Catching Up With Doug Rammel, VP of Information Systems, Technology & Integration Operations in the Sports Licensed Division of adidas Group.
This month CGT Executive Editor Kara Romanow sits down with Doug Rammel, who, as VP of Information Systems, Technology and Integration Operations for the Sports Licensed Division of adidas Group, is challenged to react quickly to manufacture products according to events in the unpredictable sporting industry. Plus, find out how his grandfather shaped his philosophy on mergers and acquisitions.
 | What keeps you up at night (Biggest challenge for consumer goods manufactures in the next three years)? RAMMEL: Converting "toys to tools" ahead of the curve; how do you consistently drive greater value and operational efficiency from the technologies already in place while evaluating and implementing all the new toys coming on the market (RFID, communication devices, broadband wireless, etc.). Also, using technological innovation to drive operational and business change ' how do we do things better? Ultimately, you want to challenge the current model and figure out how to break what isn't broke to move beyond the next wave. How do manufacturers and retailers better collaborate? RAMMEL: Clearly the manufacturing and distribution supply chain has become geographically longer and lengthened the timeline for execution. Thus, communication from the retail event back through the supply chain must become cleaner and faster. In addition, product development has to move closer to the end retail consumer as the longer lead times increase the size of market mistakes. In the end, it comes back to using technology to shorten timeframes and share more information in real time ' ultimately, greater integration leads to better collaboration. |
How do you predict which team is going to win and manufacture enough SuperBowl gear before the first game is even played?
RAMMEL: That is an art more than a science, but we use a variety of forecasting models to limit our risk. But you also have to recognize what is impossible ' you aren't going to predict the future ' and so you build operational and systemic tools that allow you to react quickly to changing events.
RAMMEL: We maximize our ability to deliver product into a market when it will sell. For us, the best time of the season is the preseason ' only a few people have gotten hurt, every draft pick is a future Hall of Famer and every team is going to win the championship.
RAMMEL: That is an art more than a science, but we use a variety of forecasting models to limit our risk. But you also have to recognize what is impossible ' you aren't going to predict the future ' and so you build operational and systemic tools that allow you to react quickly to changing events.
RAMMEL: We maximize our ability to deliver product into a market when it will sell. For us, the best time of the season is the preseason ' only a few people have gotten hurt, every draft pick is a future Hall of Famer and every team is going to win the championship.
You have been involved in several mergers and acquisitions over the past few years. What best practices can you recommend to companies experiencing a similar transformation?
RAMMEL: Focus on what you do and what you control. If you know your business better than anyone else and can deliver the tools needed to grow and execute the business, you will be successful in whatever structure ultimately emerges. My grandfather used to say that people pay for results. Ultimately, those who get the right things done in the right way at the right time, tend to move forward. The other stuff tends to work itself out. CG
RAMMEL: Focus on what you do and what you control. If you know your business better than anyone else and can deliver the tools needed to grow and execute the business, you will be successful in whatever structure ultimately emerges. My grandfather used to say that people pay for results. Ultimately, those who get the right things done in the right way at the right time, tend to move forward. The other stuff tends to work itself out. CG