LeBron James nearly sank Nike’s supply chain.

When it was announced that Anthony Davis would be joining the Los Angeles Lakers from the New Orleans Pelicans, James declared that he would gift his number 23 to Davis, and instead wear number 6 for the upcoming basketball season. The plan sent Nike, which sells branded NBA merchandise, into a panic. In the end, it nixed the switch, saying that it had too much of James’s number 23 jerseys still in inventory. Other supply chains, however, rarely have the luxury of ignoring sudden changes in demand. They simply must adjust. But how good a job are they doing? And how can they do better? On this episode, we get advice from Ted Stank, holder of the Harry J. and Vivienne R. Bruce Chair of Excellence in Business at the University of Tennessee’s online Masters in Supply Chain Management. He discusses possible solutions such as “anticipatory” supply chains, postponement strategies, 3D printing and artificial intelligence. Still, he says, surprises will always be a factor in supply-chain management, and planners just have to roll with it. Hosted by Bob Bowman, Editor-in-Chief of SupplyChainBrain.

Show notes:

UT faculty’s report, “Game Changing Trends in Supply Chain.”