Simplifying Sourcing: Fictiv’s Approach to Sustainable Manufacturing with Nate Evans

Welcome to the latest episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain Podcast. I’m Tom Raftery, and today I’m joined by Nate Evans, co-founder and CXO of Fictiv. Nate shares invaluable insights into how Fictiv is transforming the landscape of sourcing for engineers and supply chain teams through their innovative digitized manufacturing network.

We delve into Fictiv’s mission to simplify sourcing for plastic and metal parts, highlighting the significant role of early design decisions in achieving sustainability. Nate and I explore the critical importance of collaboration between engineers, supply chain teams, and external partners to drive efficiency and reduce carbon footprints.

A key takeaway from our discussion is the increasing emphasis on sustainability in the manufacturing sector. Nate reveals the growing trend of companies setting ambitious carbon emission targets and the various strategies they employ to meet these goals. He also underscores the necessity of leveraging technology to enhance visibility and transparency in supply chains, thereby enabling more sustainable practices.

Additionally, we touch on the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for manufacturers as they integrate sustainability into their operations. Nate’s practical advice on building solid, actionable sustainability strategies is particularly enlightening for companies at the beginning of their sustainability journey.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in how digital innovation can drive sustainable practices in manufacturing.

Connect with Nate on LinkedIn and learn more about Fictiv at Fictiv.com. As always, stay tuned for more insightful discussions on the Sustainable Supply Chain Podcast.

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Transcript

Nate Evans: 0:03

Manufacturing, it's a difficult business. People feel like you've got to brute force it. I gotta be in the factory. I gotta be inspecting the lines. Yes, that's definitely important. But is that, what you should be doing, right? Great executives always know, is this a problem that only I can solve? Or can I really, you know, delegate this? This is not my core competency

Tom Raftery: 0:26

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening, wherever you are in the world. This is the Sustainable Supply Chain Podcast, the number one podcast focusing on sustainability and supply chains, and I'm your host, Tom Raftery. Hi everyone. And welcome to episode 19 of the sustainable supply chain podcast. My name is Tom Raftery, and I'm excited to be here with you today. Sharing the latest insights and trends in supply chain sustainability. Today, I'm going to be talking to Nate Evans from Fictiv. We'll come to that in a sec. And in upcoming episodes, I'll have Jared McAdoo. from, iValua, Katie Martin from Avetta, Camille Manso from Silicon Foundry and Matthew Van Niekirk from Settlemint. So watch out for those episodes, that'll be dropping in the coming weeks, back to today. And with me on the show today, as I said, I have Nate, Nate, welcome to the podcast. Would you like to introduce yourself?

Nate Evans: 1:18

of course. Thanks for having me, Tom. Hello everyone. I'm Nate Evans, one of the co founders and CXO at Fictiv, a digitized contract manufacturer.

Tom Raftery: 1:27

Great. And Nate, I guess, first off, could you tell us a little bit about Fictiv. Who or what is Fictiv and also just CXO, give us a an idea what the X in this case stands for.

Nate Evans: 1:42

You know, of course, happy to do all of the above. Yeah. The X in this case, you know, like a lot of founders, we wear many hats, so certainly take on many roles. But really, it's to focus on our experience, and that's what I'm principally responsible for. It's how do you ensure an end to end experience across our brand, product, and the service that we provide that's unmatched. So, I like to obsess about that. Fictiv? It's pretty simple. We simplify sourcing for engineers, supply chain teams that are looking to, you know, purchase plastic and metal parts. So your entire mechanical BOM and I'm happy to get into more detail about how we do that and why we're different. But at the end of the day, it's all about simplifying sourcing.

Tom Raftery: 2:31

Sure. Yeah. Do please give us a quick 101 on what it is you do, why plastic and metal and how you got into that. Yeah. How you got into that as well the origin story is always a nice one to start out with.

Nate Evans: 2:44

Yeah, let me let me share a little bit about that. So my brother and I, Dave, we started the company 10 years ago. And at the time we really saw this huge gap in the market for how do you go from a digital thing to a physical thing? And the traditional ways of contacting a local machine shop or going overseas. Using other online services or working with an existing contract manufacturer, either were slow, expensive, frustrating. None of it worked at the speed that we felt, you know, hardware needed to be developed at. So we came up with Fictiv really with this idea to simplify sourcing for mechanical engineers initially and then supply chain teams. And the model is we don't own a single machine, but we've built software that facilitates and connects a highly vetted network of manufacturing partners around the globe. So we're in four different countries the U. S., China, Mexico, and India. And we provide this bolt on supply chain effectively to teams to instantly get access to machine capacity in injection molding, additive, CNC machining, die casting, you name it. If it's a mechanical piece of your bill of materials, we help to simplify that sourcing.

Tom Raftery: 4:09

Okay. Lots to pick apart there.

Nate Evans: 4:12

yeah.

Tom Raftery: 4:14

Let's start with working with your brother. How does that work?

Nate Evans: 4:18

I always ask, you know, do you have a sibling? You know, that's, and would you ever consider working or have you worked with that sibling? Would you give it a

Tom Raftery: 4:29

Love her. I, I, I have a sister. She's great. Love her. Not sure I could run a business with her though. We're very different and maybe that'd be a good thing. Cause we have very different qualities. So I, I could see she'd be very good at some aspects and I'd be mediocre at some other aspects and whether we, whether we'd actually be successful or not, it's a completely different question.

Nate Evans: 4:50

I think that's totally a fair question. You know, and that's the same one that Dave and I had. But, you know, 10 years ago, we were at this moment in time when there was an opportunity for us to work together, and we didn't know when that opportunity would, you know, come again. So, we seized it and said, hey, we're gonna give it a go. And, just like you, you were pretty much the same coin, just different sides. So, my background I majored in international relations, did a master's in Chinese. So I love languages. I'm a very, like, creative problem solver for how I think about things. And Dave's your mechanical engineer. So, you know, he's a very structured thinker. There's a right and a wrong answer for everything, but we compliment each other. And what I'll say to anyone considering starting a business, you know, trust in the early days is so important to focus on the real problem, which is what problem are you solving for your customer? And so we leverage that to the max we still do today. And in large part, it's why we are where we are, you know, we've produced over 30 million parts for some of the biggest names, the Teslas the Apples, Intuitive Surgicals, Johnson Johnson's, and we feel extremely fortunate and lucky to, you know, help other startups and, you know, companies that need help simplifying their sourcing.

Tom Raftery: 6:14

Okay. And it's mostly plastic and metal from what you said at the start there. A lot of that could be done, I assume, with 3D printing and you did mention additive as one of the options there as well as CNC. is, are you seeing a trend towards more additive or has that kind of, you don't, you don't see a lot of headlines about it these days. So was that just kind of a flash in the pan, the interest in that, or is it advancing or how is that working out for people?

Nate Evans: 6:41

It's always evolving. You know, funny story. We started the business in additive for a very intentional manner. It was, you know, an easily accessible technology, very short sales cycle, all focused on speed. And when we first set up Fictiv, it was really how do we help companies, engineers accelerate their time to market. And so we really dove into that technology and today, you know, there's still a plethora of, you know, additive systems coming online. What has changed, though, is that there's definitely more production use cases that people are trying to tackle. Those are, you know, very challenging. And as the market's evolved, you're seeing a lot more specific applications. So a lot more, I'd say, niche applications to solve something in defense or solve something in medical or try and, you know, bridge a, a tooling, you know, lead time issue. So there's very specific additive systems that are really trying to capture that certain parts of the market.

Tom Raftery: 7:52

Okay, interesting. And this is the, of course, sustainable supply chain podcast. And one of the reasons we're talking is because you released your sustainability and manufacturing report last September. It's a few months old at this point. So we, we should have talked a few months ago. Sorry about that. My fault, but how do you see, how do you see the, the role of sustainability evolving in a manufacturing sector over the next decade

Nate Evans: 8:21

Yeah, it's really exciting. You know, this was, we've done now our, our state of manufacturing report for almost close to 10 years now, probably eight years. And this was, you know, we'd had sustainability questions within that previous report. Certainly check it out if you get a chance. But our sustainability report in manufacturing was the first of its kind. And really we brought this to light because of the increased interest, demand, and really the challenges that supply chain teams and engineering teams are facing to try and help demystify some of these questions. And so we've seen a enormous amount of interest in it, you know, just year over year we've seen, you know, over 123 percent increase in the number of companies that are actually setting carbon emission targets. And now 58 percent of leaders say, Hey, this is at the top priority for me to actually figure out how do I develop a roadmap that solves some of these key issues. So that was surprising to us.

Tom Raftery: 9:31

sure, sure, sure. And that 123 percent that increase in companies that are setting goals for their CO2 emissions. Is that amongst your customers or is that amongst their suppliers or a combination?

Nate Evans: 9:49

A combination, I think, you know, it's, it's hard to really know the total impact, right? Because every customer, every, you know, company has such a diverse network and such a large network and web of partners that they're connected to. And a lot of times they don't even know the full extent of all the partners that they actually work with. And so it's really it's a, it's an important trend and one that we should keep emphasizing.

Tom Raftery: 10:19

Okay. And is it just, carbon emissions that they're interested in, or are they interested in other aspects of sustainability as well?

Nate Evans: 10:59

That's certainly of all aspects of sustainability, you know, from packaging, you know, in total carbon footprint but also other social and governance aspects too of ESG. So sustainability and the environment key issue, but certainly the social and the governance side, there's been a huge pickup in, you know, understanding those decisions too.

Tom Raftery: 11:23

And what kind of solutions are you seeing in place to help manufacturers reduce these emissions or meet those targets?

Nate Evans: 11:34

Yeah, it's a great question for each, each supplier in this case, which I think you're talking about has their own challenges. So do companies and OEMs, right? And so the first thing is about understanding, okay, frame the problem. What am I trying to solve for? Where's the biggest potential impact? And so a lot of our conversations, conversations we have had is around that issue. And usually the top challenge that people come with is how do I influence or have control over my supply chain or have even visibility? You know, I think it's around 60 percent of supply chain leaders really don't have the visibility, the transparency, or really they believe control over influencing their supply chain. And that's a real issue. So if you're feeling, if you're feeling alone out there, you're not. It's a, it's a widespread, it's a widespread challenge.

Tom Raftery: 12:34

with 36 percent of manufacturers struggling to bridge technology and measurement gaps. What kind of technologies or innovations do you believe could significantly close these gaps and, you know, propel industry towards achieving its sustainability goals?

Nate Evans: 12:53

Yeah, you know, it's, I'd say it's actually almost too simple. I think in a lot of ways we overthink the problem, you know, industry 4. 0, we've got to be completely IOT connected. You know, we have to figure out how to integrate AI and get all the machine monitoring. Yeah, that's all super great. But if you've ever been in a factory or visited a supplier in the US, you know that 65 percent of manufacturers are 15 people or less. Right? 15 people or less. They're running on clipboards, paper, they're lucky if they're, you know, they've got an instance of a CRM setup. Like we're talking low tech here. And so I think that's been some of the mismatch. You know, up to this point is there's a lot of technologists, you know, where one of them obviously that wants to bring digitization and transform, you know, businesses, entire industries. It's all around the ease of adoption. And so how do you actually make it easy to create that reporting to help establish those, you know, carbon footprints that allows everyone to gain that visibility. And so, you know, those are really the key challenges and the technologies is really how do we collect that information in a, you know, easy, simple, recurring way. And that can be as simple as a mobile friendly, you know web app. It can be an app itself. You can get more advanced, obviously, machine monitoring, actually understanding what your total energy production and what you're sending back to the grid to know if it's a partner or a supplier. I call it partner, sorry. It's, it's out of habit. Is that, you know, I really have, net beneficial to your, your footprint.

Tom Raftery: 14:42

And considering, you know, one third of leaders want to improve sustainability, but lack the knowledge for a concrete plan. What steps do you think companies should take to build a solid, actionable sustainability strategy?

Nate Evans: 14:59

It's a great question. I always encourage teams, leadership you have to bring people along and that's all about where you are in your own climate journey. And so I would really stick to that. And that comes from a point of interest, internal motivation, right? You have to really cultivate that not just for yourself, but your entire leadership team. So my advice is always if you are on that path and that journey. It's all about how do you bring people along on that journey? And so I like to start at the vision, you know, first and foremost. How do you get other people together sharing ideas talking about what's the type of world that you want to live in? From there you go from vision to strategy. How does this actually affect and impact our customers. How can we make a better experience, a more profitable product? How does this help us, you know, and our own internal goals? And then from there, you can start to develop the operational, tactics and strategies that really gets, to see a positive benefit. And so, you know, a lot of times, I think too many supply chain leaders, it's difficult, they feel to influence engineering, but it's so critical, I'd say to really develop that strong partnership with engineering because 80 to 90 percent of waste starts at the design phase. And a lot of times they feel like that's out of their control, but it's super critical when you think about the full life cycle of a product.

Tom Raftery: 16:31

Yeah, I'm, I'm glad you brought that up because I was going to ask about that, about design and engineering for how critical do you think Early design and engineering decisions are in the life cycle of a product sustainability, particularly now that we're seeing moves, legislation, regulations coming in requiring, rights of repair, we're getting extended producer responsibility, those kind of things cropping up and a shift towards a circular economy as well.

Nate Evans: 16:59

Yeah, it's, it's more important than ever. Right. As you've, you know, highlighted and we're seeing a lot of companies, you know, take that on. It's so critical that you have that, you know, partnership with engineering and supply chain because whether it's material selection, which is a super critical component if you're actually just thinking about your product itself and where are you playing in the market? Right. Are you thinking about a highly durable product? One that's gonna last a long time Are you designing with reuse and recycle in mind? Are you actually thinking about the repairability like you're saying? You know, all of those are critical decisions that engineering teams are making, design teams are making in the field when getting, you know, feedback from customers, but they're not always educated or equipped. I can tell you, you know, I wasn't personally going through all the engineering curriculum, but, Dave has commented, we don't have that in our education system, right? We're not teaching the next wave of engineers and leaders, all the, you know, not just, advanced courses in graduate school, but what are the basics? How do we think about, some of those decisions that we're making? It's all really on the job. And so it's super important to get the content that, you know, teams need the education, the training that helps, drive that through your product.

Tom Raftery: 18:27

And do you have any examples you could share about how early collaboration between engineers, supply chain teams, external partners has led to significant sustainability wins?

Nate Evans: 18:40

Yeah, let me think of one. Yeah, if I'm, I'm thinking of a specific medical company in this case, one of our customers. It was a fast rising startup. They had this super innovative device on biopsies. And at this point, you know, you have engineers working fiercely against the deadline. You have supply chain teams, trying to figure out how to scale and they're not exactly on the same page for what their priorities are, you know, moving in sync. And so a lot of times when we come into, you know, engagements. It's about bringing those two teams together and looking at, you know, an end to end, cycle for what they're trying to achieve, both from, you know, material selection. In this case, you know, the customer and the engineers were thinking about a specific requirement that they, you know, believe they needed to meet for your regulatory standards. So they'd spec the material that, you know, was good, it had the performance that it needed, but it didn't necessarily have the sourcing scalability and the carbon footprint that might have been most ideal. And so when we sat down and we started to do the material review and analysis you know, we got input from the supply chain team, what was important, how they were thinking about, being able to source that. And that's from there, you know, a whole flow of ideas started to come on, okay, what's the actual material that we can use to meet performance requirements, but also have as clean and green a carbon footprint as possible. And a lot of times the fear, what, you know, the engineers share is, well, how am I supposed to validate that design with that material? Right? That's usually their principal concern, which is a totally fair one. And in this case, we were able to, help actually produce a low volume run of that set of parts with that material and compare it to an existing one that the engineer had selected. And so from that, they were able to see that the performance, they were able to meet the standards, get a better material selection. And, you know, then the supply chain team was happy, the engineers were happy, and, we were able to, you know, help support that. But a lot of times it comes down to time, cycle time, and being able to, have that collaboration.

Tom Raftery: 21:04

Sure, sure. If I'm a manufacturer on Fictiv, for example, and I have a particular carbon budget that I want to meet, or I'm thinking of it, or, you know, I'm, I'm, I want to reduce my emissions. Can I look out across the suppliers on your system and choose based on the carbon impact of choosing one supplier over another?

Nate Evans: 21:33

That's a great question. So, we built a lot of technology to understand and connect to this, you know, bolt on supply chain that I mentioned. We really think about a small, highly vetted network. So 250 partners across those regions I mentioned US, China, Mexico, India. And the model that we've set up is really one that's a managed service, not a marketplace. And there's a couple reasons for that but really it comes down to, how do you develop a deep amount of trust and understanding and relationship versus just a Alibaba, you know, five star Yelp review, you know, what am I really getting, right? That was one of the major problems. So. You can't select individual suppliers on the Fictiv platform. But what we do is we engage very deeply with our customers, understand, okay, what are your requirements? How important is green as far as what you're seeking to accomplish in your own supply chain? And then from there we open up, the full suite of capabilities, the capacity, the carbon, footprints of all of our partners, and then start to develop, you know, a custom solution that, a supply chain team would want to, you know, achieve. And a lot of times it comes down like the quadrant of all engineering decisions, speed, speed, quality, price, right? Quality is table stakes for us. And then from there, it's how are you balancing delivery, and price? And so a lot of times it's about nearshoring because transportation and logistics impact is, you know, such a big part of, reducing emissions. And that's about it's a, it's a price conversation ultimately.

Tom Raftery: 23:23

Right. Yeah. You can have any two of the three is the, the, the way they say it, isn't it?

Nate Evans: 23:29

Yeah. you want all three, but you choose two. But, you know, as cliche as it might sound like we're trying to change the game on that, it's, you know, you don't have to give up and make those concessions. At least not the severity of, you know, what they might have been in the past.

Tom Raftery: 23:47

Yeah, I think I first heard that triad, referencing printers back in the day, you can have speed, quality, price, you can have two of the three, but never all three.

Nate Evans: 23:58

Exactly, just, it's like, life is a funnel, right? Everything's a funnel. You know, you can, it's always the trifecta.

Tom Raftery: 24:05

Looking at the, the global landscape, which regions or countries do you see leading the way in terms of sustainable manufacturing practices and are there lessons others can learn from the front runners?

Nate Evans: 24:18

That's a great question. Yeah, there's, as a cosmopolitan myself studying international relations, I'm, I'm big on, cross border sharing and learning from all, you know, regions, partners, there's so much to share and developing that community is, you know, we believe a big part of the solution. How do you get people sharing best practices? So, in the U. S., we definitely have a lot of technical prowess and, desire to really, you know, solve this problem, and you see that with our manufacturing partners. I'm about to go visit a totally green, you know, injection molding facility here in the next couple weeks, which is always an exciting front. They're, you know, based in Vermont, of course someone that cares about the environment, but they have a full set of solar, waste management, packaging management, you know, the logistics end to end. And so there are definitely a lot of businesses in the U. S. that take that very seriously and, you know, provide a, you know, negative to net neutral, carbon footprint for customers. On the near, near shoring in Mexico, there's actually a lot of reasons why just, inherently they're able to support, you know, large form factors of builds. So think tens of feet, right? And produce those types of products and support the assembly of products that, you know, you might typically go overseas to Asia. They are certainly making a contribution in that area area for reducing the logistics, you know, impact which has traditionally been, you know, a big carbon footprint for customers and supply chain teams. So I would say each country has a role to play and a set of, structural reasons why they're in the best position to, support sustainable supply chains.

Tom Raftery: 26:24

They've all got their own kind of strengths and weaknesses essentially

Nate Evans: 26:27

Yeah, exactly. And so it's important to recognize those and, you know, kind of understand them, evaluate them, you know, versus trying to put, a square peg in a round hole.

Tom Raftery: 26:39

Okay. And what do you see as the biggest challenges and opportunities for the manufacturing sector in integrating sustainability into their operations in the coming years?

Nate Evans: 26:50

Yeah, Another great question. You know I'd be remiss if I didn't say leveraging technology back to one of your earlier questions, right? So much of this is a, you know, a visibility and a management of a network and supply chain And so, you know, i'm a little biased based on what dave and I have been focused here for the past 10 years over a decade Is really we need to leverage technology to help create a connected, ecosystem and network that people can really connect into. And this is something I've learned more in our own sustainability. Like the biggest carbon benefit that we're really providing for customers and teams is the amount of travel that our customers don't need to do as a result of leveraging a platform like Fictiv or, you know, other, you know, digital platforms. But we really emphasize it in that, you know, I learned that Apple, for instance, they are United Airlines top customer. It spent over 150 million in travel alone, and Shanghai rang at, over 30 million just going to Shanghai. So think about the amount of, engineering and supply chain leaders that need to travel overseas just to be in factory kind of boots on the ground and like, you know, operating it that way. Right. Manufacturing, it's a difficult business. People feel like you've got to brute force it. I gotta be in the factory. I gotta be inspecting the lines. Yes, that's definitely important. But is that, what you should be doing, right? Great executives always know, is this a problem that only I can solve? Or can I really, you know, delegate this? This is not my core competency. And so what we've set up is not just the technology to understand, okay, how do I track the quality of a part? Do that digitally? See that all in the cloud? But do I have teams in region versus flying people back and forth? You know, and so our model is we really focus on having teams in region that speak the native language That are in factories inspecting quality working on logistics plans designing sustainable packaging like understanding all those critical decisions that you would tend to send your team over and we allow people to kind of leverage that talent in a way that traditionally hasn't been possible. Like it's it's hard to hire teams and manage teams, but through technology, you know, through partnerships, I always encourage folks to, ask, right, what type of partnership am I setting up with my suppliers? Do they offer these types of services? Can I find ways to reduce my travel, the travel of my team, not just, you know, for, speed and, you know, operational excellence, but like the efficiency and the impact from, you know, travel itself.

Tom Raftery: 29:54

Sure, sure, sure, sure. For companies that are just beginning their journey towards sustainability and manufacturing, what advice would you offer them to help them navigate the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities?

Nate Evans: 30:13

Yeah read a lot. So read as much as you can about, we're just one, but we provide a lot of content, a lot of resources at Fictiv on how to design sustainable products and reduce, you know, those early design decisions are so critical. I can't overstate that enough. And then do talk to your customers a lot, right? Do a lot of research and, you know, build a lot of early concepts and prototypes. Fail fast, figure it out really what is a high quality product. and something that's durable, that customers would be willing to pay, right? Versus something that might be less durable. It's a, you know, you know, a quick throw away that people aren't going to really value. And so I think strategically for your business. When you're starting think about like where what do customers really value and what are they willing to pay for. And that only comes through trial and error getting physical you know prototypes made getting that in their hands versus jumping to some conclusion that might seem like the economics make sense but doesn't have the same durability, reusability, you know, longevity that a lot of products can and should have. And so, you know, making physical goods, yeah, it does have a carbon impact. And we need to all be conscious of that and, you know, figure out what problems we really need to solve and, you know, where we should focus. And then I'd say from there, as you get further down into the design stages, you know, really focus on your partners. And understanding like invest in the relationship a lot of times, it's difficult to build a supply chain. And so teams tend to have this fragmented, network of, I need as far as this and as far as that. And then very quickly you find your left. I got 50 partners that I'm trying to manage and it's, I'm over my head. And so take the necessary upfront time to really write down. Okay. This is how I want to design my supply chain. These are the types of characteristics that I want my partners to have. Here's how I'm going to get leverage from them that they can actually offer, you know, a value add, leverage for me. So I'm not managing all relationships. And, you know, from there, you know, getting into material selection, packaging design, life cycle analysis, you know, doing those types of studies to understand what the true carbon footprint is. But, as I said from the beginning, you know, start with your climate journey. Just, like, figure out where you are on there and it's it's just important to start and, you know, continue that.

Tom Raftery: 32:57

Okay, this is a very dynamic space, obviously, with regulations changing with customer preferences even boards priorities changing. Where do you see all this going in the next five, 10 years? What, what kind of, and where, I mean, you, you're a CXO, you're, you're obviously, you're wanting Fictiv to be the best possible experience for your customers. You know, what are your plans for, meeting those aims for the next five, 10 years for your customers?

Nate Evans: 33:30

Another great question. You know, it's all about how are we delivering value. And so what's been really exciting to see, right? We've seen the consumer industry really lead the front on what do consumers really value and what are they willing to pay for? And so there's been a ton of adoption in our daily lives, right? Of how are we choosing brands that have a climate beneficial impact, if it's my sweater, it's my shoes, it's, the packaging I receive, from Amazon, right? It's all these things that we are now making those conscious or subconscious decisions of brand selection. And so as we see that starting to influence right b2b and the business world It's a it's a great trend. We should keep playing that up What's important at this point now is understanding, okay, what's the value that sustainability can play. And I think the angle here is really aligning sustainability with efficiency in the boardroom and in the product, through this inflation that we've, you know, seen and all the cost cutting, so much of it has been a focus on, you know, not growth at all costs, but what's the efficiency? How does it hit the bottom line? How is this good for business? And a lot of times I think we skip over the conversation of, sustainability really is about efficiency, reducing waste in all of our set of operations. And when you align that with the economic benefits, with the environmental benefits that you can get, and ultimately, how customers are going to choose you, you know, the differentiation for how you stand out in the market, those are powerful forces that really put sustainability at the core of how you operate as a business, as a team, as a product, and that's so essential to creating a durable foundation that will outlast and not just be a flash in the pan. And so making sure that you have that conversation, have the economic impact for how that lines up within the boardroom. That's something that, you know, that Dave and I focus a lot on. As how is sustainability good, obviously for us to reduce the impact, you know, and provide and contribute to the world. But how is this good for our customers, good for our business? Why does this make a difference in our business? And how can we do that better than anyone else? And so, we feel extremely lucky and excited to, you know, help tackle this problem because we need a lot more visibility and transparency on supply chains. You know what, you know, supply chain leaders are saying is a key issue. And we feel like we have the technology to help facilitate that. So figure out, figure out how to align efficiency and sustainability is, you know, put that at the core of how you work as a business.

Tom Raftery: 36:39

Tremendous. Yep. Great. Nate, we're coming towards the end of the podcast now. Is there any question I haven't asked that you wish I had or any aspect of this we haven't touched on that you think it's important for people to think about?

Nate Evans: 36:54

I think we've touched on a lot of great topics, you know, one that was just, you know, briefly, but, you know, I just, I think we need more conversation and you're doing a critical role here. Tom is the community of, you know, supply chain and engineering leaders focused on sustainability. You know, so much of these, you know, movements and trends right are, it's driven by people like yourself. And so You know, I would really just, it's a call to arms on getting together as a community, you know, finding and developing these, you know, areas of interest, creating these sets of events, the content, how do we all get connected and work together to solve that? And so I think community is such a powerful force and, you know, one that spans right borders, like you mentioned as well. I, I would would love to hear your thoughts too here, right? There's, you know, so many great things that are going on and you're touching so many important leaders, but we need to do more here is, you know, my opinion.

Tom Raftery: 37:57

Oh yeah. Great. Well, thank you for the kind words. Thank you for saying so. Lovely to hear that back. Nate, if people would like to know more about yourself or any of the things we discussed in the podcast today, where would you have me direct them?

Nate Evans: 38:11

Yeah, the best place to find me is on LinkedIn. So you can search Nate Evans Fictiv or just N. W. Evans is my LinkedIn handle. So I would, up to that community point, would love to hear from anyone, everyone, you know, what's been your challenges, solutions, you know, create that conversation. So please reach out. You can obviously find us at Fictiv. com that's F I C T I V com. And. Let us help you simplify your supply chain

Tom Raftery: 38:46

And make it more sustainable.

Nate Evans: 38:47

and make it more sustainable.

Tom Raftery: 38:51

Great. Super. Nate, that's been really interesting. Thanks a million for coming on the podcast today.

Nate Evans: 38:56

Thanks so much for having me, Tom.

Tom Raftery: 38:58

Okay. Thank you all for tuning into this episode of the Sustainable Supply Chain Podcast with me, Tom Raftery. Each week, thousands of supply chain professionals listen to this show. If you or your organization want to connect with this dedicated audience, consider becoming a sponsor. You can opt for exclusive episode branding where you choose the guests or a personalized 30 second ad roll. It's a unique opportunity to reach industry experts and influencers. For more details, hit me up on Twitter or LinkedIn, or drop me an email to tomraftery at outlook. com. Together, let's shape the future of sustainable supply chains. Thanks. Catch you all next time.