curious paradox unfolding in Australia's ERP landscape. This paradox is 𝗘𝗥𝗣 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝘃𝘀 𝗘𝗥𝗣 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆. While ERP Vendors are aggressively expanding their sales teams to capture new business, there is a critical shortage of skilled ERP consultants, and this is threatening to derail implementation efforts. This mismatch between sales capacity and delivery capability is creating a bottleneck that could have far-reaching consequences for businesses embracing digital transformation. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝘂𝗿𝗴𝗲 Most of the ERP Vendors seem to be on a hiring spree, with job postings for sales and business development roles flooding LinkedIn feeds daily. This push to acquire new customers is a positive sign of market growth and technological adoption across industries. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗖𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 However, I believe the real challenge lies in the scarcity of experienced ERP consultants who can bring these projects to fruition. The demand for qualified professionals, especially functional consultants who can navigate the complexities of ERP implementations is outstripping the current supply. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 There is a critical need for ERP Vendors to reassess their hiring priorities. While sales growth is important, it must be balanced with a robust strategy to develop and retain skilled implementation teams. It could be of benefit for the ERP Vendors to consider: ✅ Investing in effective comprehensive training and certification programs. ✅ Offering attractive career development paths for their consultants. ✅ Implementing mentorship programs to accelerate skill development. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 By focusing on building a strong foundation of skilled professionals, ERP Vendors will ensure they not only win new business but also deliver successful implementations that drive real value for their clients. This approach will lead to more sustainable growth and stronger, long-term client relationships. The ERP sector in Australia appears to be standing at a crossroads. The choices made today in balancing sales growth with project delivery capability will shape the industry's future and its ability to meet the evolving needs of businesses across the country. #erp #erpsales #erpsoftware #erpproject #erpconsultant #australia

The European Parliament has officially passed Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) legislation that fundamentally shifts the responsibility for textile waste management to fashion brands and retailers – with far-reaching global implications. This new law requires all producers, including e-commerce platforms, to cover the full cost of collecting, sorting, and recycling textiles, regardless of whether they are based within or outside the EU. The financial burden of Europe's textile waste now falls squarely on the brands that create it. What are the critical business implications? UNIVERSAL SCOPE: The legislation applies to all producers selling in the EU market, including those of clothing, accessories, footwear, home textiles, and curtains. No company is exempt based on location. FAST FASHION PENALTY: Member states must specifically address ultra-fast and fast fashion practices when determining EPR financial contributions, creating cost penalties for unsustainable business models. GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN DISRUPTION: As the world's largest textile importer, the EU's new rules will ripple across global supply chains, particularly impacting exporters from Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, and India who supply much of Europe's fast fashion. TIMELINE PRESSURE: Officially adopted September 2025, this creates immediate operational and financial planning requirements. COMPETITIVE RESHAPING: Brands and retailers will inevitably pass increased costs down their supply chains, fundamentally altering supplier relationships and pricing structures globally. What are the implications for various stakeholders? For CEOs and board members: This represents more than regulatory compliance – it's a complete business model transformation. Companies must now integrate end-of-life costs into product pricing, rethink supplier partnerships, and accelerate circular design strategies. For sustainability and decarbonisation executives: This creates unprecedented opportunities for circular economy solutions, sustainable material innovation, and traceability system development across global supply chains. Link: https://lnkd.in/dTyHtHuD #sustainablefashion #circulareconomy #textilwaste #epr #fashionindustry #sustainability #supplychainmanagement #fastfashion #environmentalregulation #businessstrategy #decarbonisation #textilerecycling #fashionceos #boardgovernance #climateaction #wastemanagement #producerresponsibility #fashionsustainability #textileindustry #greenbusiness

You have done this a hundred times. You try to plug in a USB. It doesn't fit. You flip it. Still wrong. You flip it back. Finally it goes in. Annoying. But notice something. You can only plug it in the right way. The wrong way is blocked. That is not an accident. It is a 60-year-old idea from a Toyota factory, and it has a name: poka-yoke. In plain English, mistake-proofing. It came from a Japanese engineer named Shigeo Shingo in the 1960s. He noticed workers on one line kept forgetting to put a tiny spring under a switch button. Every manager's first instinct is the same: tell people to be more careful. Retrain them. Maybe write them up. Shingo did the opposite. He changed the process. Instead of grabbing each spring directly, workers first placed the springs in a small dish. Then they took each one from the dish into the product. Now if a spring was left in the dish, anyone could see it instantly. Defects dropped to zero. Overnight. No extra training. No blame. He first called the idea "baka-yoke," which means fool-proofing. Then he dropped that name. Calling workers fools, he said, was the wrong way to think. Everyone makes mistakes. A good system catches them. Here is the useful part. Shingo said you can mistake-proof almost anything in one of three ways. Worth keeping somewhere: 1️⃣ Make it physically impossible to do wrong. Shape it so only the right way fits. (The SIM card. The USB. The diesel nozzle too wide to enter a petrol car.) 2️⃣ Make the right count obvious. Set it up so a missing or extra piece shows at a glance. (Shingo's dish of springs.) 3️⃣ Lock the steps in order. Build it so a step cannot be skipped or reversed. (The ATM that returns your card before it gives you the cash.) Notice what all three have in common. Not one of them depends on people trying harder. They depend on better design. So before you retrain someone for an honest mistake, ask one question: ⁉️ Could I redesign this so the mistake simply cannot happen? That single question is one of the quietest superpowers in Lean and Six Sigma. Now I would love your help with something. I have only ever seen a small slice of this. What is the smartest piece of mistake-proofing you have come across, at work or in everyday life? Add it in the comments. I want to learn the ones I have missed, and I have a feeling this thread could turn into a brilliant list for all of us. Follow Rahul Iyer for Lean, Six Sigma, Project Management & AI Insights.