On March 29, the Loss Prevention Research Council collaborated with ALTO US, Cam Connections, and the Home Depot to host a Supply Chain Protection Working Group Summit in Atlanta, GA. Nearly 30 LP executives traveled to Atlanta to participate in the day-long research planning meeting hosted at the Home Depot distribution center.
This marks the fourth such initiative-based “summit” format for the LPRC in the past six months, preceded by a Point-of-Sale Activation Benefit Denial Summit in the fall, a Robbery Summit in the fall, and a Violent Crime Summit in the spring. The format is unique in many ways. This article will discuss the Supply Chain Summit briefly in order to highlight the unique benefits of the LPRC Summit format.
Goal of LPRC Summits
LPRC summits focus on generating actionable research projects through blue-ocean brainstorming and collaboration, followed by scrutinizing and focusing proposed topics on the criteria of logistic feasibility and adherence to standards of scientific rigor.
Example Agenda
During the Supply Chain Summit, the morning session focused on existing research projects for the working group. Projects were either tabled or revitalized at the group’s discretion. A vote occurred just before lunch, with each attendee submitting the top two topics they’d like to discuss in the afternoon. The group then broke out into four project planning sub-groups around the four topics that received the most votes. The group came away with nine research projects that will progress through the year on the monthly Supply Chain Protection Working Group calls, with a finished project featured at the LPRC Impact Conference on October 2–4.
Group Dynamic
One unique aspect of the LPRC summit format is the collaborative and open nature of the forum. Retailers, often in direct competition, come together and work in tandem to brainstorm and problem solve. The collaborative presence of solution providers is also critical to maximizing group effectiveness, as was exemplified in this case by the presence of Avery Dennison. The topic of RFID in the supply chain, once raised by the Avery Dennison team, became the most highly voted topic of discussion for the afternoon session, benefiting from their area of expertise.
Future Meetings
LPRC summits will continue to be a crucial part of the Loss Prevention Research Council’s overall strategy to facilitate collaboration and execute large-scale research projects. The next summit on the horizon is tentatively scheduled to occur in late July and will focus on food and drug/health and beauty care product protection and packaging innovation initiatives. Information about all LPRC Summits will appear in the LPRC Connect weekly email. To receive our weekly email, please contact operations (at) lpresearch (dot) org.
Special thanks to ALTO for sponsoring the LPRC Supply Chain Summit and to the Home Depot for hosting the event.
