 Peter Thomas is a supply chain consultant at IBM New Zealand where he is able to leverage his experience in a variety of ERP (enterprise resource planning), forecasting and scheduling
systems and process improvement techniques from his supply chain career.
IBM is rich in intellectual property with specialist supply chain research centres, and Peter enjoys the depth and breadth of experience on offer with the added perspective of contributing to best-in-class supply chain activities for local industry.
For Peter, the opportunity to create world-class supply chain and logistics solutions and the potential to work within any discipline ranging from transportation to advanced ERP planning was simply too good
to miss.
Peter’s career began at Rockwell Automation NZ where he was initially only responsible for replenishing sales stock. The introduction of a new ERP system enabled Peter to participate as a subject matter expert and develop policies and processes. Before long he was contributing to global process improvement initiatives and was accountable for the national inventory management process.
While working for Rockwell he helped to reduce inventory by 55 percent while increasing DIFOT (delivery in full on time) by 18 percent before being promoted to a regional management position.
As Asia-Pacific inventory manager, Peter balanced his work schedule against study requirements for the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT) UK Diploma in Logistics with Walter Glass. Responsible for operations across 18 countries outlined by India, Singapore, Korea and New Zealand, Peter led the development of inventory systems, 3PL warehousing and performance metrics. Cultural leadership was an important aspect too while advising the local country managers on how to perform their roles.
Having the ability to apply learning from the logistics diploma directly to the job was a real bonus and provided a good perspective between the textbook approach and pragmatic solutions in
the field.
Peter has since focused on local New Zealand supply chain roles based around advanced planning systems. This has included projects that involve sales and operations, JD Edwards ERP, bar coding and several advanced planning system implementations. In most cases he was involved with the systems and application functionality, but appreciates the importance of the human factor and existence of solid core processes and cultural values. “I believe that when you engage in supply chain improvement, you inevitably embrace complications relating to maturing the organisation and transformation of human resources,” he says.
Within his current role, Peter acts as a consultant with IBM’s inventory optimisation solution and focuses upon inventory planning systems within the New Zealand market. He is also on the forefront of the green supply chain development from IBM and is pleased to work for a company that has such loyalty to the environment. “The issue of carbon emissions and sustainable supply chains is akin to a deep sea storm surge for New Zealand,” he says. “The latest research strikes at the heart of inventory-carrying costs on this matter. Companies with existing planning systems will need to revisit their calculations and adapt to this global event.”
In 2007 Peter graduated with a postgraduate diploma in supply chain management and is currently compiling information for his Masters thesis. He is researching the development of New Zealand supply chain systems and the relationship of supply chain maturity to their functional execution.
The CILT UK Diploma in Logistics is now the CILT UK Professional Diploma in Logistics & Transport, and is offered in New Zealand through the Logistics Training Group, email: info@ltg.co.nz
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