Vishnu and the team at CWI invited Matthew to give the keynote at the annual CWI Procurement and Supply Chain Summit in Malaysia. Industry professionals from around the world gathered to discuss the supply chain problems that had stalled much of the world's post-pandemic recovery, and to look ahead at the role emerging technologies will play in building the supply chains of 2030, 2040 and beyond.
Matthew split his session into two linked areas: the future of supply chains, and the future of trade, energy and manufacturing. He argued that the two are intertwined, especially when it comes to helping the world build resilient, sustainable supply chains in an increasingly complex and bipolar world.
"3D printing and on demand manufacturing have the potential to eliminate and collapse almost every kind of supply chain and shift the global balance of power."Matthew Griffin, Malaysia, March 2022
He worked through the trends already reshaping the field, from flattening supply chains to strategic dislocation, which is rising as countries such as China and the US continue to square off against one another. He also covered the first examples of quantum supply chains, shifting consumer behaviours and new trade ratios.
He closed with what he calls the ultimate disruptive technology of them all: 3D printing and on-demand manufacturing. Together, he argued, they have the potential to eliminate and collapse almost every kind of supply chain, and to shift the global balance of power.
