Reap What You Sow: An Interview with John Stegner

[From iSource Business, July 2001] It would be hard to find a major manufacturing company that isn't feeling the urgent need to adopt competitive new technologies. And that's especailly true for farm equipment maker Deere & Co. In fact, for several years, the  $13.1 billion Moline, Ill. giant has taken great strides in finding ways to deploy advanced technologies in its business, by doing everything from buying more than a dozen small technology firms to launching an Internet-based service to help farmers better manage their crops.

So, it's not surprising that the company has also turned its attention to enabling its supply chain in an equally ambitious way. Jon Stegner, director of supply management and strategic sourcing, talked to iSource about the strategies that manufacturers need to follow to successfully apply Internet-based technologies to the supply chain and the benefits they can reap as a result.

iSource: What's the key to using enabled technology effectively in the supply chain?
Stegner: The key is to see the potential, while keeping the technology in perspective. The potential for huge changes in speed and the lowering of costs is impressive, but that can be successful only if there's a larger strategy at play.

Let me explain. Some people look at a new technology and say,