A Go-to Expert in Supply Chain Operations

Rick Elmore is currently serving as the Chief Supply Chain Officer Global Activewear of Hanesbrands Inc. He has gained a wealth of experience in merchandising, product development, procurement and supply chain management after graduating with a M.S. in Textiles from North Carolina State in 1991. He has been working with Hanesbrands for more than 15 years, where he started as VP, Product Development and was responsible for the development of products, fabrics and materials.

Key Milestones in Shaping Professional Growth

I started my career in roles focused on the front end of business like sales, marketing, merchandising and general management. I moved into supply chain roles since I was more interested in the operational aspects. Despite my job role, I have always maintained a passion for product and surrounding myself with great people.

Reflecting on my career, I recognized three key milestones that have shaped my journey so far. The first milestone was with a small private apparel company, where I focused on product management and marketing. The years I spent in this role allowed me to leverage my BS degree in textile science and hone my product skills through hands on learning within manufacturing and product development. I gained valuable knowledge about raw materials and their conversion through manufacturing processes, along with a comprehensive understanding of product costs. This helped me to identify and create product solutions, that exceeded customer expectations while growing revenue and operating profit results for the company.

The second key milestone was to lead a small business unit in the absence of one of our leaders. This opportunity afforded me the position of de facto GM where I handled every aspect of the business. During this time, I realized that I still needed to gain more business knowledge. I remember how I struggled to answer some questions when I presented quarterly result in a CEO review. I didn’t like that feeling of uncertainty and knew I needed to learn more. That was when I decided to pursue my MBA, as I wanted to understand how all the elements of business work together to make better decisions. I enrolled in the Wake Forest Exec-MBA program and dedicated every weekend to classes, utilizing every hour to study and learn. I was able to apply my learnings from the classroom immediately in my job the following week. The knowledge and experience I gained from the program instilled the confidence to take on new challenges and roles throughout my career. My degree, combined with my experience, has allowed me to adopt an enterprise-wide perspective, evaluating decisions from a broad viewpoint.

The third milestone was a culmination of acquisition experience, as I began to evolve my career journey into the global supply chain.  I was tapped to be part of a small team to help assess companies for acquisition.  Our goal was to determine whether the operational value could be unlocked and leveraged further to enhance sales or improve our overall cost of goods sold (COGs). This drove me to explore more supply chain operational opportunities. I closely engaged with my mentors and leaders to put me on a more purposeful global supply chain career path.

“Adopting a customer-centric and continuous improvement approach will always lead to success in managing supply chain operations and delivering excellence in customer service”

I gradually took on accountability for various supply chain functions, gaining firsthand experience in areas like Product Development, Production Planning, Sourcing, Distribution, Procurement, Quality Control, and Strategic Planning. Eventually, my responsibilities and team size grew and I began shifting from technical expertise to developing and evolving my leadership skills. This transition required me to learn how to lead through delegation and empowering my team, fostering mutual trust. I realized the importance of clearly defining goals to ensure everyone understood expectations and success metrics. I built trust and encouraged my team’s growth and recognition.

Challenges in the Supply Chain and Apparel Industry

I have encountered numerous challenges over the years starting from chasing demand, right sizing production to cost control and natural disasters. But there are three main areas that have always kept me focused and I am constantly trying to further improve them.

Customer mindset- Following a customer-centric approach is the priority for a supply chain leader. Customers expect top-notch products delivered on time and one small error can lead to sheer disappointment. I continuously evaluate processes to enhance supply chain flow and foster a culture of constant improvement. This helps my team improve forecasting, reduce lead times, and deliver better service to our customers, which is a key competitive advantage.

Protecting the Brand- Our supply chain produces branded products that maximizes brand value for the company, investors and consumers. This requires close monitoring of material, assembly, and finished product quality. We ensure that our associates and vendors consistently do the right thing and partnering with vendors with shared values helps us to enhance brand loyalty.

COG’s and cash- Our supply chain manages the majority of the company’s spending. As such, we must be good stewards of that budget. We seek ways to improve our cost of goods despite ongoing inflationary pressures by regularly reviewing service contracts, material purchases, freight costs, and efficiencies to drive continuous improvement.

Through all these key areas, we want to reduce our overall spend and cash consumption by focusing on ways to maximize our inventory and weeks of supply for the most effective inventory turns possible. Our team actively focuses on ways to reduce lead times through VMI and SMI programs as well as LEAN manufacturing practices to improve freight lanes.

Communication and Alignment Strategy

I understand that each stakeholder is a partner to be engaged as part of every solution and strategy. I invest my time establishing clear goals and objectives and communicating these with the team to ensure alignment across the globe. It is also important to identify the field of play and connect people, processes and technology to deal with challenges and contribute to organizational growth and performance. The supply chain landscape is always changing and evolving, and so are the strategies and tactics being deployed.  Accordingly, we should recognize issues quickly , assess services and financial impact and drive cross functional teams to implement solutions. An action oriented mindset is crucial. We must always be searching for the “how we can” instead of “we cannot.”

Key Performance Indicators

I work with my team and the business at the start of each year to identify and align goals and objectives for the immediate year and the next three years. Once the high level goals are established, I collaborate with my global team to set specific objectives for their respective department. This ensures full engagement from every member, aligning their goals with the broader supply chain, business, and corporate objectives. For instance, if the company goal is to improve cash flow, my team might enhance lead times to reduce weeks of supply. This approach increases our inventory turns while decreasing cash tied up in inventory. It is important to ensure that everyone understands how they can impact the larger corporate goals at an individual level to increase top line revenue and improve productivity.

Leadership Philosophy: Customer-centricity

I believe in competing aggressively but always in the right way, which comes with a customer-centric approach complimented with the golden rule: treat others the way you would like to be treated. This helps to ensure everyone is listening, reacting and growing in the direction of our customers, ensuring our associates share in our success and identify where there impact makes a difference.

We should always communicate challenges in a transparent manner, while having a problem solving and continuous improvement mindset. In doing so, we need to develop options for consideration and ideas for corrective actions.  If we properly assess options and make decisions based on facts, data and sophisticated analysis, we will land in a great place. This approach helps the team transition from identifying the problem to defining and solving it. We must always hold ourselves accountable by taking ownership of our work. In supply chain leadership, overcoming obstacles beyond supply chain issues is essential to maintaining great customer relationship.

Key Advice for Leadership Roles in Supply Chain

The supply chain offers diverse   opportunities across procurement, distribution, manufacturing and logistics. One should have a clear vision whether to specialize in a specific area or aim for end-to-end leadership. For specializing, you should focus on gaining knowledge and pursue certifications from the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM). While for end-to-end leadership, you need to gain experience in all the areas of supply chain and consider pursuing an MBA or master’s in supply chain management. You can also take guidance from mentors for constructive feedback and unleash opportunities to explore new ideas.