As disruptions continue to rock global vehicle production, it's clear that new solutions are needed to fix a broken supply chain and that the model itself needs to change. Where do we go from here? A blue-ribbon panel of automotive insiders will investigate the problem and offer creative solutions at the 2021 Fleet Forward Conference in San Jose on Nov. 10-12.

The panel will discuss potential changes in the supply chain, technologies that will aid the transition, and how dealers, retail buyers, and fleets must in turn adjust their processes in the near and long term.

The seminar will be moderated by Jim Press, who serves as executive advisor to Hyundai Motor North America as well as to Work Truck Solutions. Press is the former COO of Toyota North America.

The panel consists of Kathryn Schifferle, founder and CEO of Work Truck Solutions and Comvoy. She’ll be joined by Steve Greenfield, CEO and founder of advisory firm Automotive Ventures, LLC. Greenfield has overseen more than $1 billion in automotive technology investments and has served in senior executive positions at TrueCar, AutoTrader.com, and Manheim.

Kirk Mann, senior vice president and GM of Transportation Finance at Hitachi Capital America, rounds out the panel. Mann has held various sales, marketing, and business development leadership roles at GE Capital, Financial Federal Credit, Inc., and CitiCapital Commercial Corporation.

“We are by now fully educated on the problem, but where are the solutions? Does a build-to-order model really have a future?” asks Chris Brown, conference chair. “This panel is uniquely positioned atop the automotive supply chain to provide insights to the biggest questions facing the automotive industry today.”  

The seminar “Supply, Unchained: Forward Solutions to a Growing Crisis” will take place at 2 p.m. on Nov. 11. The 2021 Fleet Forward Conference convenes Nov. 10-12 at the Hayes Manion in San Jose.