Manoj Tiwary at Subaru Canada on digitalisation, data platforms and scaling solutions

Taking to the Red Sofa at Automotive Logistics & Supply Chain Digital Strategies North America, Manoj Tiwary, chief information officer at Subaru Canada, shared his digitalisation roadmap and vision for the company’s logistics transformation. He discussed Subaru’s multi-year modernisation strategy, which has already yielded significant updates to their service parts systems, including new warehouse, transportation and supply chain management systems. “We just wrapped up a project… all working together to help getting the service part where they need to be on time,” Tiwary said, emphasising the importance of timely delivery and system integration.

Looking forward, Tiwary outlined the company’s focus on finished vehicle logistics, aiming to address challenges such as estimated time of arrivals (ETAs) and vehicle damage. A key part of this strategy is improving data access and quality. “Rather than trying to chase just solving one problem, what we want to do is build flexible, scalable solution that can empower the business user,” he explained, highlighting the need for adaptable systems that allow users to solve real-time issues using clean, integrated data.

Tiwary also stressed the often-overlooked intersection between parts and vehicle logistics. “An intelligent common data platform is the key to solve this problem… so we can then basically supply the required amount of parts or accessories at the ports,” he said, underlining the role of visibility in improving operational efficiency and customer service. On the technology front, Tiwary is enthusiastic about the potential of AI, but stresses the need for a strong data foundation. “AI runs on good data,” he noted. “We have to look at each challenge… and try to see what tools we have in our toolkit to be able to solve the problem.” 

The importance of visibility is an opinion shared by other members of Subaru leadership. Lisa Kline, vice-president of Vehicle Planning and Logistics at Subaru of America, shared at last year's FVL North America conference that OEMs should make more of an active effort to share information with their partners as doing so creates stronger and more effective relationships.