Dialogue: M4.0 Leadership from a Digital Champion
Johnson & Johnson’s Bart Talloen shares his thoughts on meeting and exceeding customer expectations, supply chain as a competitive differentiator, and why manufacturing leaders need to focus on curiosity, continuous learning, and shaping the ecosystem of the future.
Recently named the Manufacturing Leadership Awards’ Manufacturing Leader of the Year, Bart Talloen Vice President, Operational Services and Standards for Johnson & Johnson, has been instrumental in leading an innovation-driven shift in J&J’s supply chain. He has had a significant impact on J&J’s standing as a global leader, as demonstrated by the company’s record 11 lighthouse designations from the World Economic Forum.
In this interview he discusses how technology plays an essential role in exceeding customer expectations, the importance of upskilling and training the leaders of the future, and why it’s necessary for every leader to build and leverage a diverse, far-reaching network of internal and external collaborators.
Q: You have been with Johnson & Johnson for 27 years. How has your role evolved during your career there?
A: For 19 years I had different operational supply chain roles with increasing responsibility in our J&J pharmaceutical, over the counter and consumer businesses. This included engineering, planning, manufacturing operations and general end-to-end supply chain management in Europe, Asia, and North America. I have also acquired and divested business operations, built five and closed three manufacturing facilities and was also responsible for the supply chain during the successful execution of a consent decree for McNeil Consumer Healthcare, J&J’s U.S. over-the-counter business.
For the past eight years I have been responsible for J&J supply chain strategy, driving innovation and overseeing large-scale transformation programs encompassing all three of J&J’s business sectors. The overarching evolution of our supply chain is going from a focus on cost and operational excellence to making supply chain a business enabler and competitive advantage. My role has evolved accordingly, from initially building and deploying supply chain strategies that were centered around foundational improvement capabilities such as lean, Six Sigma, and operating systems to bolder strategies built on major capability transformation programs. This includes technology, go-to-market models and channels for access to care, such as supporting outpatient clinic-based settings and telemedicine, as well as customer centricity and personalization.
In the last couple of years I have also been focused on technology and digital innovation, next-generation customer enablement solutions to drive differentiating experiences and outcomes as well as the whole value chain from suppliers to customers.
Q: What most excites you about the role you are in now?
A: It is really about the difference we make as supply chain for our customers, which is twofold:
One is that we are building and deploying cutting edge customer strategies and solutions that transform the experiences and outcomes for the customers and patients that we serve every day. One example is a solution called Advanced Case Management, which uses case schedules and patient data to manage inventory at the point of consumption – ensuring we have the right orthopedic implants for the right patient at exactly the right time. Another example is an autonomous order fulfilment and inventory management system deployed in hospitals, which is supported by an AI engine that suggests operating room improvement opportunities, simplifies and automates healthcare practitioner work, and helps reduce inventory and logistics costs. Connecting that to our supply chain planning enables real-time alignment of the supply to the demand from hospitals.
Second, risks are no longer an isolated event, they are interconnected. That is why we are moving toward multidimensional and proactive approaches to resilience. We are making significant advancements in supply chain resilience, enabling us to always provide our customers with the products and solutions they need whenever, wherever and however they are needed and expected, through whatever disruptions may happen. It strengthens our ability to consistently deliver products, providing confidence and assurance through times of uncertainty. And that is what our customers expect.
Our proactive resilience capability is centered around a resilience engine that leverages data science and analytics for multi-dimensional risk evaluation. Combined with network and product-specific data, it enables improved velocity and quality of trade-off decisions at supply chain, product and network levels. This results in proactive risk identification and mitigation while ensuring continuity of our product supply.
EXECUTIVE PROFILE: Bart Talloen
Title: Vice President, Operational Services and Standards for Johnson & Johnson Services Inc.
Education: Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium; B.S. and M.B.A.
Previous Roles:
– Vice President, Strategy Innovation and Deployment, J&J Supply Chain
– Vice President, Supply Chain North America OTC, J&J Consumer
– Vice President, Supply Chain WW Nutritionals, NA OTC, Franchise Strategic Operations, J&J Consumer
– Vice President Consumer Supply Chain Asia Pacific, J&J Consumer
About the author:
Penelope Brown is Senior Content Director of the NAM’s Manufacturing Leadership Council.
