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Richard Howells

VP Digital Supply Chain and Industry 4.0 at SAP

Medfield, United States

Thought leader in supply chain, industry 4.0, sustainability and technology

Richard Howells Points
Academic 0
Author 106
Influencer 52
Speaker 57
Entrepreneur 0
Total 215

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Company
Business Unit: Markeing
Theatre: North America
Minimum Project Size: Undisclosed
Average Hourly Rate: Undisclosed
Number of Employees: Undisclosed
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed
Media Experience: 15 years
Last Media Interview: 10/25/2018

Areas of Expertise

AI
Analytics
AR/VR
Big Data
Blockchain 30.07
Business Continuity 31.15
Business Strategy 33.84
Climate Change 34.61
COVID19 34.29
Customer Experience 30.04
Digital Disruption
Digital Transformation 30.45
Digital Twins 31.01
Emerging Technology 30.90
ERP 30.14
Health and Wellness 30.08
Innovation 30.20
IoT 30.38
Leadership 30.02
Management 30.18
Marketing
National Security
Predictive Analytics
Renewable Energy 30.21
Risk Management
Sales 30.10
Social 30.11
Supply Chain 36.17
Sustainability 47.46

Industry Experience

Automotive
Chemicals
Consumer Products
High Tech & Electronics
Industrial Machinery & Components
Manufacturing
Pharmaceuticals

Publications

100 Article/Blogs
Be Ready: Future-Proofing Asset Management in Your Organization
Sap
October 20, 2023
My basement flooded a few weeks ago, and my wife was on a mission to get to the bottom of the issue. And like any good husband, I got out of her way, and let here get to the root of the problem. As it happens, due to unprecedented rain fall over a very short space of time (who says there is no such thing as climate change) the sump pump, the device that protects us against flooding, had failed. Unfortunately, it was not smart enough to alert us to this situation and simply gave up

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain

Shoring Up Our Supply Chains
Connected World
October 05, 2023
Is the supply chain becoming more resilient since the early days of the pandemic? What is the missing link? Do we need more workers? More technology? Better processes? Or something else altogether to fix the broken pieces of our supply chain?

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain

How The Panama Drought Could Impact Holiday Shopping
Forbes
September 12, 2023
How The Panama Drought Could Impact Holiday Shopping

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain

How The Bankruptcy Of Yellow Puts Businesses On Red Alert For The Holiday Season
Forbes
August 21, 2023
On August the 6th, Nashville, TN based logistics giant Yellow, the third biggest player in the industry, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The company moves an estimated $5 billion of freight annually and its demise is impacting available freight capacity and costs across the US.

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Tags: ERP, Sustainability, Supply Chain

Midsize Businesses Find Resilience At The Intersection Of Supply Chain Diversification And Sustainability
Forbes
June 15, 2023
According to a recent IDC InfoDoc sponsored by SAP, midsize businesses expecting an average of over 10% increases in both revenue and market share growth rely on sourcing from several suppliers (71%) and source from different countries (67%). And they’re going even further by considering supply chain traceability initiatives to improve their sustainability performance (72%).*

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Tags: Innovation, Sustainability, Supply Chain

5 Supply Chain Strategies To Avoid Risk And Enable Sustainability
Forbes
April 24, 2023
Risk-resiliency and sustainability are top of mind for supply chain executives. So, what are the top strategies to address these challenges?

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Tags: Innovation, Sustainability, Supply Chain

What Costs More, The Chicken Or The Egg?
Forbes
February 20, 2023
Egg prices have risen 70% over the past 12 months as the price of chicken has decreased. What are the business and supply chain impacts?

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Tags: Supply Chain, Management

Is Your Supply Chain Ready For The Permacrisis?
Forbes
February 02, 2023
Collins English Dictionary word of the year for 2022 was “Permacrisis,” an extended period of instability and insecurity, especially one resulting from a series of catastrophic events. Sound familiar? But what can supply chain executives do to prepare?

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Tags: Supply Chain, Management, Business Continuity

2023 Supply Chain Predictions: Resiliency, Sustainability And Visibility Set New Expectations
Forbes
December 15, 2022
Check out the latest supply chain predictions for 2023 by supply chain experts from CapGemini, NTT, PwC, Penn State, Accenture, as well as Scott Luton, Sarah Barnes-Humphry and me.

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Business Strategy

Servitization: Manufacturers get serious about services
The Future of Custumer
December 08, 2022
As consumers, we’re used to the as-a-service model in our everyday lives. When was the last time you bought a CD or DVD? I can’t remember because my whole family streams everything. My sons and I even get my razor blades and shaving cream as-a-service. Of course, I still seem to be paying for everything, but that’s a different story!

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Tags: Social, Supply Chain, Sales

Sustainability In Midsize Companies: Finding The Way To Competitive Supply Chains
Forbes
November 22, 2022
Learn how midsize companies with supply chains that quickly incorporate sustainability and the circular economy into their plans for growing revenue, increasing efficiency, and mitigating risk are well-positioned to differentiate themselves and gain a competitive advantage.

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Business Strategy

Tough turkey: Supply chain, inflation make for challenging holiday
The Future of Commerce
November 18, 2022
How supply chain glitches and inflation can affect your Thanksgiving Dinner

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Business Strategy

Don’t let inflation deflate your business
ERP
November 07, 2022
As costs rise, every penny we spend gets scrutinized. More than ever, businesses need to be able to quickly perform cost/benefit analyses and determine the potential ROI of investments. Raw materials and energy cost a lot more, and while sustainability and waste reduction become matters of economic survival and not just environmental concerns. Companies are looking at all ways possible to reduce energy and fuel consumption, and to streamline materials usage in manufacturing.

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Tags: ERP, Supply Chain, Business Continuity

Don't let inflation deflate your business
ERP Today
October 20, 2022
Inflation is at its highest rate in 40 years. As costs rise, every penny we spend gets scrutinized. Businesses need cost/benefit analyses and to determine the potential ROI of investments.

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Tags: ERP, Supply Chain, Business Continuity

Water Conservation Requires Food And Fashion To Hydrate With More Sustainable Supply Chains
Forbes
September 09, 2022
Nearly two-thirds of the world’s population is predicted to face water shortages by 2025. We must rethink how we produce the food we eat, and the clothes we wear.

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain

It’s time to get serious about servitization
ERP Today
September 01, 2022
The concept of selling an outcome as a service is commonly known as Servitization, and it is increasingly expanding from a consumer model to a broader business approach where the capital expense of a piece of equipment is often a barrier to buyers. It is often far more attractive to have access to the same equipment but pay monthly based on usage metrics like hours of usage, or throughput.

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Business Strategy

Is There A Beer Shortage Brewing In The USA?
Forbes
August 09, 2022
What can we do to improve our supply chains to avoid a beer shortage in 2022?

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Management

Will Amazon Prime Day Survive A Trifecta Of Challenges?
Forbes
July 06, 2022
Learn how the challenges of inflation and supply chain glitches could impact Amazon Prime Day this year.

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Tags: Innovation, Supply Chain, Leadership

Amidst New Uncertainty, UK Supply Chain Leaders Look To Increase Supply Chain Resiliency
Import from forbes.com
July 01, 2022
Survey of UK supply chain executives think their companies will move from just-in-time supply chains to "just-in-case"!

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

Crescent Petroleum Is Closing The Circle On The Role Of Natural Gas In Sustainable Energy
Import from forbes.com
June 30, 2022
Natural gas is playing a key role in the transition to a cleaner, more circular use of resources. Crescent Petroleum has been at the forefront for decades.

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Renewable Energy

Why The Circular Economy Is The Perfect Fit For The Fashion Industry
Import from forbes.com
June 29, 2022
Sustainability legislation drives new proposals in Europe and signals a major shift for the fashion industry.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

How India’s Midmarket Businesses Can Eliminate The ‘Missing Middle’
Import from forbes.com
June 29, 2022
India has 600 large enterprises with over $500 million in yearly revenue, and thousands more small businesses generating under $50 million a year. In between is a gap (the missing middle), challenging the economy's ability maintain growth.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

Are ERP Projects Really The Stuff Of Nightmares?
Import from forbes.com
June 28, 2022
For business and technology leaders, the mere mention of an ERP project conjures nightmares. Why?

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

It’s No Dream, Sustainable Jeans Are Perfect Fit For Modern Retail Consumers
Import from forbes.com
June 27, 2022
Dazzling in scope, yet simple in pragmatic ease of innovation, a series of interactive and immersive displays demonstrated how Trilogy designed and delivered sustainable pink denim jeans in record time after one pair became a sensation on TikTok.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

How Cloud ERP Drives Strategic Growth For Finance Leaders
Import from forbes.com
June 24, 2022
Finance leaders and their teams are under tremendous pressure to provide critical financial and operational information at the drop of a hat – particularly in times of turmoil and uncertainty.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

1 Influencer Award
Supply Chain Pros to Know 2021
Supply & Demand Chain Executive
March 17, 2021
Identified as a supply chain Pro to Know for 2021

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Tags: Supply Chain

4 Keynotes
Enabling A Resilient And Sustainable Supply Chain
Eventful Group
June 13, 2022
Over the past 2 years, the risks and shortfalls in our global supply chains have been front and center as companies looked to reduce risk and increase resiliency. As we look to the future, sustainability will join resiliency as a main theme. Supply Chains are now seen as central to business survival, success, and growth, rather than an opportunity to just reduce costs. This session will discuss the key enablers of a resilient and sustainable supply chain.

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Business Strategy

Advancing Supply Chains through Sustainability
Supply Chain Canada
February 24, 2022
Why sustainability can be good for the planet, people and profitability

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Climate Change

Support the environment and your business with a sustainable supply chain
Sapphire NOW
June 08, 2021
Support the environment and your business with a sustainable supply chain

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Tags: Sustainability, Supply Chain, Climate Change

Surviving and Thriving with a Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chain
Eventful Group
March 29, 2021
The world we live in, while often turbulent, has been turned on its head recently. Now more than ever we need supply chains that have the agility to sense, predict, and respond to risks and opportunities. The productivity to meet market and customer demands. The connectivity to collaborate and provide visibility across your networks. And drive sustainable processes to ensure that products are ethically sourced, manufactured and delivered with zero waste with carbon neutral processes. Learn how SAP solutions can help your company operate a resilient, sustainable supply chain.

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Tags: Digital Transformation, IoT, Supply Chain

10 Media Interviews
Fueled by new technologies, the future of supply chains is here
TechTarget
February 18, 2021
An outlook on the future of supply chains

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Tags: Digital Transformation, Emerging Technology, Supply Chain

Industrial Augmented Reality Promises Remote Support
DC Velocity
October 19, 2020
Industrial augmented reality is picking up steam during the pandemic.

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Tags: Emerging Technology, IoT, Supply Chain

Q&A: Richard Howells, VP of Solution Marketing for SAP Digital Supply Chain
Modern Materials Handling
October 16, 2020
Q&A: Richard Howells, VP of Solution Marketing for SAP Digital Supply Chain

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Tags: Business Strategy, COVID19, Supply Chain

Everything Commerce: the past, present and future of business on the internet
Supply Chain Digital
October 06, 2020
Industrial augmented reality is picking up steam during the pandemic.

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Tags: Emerging Technology, IoT, Supply Chain

Why is SCM Software essential to supply chains?
Supply Chain Digital
July 13, 2020
Why is SCM Software essential to supply chains?

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Tags: Business Strategy, COVID19, Supply Chain

Covid-19 & Necessity Accelerate Supply Chain Digitization
ESP News
June 16, 2020
Covid-19 & Necessity Accelerate Supply Chain Digitization

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Tags: Business Strategy, COVID19, Supply Chain

Digital twin technology on turbulent climb to stratosphere
TechTarget
June 09, 2020
Digital twins may be the hottest thing in the already overhyped IoT. The potential is real, but deciding what goes into digital twins and linking them with enterprise data is no small feat.

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Tags: Digital Transformation, Emerging Technology, Digital Twins

Digital Transformation in the Supply Chain
Logistics Viewpoint
May 21, 2020
Digitalization is accelerating the pace of business and transforming global supply chains. In a freewheeling discussion at the ARC Industry Forum in Orlando, I spoke with Richard Howells, Vice President Marketing Digital Supply Chain at SAP about the trends, customer expectations, the challenges, and imperatives of digital transformation in the supply chain.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain

supply chain lessons learned from Fyre Festival
Supply Chain Digital
May 07, 2020
supply chain lessons learned from Fyre Festival

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain

SAP adds Uber Freight to logistics network
DC Velocity
May 02, 2020
SAP adds Uber Freight to logistics network

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Tags: Digital Transformation, Emerging Technology, Supply Chain

2 Panels
Diverse Backgrounds Help Build Supply Chains Stronger
Supply & Demand Executive
May 03, 2022
Four of this year’s Pros to Know winners from SAP sat down to talk all things supply chain, how the pandemic has affected the way companies do business, what advice they would give their younger selves and more.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

How Manufacturers Build The Next Generation Products & Solutions
Voice America
March 02, 2021
How can manufacturers manage this “new normal”? They need to ensure research and design efforts are customer-centric and can be brought to market quickly. Industrial equipment and products need to support new as-a-service business models that impact the design process and collaboration across the value chain. And they must continue to design and deliver custom-tailored products and solutions that customers want and need. Hint: Industry 4.0 capabilities can help with these challenges. We’ll ask Joe Bohman at Siemens, and Bernard Meyer and Richard Howells at SAP how the design process is evolving and the importance of having intelligent solutions to streamline and integrate product and solution design, on How Manufacturers Build The Next Generation Products and Solutions.

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Tags: Digital Transformation, IoT, Supply Chain

1 Podcast
The Future of ERP The Future of ERP – Episode 1
SAP
January 13, 2023
ERP Predictions with Simo Said, Richard Howells & Öykü Ilgar

In this episode, Simo Said discusses the evolution of ERP and the outlook to trends and business drivers in 2023. Listen to our very first The Future of ERP podcast to discover why ERP is the backbone of the organization to run mission-critical operations.

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Tags: ERP, Sustainability

2 Speaking Engagements
Future Vision for Supply Chains in a Disruptive World
Internet of Business
November 18, 2020
At the start of 2020, when experts were busy providing their “20/20 vision,” no one predicted a global pandemic that would bring the global economy to a virtual standstill within weeks. Demand for goods and services became highly variable. The supply of critical materials was uncertain. Labor and resource capacity in manufacturing and logistics turned severely constrained.

This highlighted flaws in many global supply chains that have been “leaned out” and stretched to reduce costs. As a result, the pandemic has made supply chains the center of attention in daily presidential briefings, corporate boardrooms and even family dining tables. Supply chains have become, if they were not already, a strategic topic.

And given the world still grapples with the ongoing effects of COVID-19 as the end of 2020 nears, IoB Voices thought it was a good time to hear more from SAP’s supply chain expert, Richard Howells.

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Tags: Business Strategy, COVID19, Supply Chain

Supply chain predictions
ARC
March 02, 2020
Interview with IDC

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Tags: Supply Chain

1 Webinar
Ho, Ho, Ho…How to Ensure a Sustainable Holiday Supply Chain
LinkedIn
December 01, 2022
‘Tis the season when supply chains are put to the test—the past few years even more. Not only are they tasked with delivering presents on time to children on the nice list the world over, but they’re expected to do it sustainably.

At SAP, our goal is zero: zero emissions, zero waste, zero inequality. Central to achieving this goal are supply chains, as both a major contributor to the problem and a major area of opportunity.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

3 Webinars
How to Navigate Towards a More Risk-Resilient and Sustainable Future
LinkedIn Live
November 10, 2022
here have been many changes in the world of supply chain management over the past 25 years, and the road ahead promises more changes — along with more risk, uncertainty, and volatility.

The first step is to expand the conversation of balancing cost and service to also include resilience, risk, and sustainability.
• What if you changed your traditional perspective of supply chain management?
• What if you finally “walked the talk” of breaking down functional silos and truly optimized and collaborated across business processes and across network trading partners?
• What if you leveraged smart sensors and added more automation across your supply chain?

Join SAP’s Richard Howells, VP Solution Management for Digital Supply Chain, and Adrian Gonzalez, President of Adelante SCM, as they dive into these questions and more, the answers to which will guide your supply chains toward a more intelligent, risk-resilient, and sustainable future.

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Tags: Business Strategy, Supply Chain, Sustainability

Business Networks in 6 mins
SAP
February 20, 2021
An overview of the networked economy

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Tags: Business Continuity, Digital Transformation, Supply Chain

The Digital Supply Chain podcast What does a seasonal, socially distanced, supply chain look like?
Digital Supply Chain Podcast
December 14, 2020
The Digital Supply Chain podcast What does a seasonal, socially distanced, supply chain look like? A chat with Richard Howells

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Tags: COVID19, Supply Chain, Sustainability

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