EPISODE 42

Podcast: Stephen Statler, Impact of Internet of Things (IoT) on Supply Chain Management

Steve Statler is a writer, public speaker, and consultant working in the beacon ecosystem. He is also the SVP of Consulting, Business Development and Marketing at Wiliot, a semiconductor manufacturer developing a Bluetooth chip that powers itself by harvesting radio frequency energy that is being embedded into consumer-packaged goods and packaging. He trains and advises companies deploying Bluetooth beacon technology and is a thought leader in the “beacosystem” community. Previously he was the Senior Director for Strategy and Solutions Management at Qualcomm’s Retail Solutions Division, helping to incubate Gimbal, one of the leading Bluetooth beacons in the market.

You can listen to the podcast below or watch the video version on YouTube.

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On episode 42 of Supply Chain Next, Stephen Statler talks with host Richard Donaldson about:

  • Stephen’s youth and education in computer science
  • Working with Sequent Computers that became part of IBM during the early years of OCR
  • His big bet on Wireless Access Protocol (WAP) and working with Volantis on mobile internet
  • Transitioning to working with Qualcomm and their reinventing what a smart phone was
  • Creating Qualcomm retail and jumping on the idea of Bluetooth being used as a beacon
  • Stephen’s programming background writing the internals of Unix
  • Discussing Wiliot’s postage stamp Bluetooth battery-free computer
  • Empathy and timing in technology startups
  • Philosophy of fostering creativity in technology companies ­– Qualcomm in particular
  • Qualcomm’s implementation of Bluetooth beacon technology
  • How turmoil in technology company downturns fostered innovation and growth in the tech sector
  • Description of the massive umbrella of Bluetooth technologies
  • Bluetooth beacons, how they work, and how they are implemented
  • Wiliot driving of the internet of expensive things toward a democratized expansion where assets can be tracked using their technology
  • Asset tracking issues during COVID and how the problem could have been solved using IoT
  • Beacon technologies being used to revolutionize navigation, and everyday activities
  • Passively powered beacon technologies and how the drive toward cost-effective production will overturn how assets are tracked
  • Turning the Internet of Things into something lost-cost, disposable, and recyclable
  • Stephen’s history of joining Wiliot
  • Winning the FDA’s Traceability Challenge
  • Manufacturing changes and how products are now having digital twins implemented at birth
  • The world’s lack of visibility in the supply chain due to lack of asset tracking
  • Supply Chain to the Demand Chain and how we can see that in real time
  • Partnership with Japanese company Sato implementing produce tracking to increase shelf life
  • The answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything
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