Over the course of two days, Industry IoT's SCM Leaders Forum brought together supply chain, manufacturing and sustainability's finest for a series of engaging presentations and discussions.
Attendees at the impressive HP Innovation Center in Barcelona heard from inspiring leaders representing Achilles, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Danone, L'Oréal and McKinsey, among others.
Supply Chain Digital caught up with Jose Gorbea, Global Head of Brands, Agencies and Sustainability Innovation at HP, who explained how HP is enabling brands to connect marketing and the supply chain.
Bridging marketing and supply chain operations
Known as Pepe to colleagues, Jose brings valuable experience from his marketing background at global food and beverage giants Nestlé and Kraft Foods.
His expertise helps HP connect brands with digital printing solutions that transform both operations and marketing strategies, placing HP at the intersection of supply chain efficiency and creative brand expression.
HP's approach brings together traditionally-siloed departments around common goals: "We put both functions (supply chain and marketing) at the same table because what they have always in common is that they both want to grow their business in a profitable way.
"With our technology, we have benefits that impact the supply chain part and their KPIs on making supply chains more agile and more resilient because of digital printing. On the marketing side, we make them grow better and faster because you can personalise the content that you put in your packaging at scale."
Jose cites Coca-Cola and its personalised bottles as an example of a campaign made possible by HP and its technology.
Embedding sustainability into business growth
For HP, sustainability transcends mere reporting requirements. Instead, Jose believes meaningful sustainability must drive business performance.
"The real value creation happens when you use sustainability strategies to drive business growth," he continues. "In the case of HP, through personalisation, what we've been doing is driving brands' social impact agenda."
Jose highlights several successful partnerships that demonstrate this approach.
He adds: "We've done work with Hershey's, with a campaign that raises the voices of women to become artists, or Pride like we've done with Smirnoff to celebrate love stories."
Industry education through leadership forums
Events like the SCM Leaders Forum play a crucial role in HP's mission to transform supply chains.
Such gatherings connect decision makers from manufacturing, technology, operations and beyond.
Jose emphasises the educational value of such events. "One of the biggest challenges we face at HP is the lack of awareness and the lack of education and understanding of how digital printing can be embedded strategically into your decision-making as part of a supply chain transformation journey.
"That's our role here: to make sure people are aware about what's possible, how you actually bring it into your own business and how you operationalise it."
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