Supply Chain Quotes by Elon Musk, Sam Walton, Tim Cook, Jeff Bezos…

An assortment of great Supply Chain quotes.  Quotes are included from the CEOs and/or founders of Amazon, Apple, Dell Computer, Ford, Toyota, Walmart and so forth.

“Be a yardstick of quality.  Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected.” ~Steve Jobs

“The supply chain stuff is really tricky.” ~Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

“If you are going to do TPS you must do it all the way.  You also need to change the way you think.  You need to change how you look at things.”  ~ Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota Production System

“Standards should not be forced down from above but rather set by the production workers themselves.” ~ Taiichi Ohno

“Leader win through logistics.  Vision, sure. Strategy, yes.  But when you go to war, you need to have both toilet paper and bullets at the right place at the right time.  In other words, you must win through superior logistics.”  ~ Tom Peters

“Without data, you’re just another person with an opinion.” ~ W. Edwards Deming

“Everyone has the heart of a champion on game day.  It’s the heart you have during the weeks, months, and years of preparation that actually makes a difference.”  ~ John Raymond

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.  If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.”  ~ Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway.

“We have to make sure, at Apple, that we stay true to focus, laser focus – we know we can only do great things a few times, only on a few products.” ~ Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

“Supply Chain is like nature, it is all around us.” ~Dave Waters

The future of the predictive supply chain: Artificial Intelligence; Machine Learning; Deep Learning.

“Deep learning will revolutionize supply chain automation.” ~Dave Waters

More Supply Chain Quotes:

What are some of your favorite supply chain quotes?

• “For much of Toyota’s history, we have ensured the quality and reliability of our vehicles by placing a device called an andon cord on every production line – and empowering any team member to halt production if there’s an assembly problem. Only when the problem is resolved does the line begin to move again.” ~ Akio Toyoda.
• “If you think of standardization as the best that you know today, but which is to be improved tomorrow; you get somewhere.”  ~ Henry Ford, founder Ford Motor Company.
• “Supply chains are everywhere. From the biggest company in the world to running your household. We all have supply chain experience even if we don’t know it.” ~ EverythingSupplyChain.com.
• “All we are doing is looking at the time line, from the moment the customer gives us an order to the point when we collect the cash. And we are reducing the time line by reducing the non-value adding wastes.”  ~Taiichi Ohno, father of the Toyota Production System (TPS).
• “Information is power, and the gain you get from empowering your associates more than offsets the risk of informing your competitor.”  ~ Sam Walton, made Walmart Logistics a key differentiator.
• “Many supply chains are perfectly suited to the needs that the business had 20 years ago.” ~Jonathan Byrnes, MIT Professor.
• “Artificial Intelligence will be rampant in the digital supply chain” ~Dave Waters.
• “An hour saved at the non-bottleneck is a mirage.”   ~ Eliyahu M. Goldratt, author of The Goal.
• “Don’t be afraid to fail. Get out there and experiment and learn and fail and get a rate based on the experiences you have. Go for it and when you go for it you’ll learn what you’re capable of, what the potential is, where the opportunities are, but you can’t be afraid to fail because that’s when you learn.”  ~ Michael Dell.
• “When something is important enough, you do it even if the odds are not in your favor.” ~ Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
• “Leaders get out in front and stay there by raising the standards by which they judge themselves – and by which they are willing to be judged.” ~ Frederick W. Smith, founder of FedX.

• “I think frugality drives innovation, just like other constraints do. One of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to invent your way out.” ~ Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and a Supply Chain Innovator.
• “The goal as a company is to have customer service that is not just the best but legendary.” ~ Sam Walton, founder and CEO of Walmart.
• We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain… What we will not do – and never have done – is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word. ~Tim Cook, CEO of Apple and Supply Chain Expert. 
• “For much of Toyota’s history, we have ensured the quality and reliability of our vehicles by placing a device called an andon cord on every production line – and empowering any team member to halt production if there’s an assembly problem. Only when the problem is resolved does the line begin to move again.”  ~ Akio Toyoda, CEO Toyota Motor Company.
• “A relentless barrage of “why’s” is the best way to prepare your mind to pierce the clouded veil of thinking caused by the status quo.  Use it often.”  ~ Shigeo Shingo.
• “Self-driving vehicles, automatically choosing the most efficient route… Artificial Intelligence will dramatically improve logistics.” ~Dave Waters
• “Machine learning, self-driving vehicles and drones will disrupt the supply chain.” –SupplyChainToday.com
• “Every breakthrough business idea begins with solving a common problem. The bigger the problem, the bigger the opportunity. I discovered a big one when I took apart an IBM PC. I made two interesting discoveries: The components were all manufactured by other companies, and the system that retailed for $3,000 cost about $600 in parts.”  ~ Michael Dell, founder of Dell Computer and created the Dell Supply Chain.
• “The best supply chain companies are always evolving.” –SupplyChainToday.com
• “Products can be easily copied. But a supply chain can provide a true competitive advantage.” ~Yossi Sheffi
• “Be a supply chain innovator. Research Internet of Things (IoT); Machine Learning; Deep Learning, Big Data, Blockchain, Drones, Augmented Reality, Artificial Intelligence…” ~EverythingSupplyChain.com.
• “The Business Schools reward complex behaviors more than the simple behaviors, but simple behavior is more effective.” ~Warren Buffett
• “Artificial intelligence will revolutionize supply chain automation.” ~Dave Waters.
• “Supply chain automation will soon encompass autonomous vehicles, drones and artificial intelligence.” –EverythingSupplyChain.com
• “Many of our best opportunities were created out of necessity. “ ~ Sam Walton, created the Walmart Supply Chain.