Radisys is a mid-tier company with around $300m in annual sales. It specializes in wireless infrastructure, with telecommunications making up its biggest market segment. Companies in the medical and aerospace and defense sector are also major customers.

Radisys tends to be an innovator of technology. "We live on the bleeding edge," says Aleman. Her responsibilities range from sales and operations planning through demand generation and fulfillment.

The biggest recent change in the market is a growing demand for speed. “Everybody wants information much faster,” says Aleman. “He who responds first wins.” As a result, Radisys must focus on having the right systems infrastructure in place for responding to demand signals as quickly as possible.

The company maintains complete data feeds from the systems of its suppliers. “I know everything that’s happening in their supply chain,” Aleman says. It still relies on many “niche” suppliers, beyond its relationship with a contract manufacturer. In the case of the latter, Radisys used to rely on multiple parties, but now has just one. “The jury is still out” on whether the company will consider reshoring manufacturing to the western hemisphere, in response to rising costs and levels of risk associated with Asian partners.

Radisys’s ability to collaborate with downstream partners has improved as the company has acquired more visibility, says Aleman. Customer data feeds help it to access the proper level of supply to meet demand. The priority for the future, she says, is to stabilize the company’s supply chain.

To view the video in its entirety, click here