Conference Coverage: Keynote Juan Perez, UPS

Innovation cannot stop. Ever. It is an integral part of the competitive, disruptive, relevant and technology-driven culture that should be part of every company. And, after listening to Juan Perez’s keynote speech, "Anticipating Tomorrow’s Support Chain Challenges — Today," during which he succinctly and precisely outlined and illustrated this point, the attendees had pages of proof – first-hand experiences shared by Perez. "We have to remain competitive and relevant," he stressed, even in how they innovate. If we didn’t change, we would have been out of business years ago, said Perez, who is the chief information and engineering officer at UPS. "We have had to change our approach to innovation."

This way of thinking seems to be serving UPS well, as the company celebrated its 110th anniversary last year. And Perez had no shortage of examples and tips to share. Cameras were clicking almost nonstop as each new slide was revealed, and you could almost hear attendees’ minds whirring as they digested each of the points he made. 

One of the many points was related to the three Innovation Initiators: Enhanced Mobility, Empowered Consumers and Evolving Technologies. "The mobility is truly changing the way we do business," said Perez, using an example from his days as a UPS driver in Beverly Hills. That was when the business changed, he said, due to the Delivery Information Acquisition Device (DIAD) that was released in 1991. UPS is now working on DIAD 6, a testimonial to the importance of continual evolvement. He also touched on the importance of giving customers control over their own delivery experience and making investments in advanced technologies, information security and personnel.

Another takeaway was the explanation of the Founder’s Mentality. "We need to be constructively dissatisfied... If we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t be the company we are today," said Perez.

Perez also attributed some of UPS’s success with its decision to "align ourselves with companies that can help us develop these different technologies," explained Perez, citing CyPhy Works, Workhorse and Zipline as examples. "As you think about the future.... you cannot do it alone. You have to work with others."

But, perhaps the most important piece of guidance from Perez had to do with acting upon your ideas. "When it comes to innovation, there has to be action," said Perez. Companies also need to research breakthrough robotics and ideas and attract top talent, in addition to turning "collaboration into action." The message was that it wasn’t just about talking, it was about doing. And, companies have to understand that this disruption can get messy. "Innovation is messy," said Perez. "We recognize that there will be some failures along that way and that we will learn from them," he acknowledged. But it is this action and this willingness to try new innovations that may mean the difference in your company falling behind versus staying a relevant part of the industry we are in.