Our Supply Chain Heroes program recognizes and celebrates the hard work of LeanDNA customers who optimize inventory, reduce shortages, and empower their companies to operate more efficiently. Every hero has a story, and we’re here to tell them.
Supply chain leaders are often tasked with balancing two seemingly opposing challenges: keeping inventory lean while ensuring production lines never stop due to shortages. For Jessica Zhao, Materials Planner at Johnson Controls Wuxi Compressor, these challenges were front and center and she rose to meet them head-on. Through her leadership, determination, and a focus on supplier collaboration, she has transformed how her team manages inventory and supplier performance.
The Challenge of Manual Supplier Management
Before implementing LeanDNA, Jessica and her team were overwhelmed by two major challenges: high imported parts inventory and frequent material shortages. Both were so widespread that prioritization became a daily battle.
Managing suppliers with high-volume demand was another hurdle. Some suppliers require 100+ weekly PO confirmations, creating significant operational strain. Manual tracking of orders, changes, and commitments becomes error-prone and inefficient.
The team had tried to solve this in the past by managing confirmations manually, sending Excel-based PO lists for due date validation, then re-entering responses into SAP. But this approach introduced its own problems. “It was highly prone to delays and missed updates, as suppliers and internal teams struggled with version control,” Jessica said. “And data entry errors often led to incorrect information or inventory gaps.”
Transforming Supplier Collaboration
The disconnect changed when Jessica championed the adoption of LeanDNA’s Supplier Workbench and Supplier Connect. Instead of relying on error-prone spreadsheets and manual updates, the team now has automated, real-time synchronization with SAP.
“LeanDNA eliminates risks by automating PO tracking and supplier collaboration, ensuring real-time SAP synchronization—so changes are captured instantly, and exceptions are flagged proactively.” - Jessica Zhao, Materials Planner at Johnson Controls Wuzi Compressor
The impact was immediate. With automated visibility into supplier confirmation rates, her team could drive meaningful performance improvements and focus their energy on strategic action instead of manual firefighting.
“With LeanDNA’s Supplier Workbench, we now have clear visibility into supplier confirmation rates, enabling data-driven performance improvements.” - Jessica Zhao
LeanDNA Customer Success Manager, Abinaya Nagaraju noted just how influential she was in making this transformation possible:
“Jessica was instrumental in rolling out Supplier Connect across three different sites. Her preparation and training delivery across all suppliers for these sites were straight on point, simple, and easy for suppliers to follow and understand. She went the extra mile on this initiative to deliver the training for all three sites.”
Leading the Way to Inventory Accuracy
By strengthening supplier collaboration and ensuring real-time visibility, Jessica laid the groundwork for more accurate inventory management across the sites. With suppliers aligned and processes streamlined, her team was able to shift focus from chasing updates to driving meaningful improvements in accuracy and efficiency.
Already, Jessica has achieved notable accomplishments, including:
- Rolling out Supplier Connect across three sites with strong supplier adoption
- Clearing expired demands in the system
- Improving buyer proficiency and engagement with the platform
- Expanding adoption of the CTB report for clearer work order visibility
And they aren’t stopping there. Over the next six months, the team plans to continue prioritizing supplier collaboration to optimize inventory accuracy and eliminate shortages. Their roadmap includes:
- Optimizing safety stock and purchasing strategies
- Improving supplier delivery performance for high-shortage materials
- Increasing inventory accuracy through ABC-classified cycle counting
A Tip From the Hero
For Jessica, one of the biggest takeaways from her journey so far is that supply chain success requires agility and adaptability.
“Demand is always volatile, forecasts are never perfect. A skilled buyer's job is to adapt quickly, stay agile, and ensure the right materials arrive in the right quantity, at the right place, and at the right time. Just embrace uncertainty, respond fast, deliver precisely.” - Jessica Zhao
It’s this mindset that has fueled her team’s ability to shift from manual firefighting to proactive supply chain leadership.
When it comes to investing in modern supply chain solutions, Jessica is confident: the outcomes are undeniable.
“LeanDNA empowers businesses with real-time supply chain visibility, enabling data-driven decisions to optimize inventory levels. By leveraging its intelligent analytics, companies can reduce excess inventory by 20–30%, minimize stockouts and shortages, and improve on-time delivery by aligning inventory with actual demand signals.” - Jessica Zhao
Her advice is simple: “With LeanDNA, you gain actionable insights to eliminate waste, lower costs, and enhance operational efficiency—all in real time.”
A True Supply Chain Hero
Through her leadership, Jessica Zhao has turned supply chain complexity into an opportunity for efficient workflows, lean inventory, and supplier collaboration. By championing new ways of working and empowering her team to adapt, she has shown what it means to be a true supply chain hero.
If you’d like to nominate someone for our Supply Chain Hero program or view more heroes stories, click here.
If Jessica’s story resonated with you and you’d like to learn more about LeanDNA, click here to schedule a demo.
