In April and May, Ardent Partners hosted The CPO Rising 2K20 Virtual Series – The Resiliency Imperative as a way to bring together our global community of procurement, finance, and supply management professionals and collectively tackle the big issues we were all facing and continue to face as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. More than 2,300 people participated in the 20 virtual sessions including our livestream summit. We also had 27 experts share their ideas and insights. Once the dust settled on the series, Andrew went back to interview many of these leaders so we could learn a little bit more about them and their companies. We’re also working on a plan to replay many of the sessions, so stay tuned.
Mark Manning is the Founder and CEO of iTRACE Technologies, a Silicon Valley company that specializes in supply chain security. For the last 15 years Manning has been involved with brand protection and product security and has delivered technology solutions to supply chain’s biggest problems. During the 2K20 Virtual Series, Mark and Daniel Stanton, President at SecureMarking, gave a presentation discussing the key strategies to help prevent supply chain piracy. Andrew caught up again with Mark a few weeks ago. Below is a transcript of their discussion (edited for clarity).
Andrew Bartolini: Mark, thank you for connecting with me today. Hope your summer has been going well.
Mark Manning: Hello Andrew, thank you for having me on.
AB: I thought we could start by giving our readers a little background on yourself and your company, iTRACE.
MM: Yes, sounds good. I’m the Founder & CEO of iTRACE Technologies, a Silicon Valley company specializing in supply chain security. I’m now a serial entrepreneur having started or been involved in founding multiple companies since arriving in California. In 2010 I graduated from the Silicon Valley Founder Institute with a company called Heirloom Vault and as an adventure racer I opened my own e-commerce store, called AR Navigation Supplies, www.arnavsupplies.com, while developing a line of proprietary navigation tools and writing two books on map and compass navigation. I studied Engineering and Telecommunications in London before moving to the United States in 1993 and becoming a US Citizen in 2004. I currently live in the San Francisco Bay Area have been a frequent mentor at the Silicon Valley Founder Institute. Outside of the office I love motorsports and competitive cycling.
iTRACE and our 2DMI technology helps companies stop Production Overrun, Counterfeit and Diversion. We are providing secure product authentication to global brands helping them secure their supply chains around the World. iTRACE has deployed blockchain and traditional track and trace solutions through a suite of desktop, on-product, and cloud-based security applications.
AB: How did you end up working in this industry?
MM: I had previously worked at a startup company in this industry as a product manager developing solutions to help fight counterfeit and grey market trading of products. I took that knowledge and leveraged it into an overall Supply Chain Security application that iTRACE is delivering today.
AB: What would you say has been the major influence in your professional career?
MM: I have always worked with new and evolving technologies, some that were too far ahead of their time for wide adoption like VoIP and SIP in 1997. New technologies and businesses that were pushing the boundaries of those technologies have always kept me motivated and attracted my interest.
AB: Recent events have taught us many things regarding short-term preparation and general planning, what should companies concerned about their supply chain security be paying attention to now, in the short-term, and in the future?
MM: I think companies should be trying to stay nimble and flexible to more easily adapt to the changes that are coming. We are working with a number of companies that are taking this pause in the economy to partner and develop new applications that will give them a new offering or competitive advantage when the economy starts to fully open again. Our technology is seen as a key enabler of many security applications that can easily be incorporated into other products or solutions. The world will come out of this current crisis and the companies that have been able to adapt, innovate, and overcome these challenges will be the ones that thrive.
AB: This decade has gotten off to an inauspicious start, but it will eventually right itself. Where do you think your industry will be in 2030? What is something you hope we will have but do not have currently? What is the one thing you’d like to exist or see in 2030?
MM: In reality the track and trace industry is only just getting started, so many companies have no idea where their products really are at any point in time, many actually apply serial numbers but don’t collect any data about those products. By 2030 we can only hope that companies will see the enormous value of the business data that that can be collected with track and trace solutions that we couldn’t imagine a time when it wasn’t collected by everyone. The companies we’re working with today have told me they wished they had done this sooner. Personally though I’m waiting for the fully autonomous self-driving car to become a reality.
AB: During the shutdown, what was the best or most interesting thing you watched (movie or show), read (book, article) or saw (something online)?
MM: As a fan of Formula 1, I have been very impressed with the way that the Formula 1 teams stepped up to help deliver ventilators to the healthcare industry through Operation Pit Lane, and then worked together with the governing body of the sport to still bring racing to the fans while maintaining a safe environment for the competitors and support staff. The way they came together shows the flexibility and agility of the teams in that business.
AB: That flexibility and agility is definitely something that is needed during uncertain times. Mark, it has been a pleasure chatting with you today. Thanks again.
MM: My pleasure.
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AB: What are you doing on August 18th?
You: Attending your upcoming webinar – Smart Strategies for Tough Times
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